Bulgarian dances
Encyclopedia
Bulgarian folk dances are intimately related to the music of Bulgaria
Music of Bulgaria
The music of Bulgaria refers to all forms of music associated with Bulgaria like classical, folk, popular music, etc. Bulgarian music is part of the Balkan tradition, which stretches across Southeastern Europe, and has its own distinctive sound...

. This distinctive feature of Balkan folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 is the asymmetrical meter
Meter (music)
Meter or metre is a term that music has inherited from the rhythmic element of poetry where it means the number of lines in a verse, the number of syllables in each line and the arrangement of those syllables as long or short, accented or unaccented...

, built up around various combinations of 'quick' and 'slow' beats
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...

. The music, in Western musical notation
Musical notation
Music notation or musical notation is any system that represents aurally perceived music, through the use of written symbols.-History:...

, is often described using compound meter
Compound meter
Compound meter may refer to:*Compound meter *Compound meter...

 notation, where the notational meter accents, i.e., the heard beats, can be of different lengths, usually 1, 2, 3, or 4.

Background

The proportions of the beats do not follow any exact rational proportions. For example, the well known tune
Melody
A melody , also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity...

 Eleno Mome (Елено Моме) exists written in 7=2+2+1+2, 13=4+4+2+3, and 12=3+4+2+3 times
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....

. Here, the forms 4+4+2+3 and 3+4+2+3 exist both as a musicologist's way to attempt to indicate the tendency of speeding up the last and first beats, as well in formal version, where the musician plays 3 or 4 about equal length notes on the beat. In music band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...

 playing, the meter 7=2+2+1+2 seems favored, thus skipping some of the time-bending subtleties. Given this fact, though, some meters are more common or popular; but there is a wide variation of less frequent combinations, as well. There is also disagreement about whether one should use 1/8 or 1/16 as meter denominator, but this is just a notational convenience. In the list below, the denominator follows in part notational practice of the region, and in part the speed of the type of tune, giving the 1/4 note a reasonable number of beats per minute (as on a metronome).

Folk dancers often speak in terms of "quick" and "slow" instead of a steady meter "1, 2, 3," etc. These dance rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...

s may not agree with the rhythms and meters performed by the musicians. For example, a kopanitsa dance rhythm may be described as slow-slow-quick-quick, whereas the tune may be played in what may be written as (2+2)+(2+1)+(2+2), i.e., an 11 time with primary accent at 1, secondary accents at 5 and 8, and ternary accents at 3, 7, and 10; the dancers thus dance to a meter composition 4+3+2+2, which may also be played by the musicians, e.g., in Traichovo horo (Трайчово хоро). In addition, some tunes may have considerable time bends, such as the Macedonian Žensko Beranče and Bajrače, though viewed as and written in 3+2+2+3+2. Therefore, in dance instruction, quick and slow beat descriptions, in combination with intuition and careful listening, may be a good approach, though not suitable for performing and notating the music. In addition, a dance instructor not familiar with the exact musical rhythms should not demonstrate these dance rhythms without music. It would be best to use a slowed-down playback, lest the dancers become confused at full speed.

List of Bulgarian folk dances

Following is a list of some Bulgarian folk dance
Folk dance
The term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music....

s, along with their commonly written rhythms and time signatures. Since the transliteration of Bulgarian
Romanization of Bulgarian
Romanization of Bulgarian is the practice of transliteration of text in the Bulgarian language from its conventional Cyrillic orthography into the Latin alphabet. Romanization can be used for various purposes, such as rendering of proper names and place names in foreign-language contexts, or for...

 is problematic, the official Bulgarian transliteration is used, which can be checked at Transliteration of proper names in Bulgaria, followed within parenthesizes by the Bulgarian name and, after a semicolon, (for searchability) alternative transliterations. Following a Bulgarian sheet music practice, more complex meters generally appear later in the list.
  • Trite pati (Трите пъти; Trite puti, Trite pâti) (2/4), line dance with rapid feet movement; step rhythm quick-quick-slow = 1+1+2.
  • Tropanka
    Tropanka
    Tropanka is a folk dance from the region of Dobrudzha in northeastern Bulgaria, distinctive for its heavy earthy styling, pumping arm motions and foot stamps....

     (Тропанка) (2/4) Stampy Dobrudzhan men's dance, V handhold, with swinging and 'pumping' arm motions.
  • Opas (Опас) (2/4) A varied dance often done with hands across the chest of the person next to you with the next in line.
  • Pravo horo (Право хоро) (2/4 or 6/8 --counted as 2 triplets 3+3. Often in music for the pravo, both 2/4 and 6/8 time signatures will be used where 2/4 is used for the singing and 6/8 is used for the slightly faster instrumental portions. In Bulgaria, the 6/8 portion is also transcribed in 2/4 using triplets), Pravo is characterised by left-over-right arms "belt-hold" (in lieu of hand hold), a beginning right foot diving step toward the center of from one to many concentric broken circles, traveling ultimately counter clockwise. Experience can be hypnotic after 20 or 30 minutes of continuous music]. Each dance phrase corresponds to 3 musical measures counted as quick quick slow slow (corresponding to 2+2+4+4 in 2/4 time or 3+3+6+6 in 6/8 time).
  • Shopsko horo (Шопско хоро; Shopp horo, Chope dance, Šop dance) (2/4), men's dance, [Often accompanied with bagpipes (Gaidae) and drums (Tupon). Suitable for exhibitions and stage performances]
  • Paydushko horo
    Paidushko horo
    Paidushko oro is a folk dance from Macedonia done to a 5 beat meter divided into "quick" and "slow" units, abbreviated quick-slow or 2-3. Like many other Balkan folk dances, each region or village has its own version of the dance...

     (Пайдушко хоро; Paidushko horo, Pajduško horo, Pajduška horo, Payduska horo, Baiduska horo) (2+3; 5/16 or 5/8), Often characterized as a "limping dance", this dance typically involves two footwork patterns, a "step hop" and a "step step". In the southern parts of Bulgaria, Macedonia (all regions) and Greece, the quick-slow pattern is sometimes reversed into a slow-quick patter (3+2).
  • Chetvorno horo (Четворно хоро; Četvorno horo) (3+2+2 or 3+4; 7/16).
  • Rachenitsa (Ръченица; Ruchenitsa, Râčenica) (2+2+3 or 4+3; 7/16), quick-quick-slow, single or couple dance.["Very showy" and suitable for stage and exhibition performances]
  • Lesnoto Horo (Лесното хоро) (3+2+2; 7/8), slow-quick-quick, a slow line dance with steps resembling the pravo horo.
  • Ginka (Гинка) (3+2+2; 7/8), slow-quick-quick, a slow line dance from the Pirin mountains
  • Svornato Horo (Сворнато хоро) (2+2+2+3; 9/8), quick-quick-quick-slow, from the Pirin mountains, a four phrase line dance.
  • Varnensko Horo (Варненско хоро) (2+2+2+3; 9/8), quick-quick-quick-slow, a line dance with slow graceful steps.
  • Elenino horo (Еленино хоро), Eleno Mome (Елено Моме) (2+2+1+2, 4+4+2+3, 3+4+2+3; 7/8, 13/16, 12/16), a line dance. Smithsonian recording, performed metric beat proportions about 4+4+2+3.5.
  • Petrunino horo (Петрунино хоро) (2+2+1+2, 4+4+2+3, 3+4+2+3; 7/8, 13/16, 12/16)
  • Daychovo horo
    Daichovo horo
    Daichovo horo is a Bulgarian folk dance. It is unique in two ways: it is a circle dance , and yet it has a leader .-Dance steps:...

     (Дайчово хopo; Daichovo horo, Dajčovo horo) (4+2+3 or 2+2+2+3; 9/16), [a circle dance where a leader calls what formations/variations the circle should do next]
  • Grancharsko horo (Грънчарско хоро; Gryncharsko horo, Gruncarsko horo) (2+3+2+2; 9/16).
  • Gankino horo (Ганкино хоро) or Kopanitsa
    Kopanitsa
    Kopanitsa is the name for a family of lively folk dances from western Bulgaria written in 11/8 meter. Some dancers count the steps in terms of "quick" and "slow" beats, the pattern being quick-quick-slow-quick-quick...

     (Копаница; Kopanica) (4+3+4 or 2+2+3+2+2; 11/16), line dances. [Intricate repeating footwork, a hopping step to the right several steps ending with heels together down-step, then back to the left ending with heels together down-step, then repeat.]
  • Acano mlada nevesto (slow, slower, quick, quick: 3+2+2+2+2 or 3+4+2+2; 11/8), a Macedonian song; line dance.
  • Krivo plovdivsko horo (Криво пловдивско хоро) (2+2+2+3+2+2; 13/16); listen.
  • Ispaychi (Испайчи, Испайче; Ispayche, Ispajče) (3+2+3+2+3; 13/16 or 8/16+5/16).
  • Elbasansko horo (Елбасанско хоро) (2+2+2+3+2+3; 14/16=9/16+5/16).
  • Buchimish (Бучимиш; Bučimiš) (2+2+2+2+3+2+2; 15/16), a line dance.
  • Yove male mome
    Yove male mome
    Yove male mome , also called Povela e Yova , is a fast Bulgarian folk dance. It is done to a 7/16 + 11/16 = 18/16 compound meter with alternating bars of 7+11, in their turn divided into common chetvorno and kopanitsa rhythms. Some dancers count it as 3-2-2, 2-2-3-2-2 or SQQ-QQSQQ, "S" meaning...

     (Йове мале моме; Jove male mome, Jove malaj mome), also called Povela e Yova (Повела е Йова) (7+11; 7/16+11/16 or 18/16)
  • Sandansko horo (Санданско хоро) (2+2+2+3+2+2+2+3+2+2; 22/16)
  • Sedi Donka (Седи Донка), also called Plovdivsko horo (Пловдивско хоро) (7+7+11, where 7=3+2+2 and 11=2+2+3+2+2; 7/16+7/16+11/16 or 25/16) [Done with left-over-right belt-hold in a straight line, moving forward (like a military phalanx) performing intricate steps selected by the leader, then repeated in reverse or mirror order while backing up, then stopping and going forward again with the same or even a different choice by the leader, who could be on one end or even in the middle of the phalanx. Suitable for a performance with 6 to 10 dancers on a stage or an exhibition area]
  • Dunavsko horo (Дунавско хоро)

Details on Bulgarian dances

Yove male mome and Sedi Donka can be thought of as a compound of common 7 (chetvorno) and 11 (kopanitsa) meters, but it is more unclear what Sandansko horo should be: possibilities are a compound 9+13, where 9 is the daychovo meter, and 13 the Krivo plovdivsko horo meter, or 9+9+4, where 9 is the daychovo meter. A ruchenitsa can, in slower tempo, have a distinctive 2+2+3 rhythm, but in a quicker pace, it may only be perceived as a 4+3. Thus, even though these are well known rhythmic patterns, one may not arrive at an unambiguous meter interpretation, the way listeners of Western music are used to.

Many of the dances are formed by each person holding the belt or sash of the dancer on either side. These belts are typically fit loosely around the waist so that each person can move easily within the belt, while the overall line can stay together. Although there are basic steps that make up the dance, certain people may improvise variations, sometimes forming a competition between the dancers. These variations must result in the same movement as the rest of the line, but may consist of additional or slightly different steps.

For example, the basic pajdushko horo dance consists of a series of four hop-steps (actually, lift-steps) to the right, followed by a series of four steps to the left where the right foot crosses in front of the left foot on the quick beat, then weight is transferred onto the right foot, which pushes the dancer to the left on the slow beat. Finally the line moves backwards using four hop-steps, and the dance is repeated. Variations might consist of alternating the right foot in front of and behind the left foot, forming a basic grapevine
Grapevine (dance move)
Grapevine is the name of a dance figure, which may look different in various ballroom, club, and folk dances, but shares a common appearance: it includes side steps and steps across the support foot.-Sequence:...

dance step. Another variation might be that instead of hop-steps backwards, a dancer might use a series of scissor steps and end with a pas-de-bas step.

External links

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