Folk dance

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Traditional Valencian dances Dansa tradicional valenciana - Museu Valencia d'Etnologia.jpg
Traditional Valencian dances

A folk dance is a dance that reflects the life of the people of a certain country or region. Not all ethnic dances are folk dances. For example, ritual dances or dances of ritual origin are not considered to be folk dances. Ritual dances are usually called "religious dances" because of their purpose.

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The terms "ethnic" and "traditional" are used when it is required to emphasize the cultural roots of the dance. In this sense, nearly all folk dances are ethnic ones. If some dances, such as polka, cross ethnic boundaries and even cross the boundary between "folk" and "ballroom dance", ethnic differences are often considerable enough to mention. [1]

Background

Traditional dancers and performance during the Pulljay festivities in Tarabuco

Folk dances share some or all of the following attributes:

More controversially, some people define folk dancing as dancing for which there is no governing body or dancing for which there are no competitive or professional institutions. The term "folk dance" is sometimes applied to dances of historical importance in European culture and history; typically originating before the 20th century. For other cultures the terms "ethnic dance" or "traditional dance" are sometimes used, although the latter terms may encompass ceremonial dances.

There are a number of modern dances, such as hip hop dance, that evolve spontaneously, but the term "folk dance" is generally not applied to them, and the terms "street dance" or "vernacular dance" are used instead. The term "folk dance" is reserved for dances which are to a significant degree bound by tradition and originated in the times when the distinction existed between the dances of "common folk" and the dances of the modern ballroom dances originated from folk ones.

Europe

Rapper Sword Dancers - Sheffield Steel Rapper Sword Dancers - Sheffield Steel.jpg
Rapper Sword Dancers - Sheffield Steel
Folk Dancing at Jack in the Green May Day festival in Hastings, UK. Folk Dancing at Jack in the Green.jpg
Folk Dancing at Jack in the Green May Day festival in Hastings, UK.
Turkey folk dance Turkey folk dance.jpg
Turkey folk dance
Armenian dancers. HlushenkovFolkFest in Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine. Armenian dancers. HlushenkovFolkFest in Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine. Photo 71.jpg
Armenian dancers. HlushenkovFolkFest in Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine.

Varieties of European folk dances include:

Sword dances include long sword dances and rapper dancing. Some choreographed dances such as contra dance, Scottish highland dance, Scottish country dance, and modern western square dance, are called folk dances, though this is not true in the strictest sense. Country dance overlaps with contemporary folk dance and ballroom dance. Most country dances and ballroom dances originated from folk dances, with gradual refinement over the years.

People familiar with folk dancing can often determine what country a dance is from even if they have not seen that particular dance before. Some countries' dances have features that are unique to that country, although neighboring countries sometimes have similar features. For example, the German and Austrian schuhplattling dance consists of slapping the body and shoes in a fixed pattern, a feature that few other countries' dances have.

Folk dances sometimes evolved long before current political boundaries, so that certain dances are shared by several countries. For example, some Serbian, Bulgarian, and Croatian dances share the same or similar dances, and sometimes even use the same name and music for those dances.

International folk dance groups exist in cities and college campuses in many countries, in which dancers learn folk dances from many cultures for recreation.

Balfolk events are social dance events with live music in Western and Central Europe, originating in the folk revival of the 1970s and becoming more popular since about 2000, where popular European partner dances from the end of the 19th century such as the schottische, polka, mazurka and waltz are danced, with additionally other European folk dances, mainly from France, but also from Sweden, Spain and other countries.

Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia

various dances such as tamang selo and many others

India

East and Southeast Asia

China

Cambodia

Cambodian Peacock dance 2016 Phnom Penh, Tradycyjny Kambodzanski Pokaz Tanca (079).jpg
Cambodian Peacock dance

Indonesia

Javanese dancer performing Srimpi dance in Java, Indonesia 2011-06-05 TTF 46.jpg
Javanese dancer performing Srimpi dance in Java, Indonesia

Japan

Korea

Malaysia

Nepal

Philippines

Singkil, traditional folk dance of the Maranao people of the Philippines depicting parts of the epic poem, Darangen. Folklore of the popular heritage of the State of the Philippines 16.jpg
Singkil , traditional folk dance of the Maranao people of the Philippines depicting parts of the epic poem, Darangen .
Members from the Philippine Cultural Dancers group perform tinikling during the 2007 Asian Pacific Heritage Month celebration at the Kadena Air Base, Japan Tinikling.jpg
Members from the Philippine Cultural Dancers group perform tinikling during the 2007 Asian Pacific Heritage Month celebration at the Kadena Air Base, Japan

Taiwan

South America

Argentina

Peru

Venezuela

Africa

Angola

Cameroon

Ghana

Niger

North America

United States

Mexico

Oceania

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

The Mazurka is a Polish musical form based on stylised folk dances in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, with character defined mostly by the prominent mazur's "strong accents unsystematically placed on the second or third beat". The Mazurka, alongside the polka dance, became popular at the ballrooms and salons of Europe in the 19th century, particularly through the notable works by Frédéric Chopin. The mazurka and mazurek are often confused in Western literature as the same musical form.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schottische</span> Partnered country dance derived from polka, of continental European origin

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hora (dance)</span> Form of circle dance originating in Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, Greece and the Balkans

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Circle dance</span> Style of dance done in a circle with rhythm instruments and singing

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kolo (dance)</span> South Slavic circle dance

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Austrian folk dance</span> Type of dance

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polish folk dances</span> Type of dance

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Croatian dance traditionally refers to a category of folk-dances, the most common being the kolo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liscio</span> Italian genre of music

Liscio or ballo liscio is a genre of music originating in the 19th century in the northern Italian region of Romagna under the influence of Viennese ballroom dances including the mazurka, waltz, polka, schottische, march. It later became popular and spread to the rest of the country. The accordion, which was also a 19th-century invention, features prominently. The tradition contrasts with older Italian folk dances in which the fiddle was the primary instrument.

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Bhangra is a type of traditional folk dance of Punjab area of the Indian subcontinent. It is done in the season of harvesting. According to Manuel (2001), bhangra is especially associated with the vernal Vaisakhi festival.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belarusian folk dance</span> Ethnic dance of the Belarusian people

Belarusian folk dance is a Belarusian folk dance art, presented in the form of folk domestic or staged scenic dance. The history of Belarus and efforts to preserve Belarusian traditions have shaped the dances in use today, which have many ancient and archaic elements. These dances started to form in the 14th century, and originated in East Slavic rites. In the middle of the 19th century, traditional folk dancing began to merge with quadrilles and polkas from Western Europe.

References

  1. "Folk dance | Definition, Music, History, Types, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2022-12-10.
  2. V@DIM. "Golden age". www.turkmenistan.gov.tm.
  3. Lytle 2023.
  4. "Tarian Zapin – Yayasan Warisan Johor". Archived from the original on 2018-09-16. Retrieved 2017-05-25.

Sources