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ROSLINTRAIL

ABOUT ROSLINTRAIL

The Roslintrail Committee was developed to highlight the pathways and gateways to the Square. Committee goals include promoting active transportation and implementing improved wayfinding projects. Some of the Roslintrail Committee’s recent projects include a community bike ride with RozzieBikes and a community walk with WalkUp Roslindale.

If you're interested in getting involved, contact manager@roslindale.net for more information! 

ROSLINTRAIL SIDEWALK MURAL PROJECT
"DANCE YOUR WAY INTO DOWNTOWN"

 

Roslindale Village Main Streets partnered with local illustrator and muralist, Kit Collins, to design and paint a trail of eight colorful dance diagrams at different sidewalk sites around the neighborhood. Each dance was expertly choreographed by local dancers, and each comes from a different dance style or heritage. Visit all eight sites to follow the painted steps and get groovy on the sidewalk – and read on to learn more about the dances and the choreographers behind them!

📍 Washington St & Durnell Avenue – Tarantella

Song pairing: Tarantella Neapoletana


Choreographer: Olga Marchenko 


The story of this dance move: “The Tarantella is an Italian folk dance. Italy has a great culture of songs and dance that has been portrayed in many performances. Any tarantella melody has such infectious rhythm that makes one want to dance and clap along. That’s why I love it so much. This dance is usually done with a tambourine to accompany the melody and the tambourine a lot of times has ribbons attached to it to signify Italian colors of green, red and white.”


Description of the dance:
Start on two feet at #1, spring from your feet by putting right foot out to #2, the
n jump to 2 feet on #2. Continue the same way by alternating your feet until you reach #4.
Move 2: Turn around yourself.
Move 3. Place your feet on green circles. Lean to left leg into a lunge and clap once, then 3 times. Lean to right leg into a lunge and clap once, then 3 times.

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📍 Belgrade & Walworth – Swan Lake

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Song pairing: Swan Lake, Op. 20, Act II: No. 10, Scène. Moderato


Choreographer: Olga Marchenko 


The story of this dance move: “[Inspired by] a classical ballet "Swan Lake", steps are choreographed to imitate swan wing motions. This is a classic ballet that has been renown for many years across the world and I wanted to pay homage to it. The ballet has been choreographed by Russian and French choreographers and Pyotr Tchaikovsky has famously created a music for it. The idea of moving like a bird and in this case a swan has long been captivating choreographers minds. This ballet shows it brilliantly.”


Description of the dance:
Move 1: Start on tiptoes and move by following the line. Move your arms like a bird by “flying” up and down. At the end of the line strike a swan pose with one arm raised over the head and the other in front of your body.

Move 2: Move back on tiptoes (don’t forget to move your arms like a swan again) and the end strike another pose: by balancing on one foot, raise the second leg into “arabesque” (a fly-like pose) with one arm open to the side and up.

📍 Cummins Highway & Florence St – Krump
 

Song pairing: J-Squad, TTBZ Anthem

Choreographer: Statix Legacy 
 

The story of this dance move: These moves come from the choreographer’s favorite style of dance, Krump. In Krump, the gestures and motions of boxing and fighting are interpreted as dance moves – emotions expressed and communicated through dance. These moves focus on three key hand motions of Krump and what they symbolize: the jab, meaning to talk or have a conversation; a fist, denoting power; and open hands, describing illusions or creation. 

Description of the dance: The foundation of Krump is utilizing the hands and hand gestures. Center yourself, standing or sitting, with strong posture. You can move your feet and legs to the rhythm, but these are “up top” moves, so keep your focus on the hands. Rhythmically throw these hand gestures in time to the beat of the music. Mix it up, go from one to the other, switching hands and switching gestures to express different messages or feelings. With the jab, snap your hand out, extending the arm all the way. Show a closed fist to express power. Extend your open hands with open arms to express creation. Dance and communicate to the rhythm of the music! 

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📍Poplar & Canterbury – Pin Drop
 

Song pairing: Mihran Kirakosian, Ruski
 

Choreographer: Statix Legacy 
 

The story of this dance move: This move is foundational in break dancing, used as a transition between moves. 
 

Description of the dance: Pick your left leg up, bend your left knee, and place your left foot behind your right knee. Then drop to the floor! The legs bend and your left foot stays locked behind your right knee. Hands hit the floor and support the body.  The focus is on the front leg: the left knee touches the floor, and the hands touch the floor, the right leg stays bent with the right foot behind the left knee. Then, switch sides – repeat the move with your right leg in front, and your left foot meeting the back of the right knee. 

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📍150 Florence St – Top Rock

Song pairing: Young MC, Bust a Move

Choreographer: Statix Legacy 
 

The story of this dance move: This is a very foundational dance move in break dancing – a beginning move in breaking. This is one of the first moves that a beat dancer would learn.

Description of the dance: There's a lot of flexibility here, but the focus is the legs. You’re stepping one leg forward in front of the other, and tapping the ground in front of the planted foot, alternating this side-to-side tapping, to rock the body back and forth. The stepping foot goes in front of the opposite foot while the arms are freestyling. While you are stepping, one foot and then the other, add flavor with your arms and hands: pose in different ways. It doesn’t matter what your arms do – do anything! – while keeping the focus on the legs, rocking back and forth and switching legs. You’re tapping one leg in front of the other, and switching. The “rock” comes from the slow bounce of the legs, rocking back and forth, foot to foot. It’s an “up-top” move because you stay upright, standing up, throughout. 

📍4130 Washington St – El Jarabe Tapatío

Song pairing: Jarabe Tapatío (Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán)

Choreographer: Raquel Jacobson-Peregrino 
 

The story of this dance move: El Jarabe Tapatío is the national dance of Mexico. El Jarabe Tapatío tells the story of courtship. A couple meets, flirts, break up, and makeup. The most famous part of the dance is when the hat is thrown on the floor and the couple dance around it. This symbolizes a marriage proposal. If the hat is stepped on, the proposal is rejected. If the hat is picked up, the dance ends with a celebration of the engagement.

Description of the dance:

Person 1: Throws the hat on the floor.
Both people dance around the hat.
Person two: Springs from toe to toe to dance halfway around the hat, jumps, and dances back.
Person 1: Hops on the left foot and kicks to the side with the right foot to dance halfway around the hat, jumps, and dances back.
Person 2: Either steps on the hat or picks it up.

📍40 Birch St – Toro Mambo
 

Song pairing: Toro Mambo

Choreographer: Raquel Jacobson-Peregrino 
 

The story of this dance move: Toro Mambo is a lively dance invoking the tropical carnival traditions of Mexico’s Pacific Coast. Vibrant costumes and the exhilarating banda music invite everyone to celebrate and dance! This dance re-enacts the beginning of a bull fight. The woman uses her skirt to get the attention of the toro (bull). The toro charges as she twirls away. This happens until the music changes and they dance together.

Description of the dance:

Move 1:
Dancer 1: Hop from one foot to another while moving her skirt or waving a bandana.
Dancer 2: Makes “horn” gesture with their hands while stomping like a bull.
Move 2:
Dancer 1: Twirls past the toro
Dancer 2: Charges past the other dancer
Repeat the sequence until the music changes and then it’s time to mambo!

 

ABOUT THE CHOREOGRAPHERS: 

 

Olga Marchenko is a member of the dance faculty at Boston University. Read more about Olga’s dance training and career via her Boston University profile here! Olga Marchenko came to this project via her affiliation with Ballet Rox. BalletRox provides equitable dance education to Boston youth facing the most systemic inequities. We have two programs: our after-school program (BalletRox Dance! Or BRD) and our external partners programs. BRD provides sequential mastery of techniques for ages 4 -19 in Ballet, Tap, Hip Hop, Modern, and Creative Movement located in Jamaica Plain. Our external partners program works with in school and afterschool programs to provide dance programming where students are and at rates they can afford while we work on external fundraising to support our programmatic costs. These programs work together to think of the overall physical/social/emotional wellness of our students.

Statix Legacy is a choreographer and teacher with the Tony Williams Dance Center. He specializes in hip hop and street dance.

Raquel Jacobson-Peregrino is a dancer and instructor with Tierra del Sol in Jamaica Plain.“Tierra del Sol is a community-based ballet folklorico whose aim is to preserve, present and promote Mexican cultural heritage through traditional dance and music. We hope to share the rich beauty and diversity of the dances, history, and costumes of Mexico with the communities of Greater Boston.” –Tierra del Sol’s website

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Kit Collins is an illustrator and muralist based in Medford, MA. View more of her work online at kitschcollins.com or on Instagram @kitschcollins.

📍 18 Robert St – Salsa
 

Song pairing: Stay tuned!
 

Choreographer: Liliana Jacobson-Peregrino 
 

The story of this dance move: Stay tuned!
 

Description of the dance: Stay tuned!

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