The Seven Jumps

When I was a child my father taught me to dance. He would balance me on his shoes and glide around the room with me. He would dance with mom as well, but hands down he was a better dancer than she.

In addition to waltzes and two steps my father also taught us various folk dances that he knew. These included the Mexican hat dance and a lesser known dance from Germany called The Seven Jumps.

The seven jumps involved everyone standing in a circle and when the music started you moved to your left. The dance proceeded as follows:

Chorus: Face left and take 7 step-hops to the left, ending with a jump on the 8th; repeat step-hops and jump to the right. Finish facing center.

Start with the chorus; return to it after each of the figures below.

Jump 1. On first sustained note place hands on hips and raise right knee; lower knee and stand motionless throughout the next sustained note.

Jump 2. Raise right knee; lower it and raise left knee; lower it and stand motionless.

Jump 3. Raise right knee; lower it and raise left knee; lower it and kneel on right knee; return to standing position and stand motionless.

Jump 4. Raise right knee; lower it and raise left knee; lower it and kneel on right knee; add left knee; return to standing position and stand motionless.

Jump 5. Raise right knee; lower it and raise left knee; lower it and kneel on right knee, add left knee; place right elbow on floor; return to standing position and stand motionless.

Jump 6. Raise right knee; lower it and raise left knee; lower it and kneel on right knee; add left knee; right elbow on floor; add left elbow; return to standing position and stand motionless.

Jump 7. Raise right knee; lower it and raise left knee; lower it and kneel on right knee; add left knee; right elbow on floor; add left elbow; touch forehead to floor; return to standing position and stand motionless.

It was a nice little folk dance and so I was thrilled when my Girl Scout troop decided to do this dance as part of our presentation at the Girl Scout's regional meeting.

The idea was that each troop was to pick a country. We were to dress in the traditional costumes of that country, bring food and eat a traditional meal from that country, and do a dance from that country. Since our troop decided to on Germany, we were to do the Seven Jumps as our dance. We spent weeks practicing at our grade school. However, we never did a “dress rehearsal”.

Our costumes involved long skirts with a white blouse and a cummerbund. Within my Girl Scout troop was another girl who struggled with her weight as I did. We were at a loss to find traditional clothing of Germany in our sizes. Where my mom decided to make me a long skirt with and elastic waist band, Debbie’s found the largest one she could find and made due with safety pins to keep it in place.

We arrived at the function in full regalia, food in tow and full of confidence. After eating our meal together the dancing began. Several troops had performed before it was finally our turn.

Standing in a circle with our hands on our hips, we moved left, then right and stopped for the first jump. The second jump proceeded without incident. However, as we knelt down on our right knee in the 3rd jump, I heard a commotion over to my right and saw Debbie go racing across the circle back to our table – her safety pins had sprung when she had knelt on her knee and her skirt had fallen down. As we rose to our feet, we were beside ourselves with laughing and continued the dance moving in a circle first to our left and then to our right. We were still chuckling as we readied ourselves for the 4th jump.

With hands on my hips I lifted my right leg – jump 1. I put it down and lifted my left leg – jump 2. I put that leg down and knelt on my right knee – jump 3. Then I brought my left leg to the ground in a full kneeling position – jump 4. Hands still in place, I brought my leg up to step and lift myself into a standing position. As I put my foot down I stepped on my skirt. The same skirt with an elastic waistband. I stood up and my skirt stayed down. I was standing in the circle in my cotton underwear, with my hands on my hips and my skirt at my feet.

We never made it to the 5th jump.

The Roller Rink

Sometime in the 60’s a roller-rink was built in the suburbs of Minnesota. The men, and I stress the word men, who built it decided that in the restrooms it would be a good idea to put “clip closers” in the toilet stalls to secure the doors instead of slide bolts. The result, which I am sure they believed patrons would find convenient, was that the door was secured by clicking it in the middle so that if a person pushed on the stall door or pulled on it the door would open.
Years later I was a patron at that roller rink…

I was the tender age of 14 and just learning to roller-skate. I came that night with my friends Kay and Steve who were dating each other. In that era elephant leg pants were all the rage and I came outfitted with large ones the flare of one covering my entire foot. They were fun to wear while skating as the breeze from skating would blow them behind me – much like flags.

I was in my element that night; I was skating well and had perfected the cross-over around the corners. I was having fun! Then an after an hour or so I had the need to use the toilet and roller skated my way into the ladies room.

The ladies room was set up as all tiled ladies rooms typically are; sinks and mirrors to the one side and toilet stalls at the end. I roller skated my way into an empty stall and, noting the odd stall doors as I clicked it shut, sat down.

Toilet stalls in Roller Rinks do not take into account the fact that someone is wearing skates. That is, they are the same height as a normal toilet despite the fact that your legs are 3 inches taller…and on wheels. I eased myself down into essentially a squatting position since my knees were in my face and settled in to do my business.

Business accomplished, I realized that a squatting position on roller-skates is a very awkward position from which to rise…I searched for a way to safely stand and decided my best option was to hold on to the top of the door. I grabbed the door and proceeded to haul myself up. In the process of performing this motion my feet lost their footing and shot forward sending my body crashing into the door which in turn blasted open (with me still holding on for dear life) into the common area of the bathroom – the wheels on the skates rocking me back and forth as I came shooting out the door to a hanging stop.

Time moves slowly in these circumstances. My first thought as I shot out the door was, “Who is going to see me?”, and as I came out I looked over to the sinks where a line of women were preening themselves in the mirror. Distracted by the commotion their heads began to turn in my direction – in my memory this will always be in slow-motion with the sound effect of “Whhhaaaaaa”.

Deciding that dropping my grip and falling to the floor would be a bad idea and desperately wanting to get back into the stall in order to pull my pants up, I began to work my legs against the tile floor to try and get back. It is hard to gain purchase with wheels attached to ones feet but after furiously scrittering my feet on the tiles I was able to safely ensconce myself back in the stall where I huddled for a few minutes in shock.

I waited until the women who were in the restroom had departed. Then I gathering my tattered dignity around me and headed back to the rink.

I have observed in the years since this incident, that builders have abandoned the concept of “clip closers” toilet stalls.