Kopanitsa
Encyclopedia
Kopanitsa is the name for a family of lively folk dance
s 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 (counted as 2-2-3-2-2). The name comes from the verb kopam, which means "to dig" or "to hoe", so the name is sometimes translated as "little digging dance".
Kopanitsas and gankinos are line dance
s done with dancers in a curved line facing in, either holding hands with arms down or (in kopanitsas) holding the belts of the neighboring dancers. Many of them are "called" dances, with several patterns of steps. Dancers repeat one pattern until the leader on the right end of the line calls another pattern.
The term kopanitsa seems to be especially used in the Shopluk region of western Bulgaria, which includes the towns of Sofia
, Pernik
, Radomir
and Kyustendil
. Some common names are Shopska kopanitsa, Graovska kopanitsa, and Divotinka kopanitsa (from the village of Divotino). There is even a village named Kopanitsa not far from the town of Pernik.
The term kopanitsa is also found in western Thrace
and the Sredna Gora
regions east of Sofia (Ihtiman
, Panagyurishte
, Pazardzhik
) and even as far east as Plovdiv
. The term gankino
(Ganka's dance) seems to be used mostly in northern Bulgaria (particularly in the western and central parts) and also refers to dances in 11/8. In western Thrace, dances in 11/8 meter are often called Krivo (or Krivata), a term which means "crooked" or "uneven".
Dances in 11/8 similar to kopanitsa or gankino can also be found in Macedonia
(Sedenka, Pletenica, Skopsko, etc.) and Serbia
(Kopačka) using other names. It is not the same as the Serbian Kopačka, which is actually a kopanitsa.
groups as "kopanitsa". The step is three measures, consisting of two grapevine steps to the right and one to the left:
Individual dancers are free to improvise variations to the basic step, mostly during the fourth and fifth beats of measures 2 and 3, for example replacing the pause with a foot slap (plesni) or a jump apart and then jump together (hlopchi). The musicians often speed up the music during the dance as a challenge to the dancers.
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 from western Bulgaria
Bulgarian dances
Bulgarian folk dances are intimately related to the music of Bulgaria. This distinctive feature of Balkan folk music is the asymmetrical meter, built up around various combinations of 'quick' and 'slow' beats...
written in 11/8 meter
Metre (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...
. Some dancers count the steps in terms of "quick" and "slow" beats, the pattern being quick-quick-slow-quick-quick (counted as 2-2-3-2-2). The name comes from the verb kopam, which means "to dig" or "to hoe", so the name is sometimes translated as "little digging dance".
Kopanitsas and gankinos are line dance
Line dance
A line dance is a choreographed dance with a repeated sequence of steps in which a group of people dance in one or more lines or rows without regard for the gender of the individuals, all facing the same direction, and executing the steps at the same time. Line dancers are not in physical contact...
s done with dancers in a curved line facing in, either holding hands with arms down or (in kopanitsas) holding the belts of the neighboring dancers. Many of them are "called" dances, with several patterns of steps. Dancers repeat one pattern until the leader on the right end of the line calls another pattern.
The term kopanitsa seems to be especially used in the Shopluk region of western Bulgaria, which includes the towns of Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Pernik
Pernik
Pernik is a city in western Bulgaria with a population of 81,052 . It is the main city of Pernik Province and lies on both banks of the Struma River in the Pernik Valley between the Viskyar, Vitosha and Golo Bardo mountains.Originally the site of a Thracian fortress founded in the 4th century BC,...
, Radomir
Radomir
Radomir is a town in the Pernik Province of Bulgaria with a population of about 16,503. It is located at .- History :The town was first mentioned in a 15th-century source as Uradmur. The current form appears for the first time in a source from 1488...
and Kyustendil
Kyustendil
Kyustendil is a town in the far west of Bulgaria, the capital of Kyustendil Province, with a population of 44 416 . Kyustendil is situated in the southern part of the Kyustendil Valley, 90 km southwest of Sofia...
. Some common names are Shopska kopanitsa, Graovska kopanitsa, and Divotinka kopanitsa (from the village of Divotino). There is even a village named Kopanitsa not far from the town of Pernik.
The term kopanitsa is also found in western Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
and the Sredna Gora
Sredna Gora
Sredna Gora is a mountain range in central Bulgaria, situated south of and parallel to Balkan mountain range and extending from the river Iskar to the west and the elbow of Tundzha north of Yambol to the east. Sredna Gora is 285 km long, reaching 50 km at its greatest width...
regions east of Sofia (Ihtiman
Ihtiman
Ihtiman is a town in western Bulgaria, part of Sofia Province. It is located in the Ihtimanska Sredna Gora mountains and lies in a valley 48 km from Sofia and 95 km from Plovdiv, close to Trakiya motorway....
, Panagyurishte
Panagyurishte
Panagyurishte is a town in Pazardzhik Province, Southern Bulgaria, situated in a small valley in the Sredna Gora mountains. It is 91 km east of Sofia, 43 km north of Pazardzhik, and 37 km south of Zlatitsa. The town is the administrative centre of the homonymous Panagyurishte...
, Pazardzhik
Pazardzhik
Pazardzhik is a city situated along the banks of the Maritsa river, Southern Bulgaria. It is the capital of Pazardzhik Province and centre for the homonymous Pazardzhik Municipality...
) and even as far east as Plovdiv
Plovdiv
Plovdiv is the second-largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia with a population of 338,153 inhabitants according to Census 2011. Plovdiv's history spans some 6,000 years, with traces of a Neolithic settlement dating to roughly 4000 BC; it is one of the oldest cities in Europe...
. The term gankino
Gankino
Gankino horo , “Ganka’s dance”, is a Bulgarian folk dance written in 11 = 2+2+3+2+2 time similar to kopanitsa or krivo horo. The name gankino seems to be used mostly in northern Bulgaria...
(Ganka's dance) seems to be used mostly in northern Bulgaria (particularly in the western and central parts) and also refers to dances in 11/8. In western Thrace, dances in 11/8 meter are often called Krivo (or Krivata), a term which means "crooked" or "uneven".
Dances in 11/8 similar to kopanitsa or gankino can also be found in Macedonia
Macedonia (region)
Macedonia is a geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe. Its boundaries have changed considerably over time, but nowadays the region is considered to include parts of five Balkan countries: Greece, the Republic of Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia, as...
(Sedenka, Pletenica, Skopsko, etc.) and Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
(Kopačka) using other names. It is not the same as the Serbian Kopačka, which is actually a kopanitsa.
Basic Gankino step
As an example of the form, the basic gankino is the most widespread of the dances in the group, and is done by international folk danceInternational folk dance
International folk dance is a genre of dance wherein selected folk dances from multiple ethnic groups are done by the same dancers, typically as part of a regular recreational dance club, for performances or at other events. The dances are typically considered the products of national or cultural...
groups as "kopanitsa". The step is three measures, consisting of two grapevine steps to the right and one to the left:
- Measure 1: 1.(quick) Step right on right foot, 2.(quick) Step behind right on left foot, 3.(slow) Step right on right foot, 4.(quick) Step left in front of right on left foot, 5.(quick) Pause;
- Measure 2: 1.(quick) Step right on right foot, 2.(quick) Step behind right on left foot, 3.(slow) Step right on right foot, 4.(quick) Close left foot next to right, 5.(quick) pause;
- Measure 3: 1.(quick) Step left on left foot, 2.(quick) Step behind left on right foot, 3.(slow) Step right on right foot, 4.(quick) Close right foot next to left, 5.(quick) pause;
Individual dancers are free to improvise variations to the basic step, mostly during the fourth and fifth beats of measures 2 and 3, for example replacing the pause with a foot slap (plesni) or a jump apart and then jump together (hlopchi). The musicians often speed up the music during the dance as a challenge to the dancers.