*2nd Generation dance. A dance that developed and was disseminated in a non-traditional way. 2G dances are specific – have a fixed format designed to correspond with the arrangement of a particular recording., whereas 1G dances are generic – have a shorter sequence that works with live music – where many different songs are played and arrangements vary according to the tastes of musicians and dancers. For more on the differences between 1st & 2nd G dances click here.
La Masa Mare. I like this dance for its sense of fun, but also because the recording is a great example of Strigaturi. See Strigaturi
The title literally means “the big table” but Romanians know it refers to the wedding feast set out on a big table, where people eat, drink, sing & dance till all hours of the morning.
Having a live band helps
As you can see, there isn’t necessarily dancing around La Masa Mare, though I’m told there could be.
OUR La Masa Mare comes to us via Yves Moreau, one of the foremost instructors in the world, specializing in Bulgarian and French Canadian (he’s from Montreal), who arranged these steps to this particular music, from Romanian wedding parties he observed.
Pay attention only to the first half of the vid (to 2:09), as the second half is another dance entirely. By the way, the guy in the middle of the line is Yves Moreau.
Folkdance Footnotes 