179:-like sound). The form of the letkajenkka songs is consistent with traditional jenkka, but where the music is distinctively jenkka, the dance steps are not. Both dances are based on a lightly bouncing and skipping step. A rhythmic component that contributes towards the feel of a letkajenkka and distinguishes a letkajenkka from a regular jenkka tune is a distinctive pattern of either three crotchets / quarter notes followed by a quarter rest or two crotchets / quarter notes followed by a third dotted one in the end of its musical phrases that more or less coincide with the three consecutive hops of the dance steps. Regular jenkkas do not typically feature this rhythm pattern, at least not repeatedly.
201:. This has become by far the most popular of all songs in the letkajenkka genre. It was first recorded by his studio orchestra Rautalanka Oy in August 1963, but was made popular in the October of the same year by a group called Ronnie Krank's Orchestra. His chart topper has been re-recorded approximately a hundred times, and the rights to at least 60 versions of the song are owned by Swedish publisher Stig Anderson. One well known recording of the song is by German musician
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transformed into a dance based on the same step, but starting with a left leg lead. This can be seen from the early recordings for TV and in some movies made during the hottest craze. Also many translated lyrics include advice on the steps: "left kick, left kick, right kick, right kick, forward jump, backward jump, hop, hop, hop".
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Lehtinen's Letkis made the charts in many
European countries, in Latin America, and even in Japan. There are numerous translations including Russian, Swedish, and Japanese. In 1965, four instrumental versions of the tune reached number one in the Netherlands simultaneously. These were by Stig Rauno,
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For versions in other languages, Lehtinen's Letkis was renamed
Letkiss, Let's Kiss, Lasst uns Küssen etc., for easier pronunciation in different languages. The name Letkis has nothing to do with kissing; the idea of kissing was introduced by non-Finnish speakers, who thought that the title of the
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from the 1950s. It has been proposed that exchange students returning from the United States to
Finland would have imported the steps of the Bunny Hop to Finland, as they had seen them on the TV show Bandstand. Whereas the Bunny Hop starts with a right foot lead, the Letkajenkka / letkajenkka
420:). There is a scene with people dancing around the pool. The steps are not strictly jenkka, but the music is in the style of letkis. In another scene, Katerina Gogou and Alekos Tzanetakos are dancing a letkajenkka variation as a couple to letkis music. The choreography is John Flery's.
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Letkajenkka / letkis is a music genre and a general noun as well as two songs by the same name ("Letkajenkka" and "Letkis") as proper nouns, after which the genre got its name; jenkka, on the other hand, is a general noun, a music and dance genre like waltz.
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broke the world record of the letkajenkka line. 1393 persons in blue Nokia shirts stood in line forming the digits "150" when, in a surprise from the management, the music started to play. The previous record of 1354 dancers was held in
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The music genre became popular, and many composers around the world started writing letkis music. Examples of non-Finnish letkis music include "La Yenka" (performed by Johnny & Charley Kurt, 1965), Gemelle
Kessler's
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Also, contrary to what some magazines and single and long play covers had the world believe, there is no kissing or "smooching" during the
Finnish version of the dance.
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269:) so that everyone holds the person in front of themselves by the shoulders or the waist. The steps go as follows (everybody does the same thing):
405:(Sampaguita Pictures, Philippines, 1966, directed by Luciano B. Carlos) features a scene where the song "Letkis" is being played at a club.
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The popular music genre and the ensuing dance craze were at their hottest during 1963–1965. Letkajenkka is based on the idea of performing
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167:. In the early 1960s some composers thought of writing jenkka tunes for more contemporary bands with more modern instruments, such as
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rather than the original
Finnish title. It remained the only Dutch number one to have originated from Finland until 2000, when
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333:. Lindström's Letkajenkka was translated and covered in Japanese as Retto Kisu (Jenka) / レット・キス(ジェンカ), performed by
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186:. A Swedish band called the Adventurers recorded it, and it immediately topped the charts in Finland. Later
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171:(for a more swing-like jenkka) and amplified instruments like electric guitars, basses, and drums (a more
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Gudrun Jankis, The Wild Ones and the Dutch Swing
College Band. All four versions had the English title
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213:"kissing". In Finnish Letkis / letkis is merely short for Letkajenkka / letkajenkka, a
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and Gyula
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History, discography extracts, and links to
Letkajenkka video and sound files
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1–4 may be enhanced by bouncing with the leg opposite to the kicking side.
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155:. Traditional instruments for playing the jenkka, a Finnish traditional
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kick to the right with the right foot & step back into the middle,
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kick to the right with the right foot & step back into the middle,
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kick to the left with the left foot & step back into the middle,
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kick to the left with the left foot & step back into the middle,
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formed by the beginning of the word and adding "is" in the end.
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470:) plays the record of the version of Letkiss by Robert Delgado (
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in 2015, on its 150th anniversary, the
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jump forwards with both feet together (for only a few inches),
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416:(Crazy, crazy family) that is directed by Dinos Dimopoulos (
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In Finland, the most well-known letkajenkka songs include
49:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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182:Erik Lindström introduced the genre with his song
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244:The steps of Letkajenkka are like the steps of
599:Query for record label Parlophone par 951 (45)
449:). Same tune is also used in Polish tv series
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261:The people participating in the dance form a
139:History of the music genre letkajenkka/letkis
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622:Query for song title Minne tuuli kuljettaa
559:"This Weeks Newsmakers Around the World".
128:in English and many other languages, is a
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291:jump forwards three times with both feet,
109:Learn how and when to remove this message
16:Finnish dance; international dance craze
576:Query for record label Sonet t6502 (45)
456:In the final scene of the Italian film
408:There are at least two Letkajenkkas by
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47:adding citations to reliable sources
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648:(in Finnish), Suomen äänitearkisto
625:(in Finnish), Suomen äänitearkisto
602:(in Finnish), Suomen äänitearkisto
579:(in Finnish), Suomen äänitearkisto
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349:Letkajenkka by Erik Lindström
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671:(in Greek), archived from
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423:In the Hungarian movie
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341:Original Finnish songs
434:Małżeństwo z rozsądku
952:Ring a Ring o' Roses
459:Io la conoscevo bene
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388:Puhelinlangat laulaa
265:(that can also be a
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43:improve this article
947:Participation dance
706:, December 12, 2015
464:Antonio Pietrangeli
462:(1965) directed by
697:MTV News (Finland)
544:has generic name (
518:Billboard magazine
468:Stefania Sandrelli
397:In popular culture
193:Half a year later
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362:At the Jenka Show
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563:. 1965-05-01.
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58:"Letkajenkka"
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54:Find sources:
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32:This article
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1002:Group dances
957:Sacred dance
877:Pontic Greek
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756:Circle dance
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677:, retrieved
673:the original
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230:"Freestyler"
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41:Please help
36:verification
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872:Mayim Mayim
867:Letkajenkka
827:Ghost dance
792:Ballu tundu
700: [
542:|last=
472:Horst Wende
240:Description
184:Letkajenkka
153:instruments
126:Letkajenkaa
122:Letkajenkka
991:Categories
942:Folk dance
892:Tarantella
502:References
486:in 1995.
403:Jamboree66
401:The movie
215:diminutive
157:folk dance
69:newspapers
1017:Bunny hop
902:Tresenica
561:Billboard
534:cite book
296:(repeat).
246:Bunny Hop
188:Jan Rohde
165:accordion
847:Khorovod
842:Karikázó
780:Assyrian
679:July 27,
629:July 29,
606:July 29,
583:July 29,
524:July 27,
490:See also
484:Kokemäki
427:(1965),
319:Листопад
920:Related
887:Tamzara
857:Körtánc
817:Faroese
652:27 July
358:(trad.)
315:Russian
232:by the
226:Letkiss
130:Finnish
83:scholar
882:Syrtos
802:Cachua
785:khigga
775:An dro
496:Jenkka
267:circle
199:Letkis
161:violin
149:Jenkka
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832:Halay
807:Dabke
770:Adana
763:Types
704:]
479:Nokia
445:(en.
321:) by
257:Steps
209:song
133:dance
90:JSTOR
76:books
852:Kolo
837:Hora
797:Berd
695:, *
681:2010
654:2010
631:2010
608:2010
585:2010
546:help
526:2010
325:and
248:, a
163:and
62:news
474:).
337:.
329:by
175:or
45:by
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702:fi
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