Ticky, Real Ticky

As far as East Germany's real cool cats were concerned, those Communist cubes over at the Ministry of Culture must have flipped. The music for the Lipsi, the German Democratic Republic's newly authorized, ideologically correct song-and-dance craze, sounded like a South American nightmare with a boogie beat. It was nothing but a hopped-up minuet in 6/4 time --bogue*, man, real bogue.-The dance steps themselves looked like a mixed-up rumba, laced with old-fashioned open steps that led to a kind of shimmying amble--ticky, man, real ticky./-

Bogue or ticky, or just plain goofy, the Lipsi (a contraction of Lipsia, Latin for Leipzig) is what East Germany is dancing this week. Its nervous rhythms have been shuffling across the country from Rostock to Dresden ever since last summer when the Ministry of Culture sighted in on rock 'n' roll. Enough of this "vulgar, Western riot music." decreed the Culture cubes. And the songwriters got their orders: Give us the stuff of social significance. So Leipzig's Rene Dubianski, one of East Germany's more enterprising pop composers, turned out a sort of double-time waltz. Dance Instructors Helmut and Christa Seifert fitted Dubianski's efforts with some quickstep choreography, and the comrades from the Culture Ministry announced a "Soviet innovation."

Other songwriters picked up the beat, the nationalized publishing house rushed their efforts into print, and reluctant bandleaders began to climb on the wagon. Even that old turkey-trotter Gerart Eisler turned up to grace a Lipsi demonstration, and his comments suggested that there might be further refinements to come. "Somehow, 80% to 90% of all popular songs deal with love," complained Gerart. "One can create very comical political lyrics, too."

Today in East Germany, dancing the Lipsi has become a demonstration of Communist faith. Press and radio alike are pushing its doubtful charms. Even the hipsters who still don't dig it are reading the published directions, in self-defense. "Lipsi can be danced on very small, overcrowded dance floors. We can practice it at home in the living room. Just always remember: keep moving in the direction that the man is facing, to avoid unpleasant collisions."

*Basic English translation: phony, /- Corny.

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