Horo (dance)

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Hora in Macedonia

Horo or Hora ( Bulgarian хоро , horo , choro ; Macedonian оро ; Romanian horă ) are various round dance or circle dances that mainly come from the Balkans . Dances of this kind can be found as Horo or Choro in Bulgaria and Macedonia , as Horă in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, and as Hora in northwestern Turkey. The name comes from the chorea (χορεία), the ancient Greek round dance, which was originally accompanied by the singing of the dancers (see choir ).

Horo in Bulgaria

The traditional Bulgarian folk dances are categorized into two groups: the Hora (Bulgarian sg. Хоро, Pl. Хора / Chora) and the Ratschenitzi (sg. Ръченица / pl. Ръченици). The latter were originally solo dances, but today, like the hora , they are also danced in circles or rows. The innumerable Bulgarian hora are danced in an open circle or in a straight short row in hand, belt or cross version. The general dance direction is almost always to the right; This rule applies in such a way that dances that are danced to the left stand out and often have a corresponding addition in their name: e.g. B. " Ljawata " (to German "die left") from ljawo (Bulgar. Ляво) "left". At the right end, the "dance leader" dances, who shows the way for the chain of dancers and, if necessary, announces the figures. The step combinations, dance figures, tempos and rhythms of the Bulgarian horos are extremely diverse and differ in style from region to region.

During the more than 500 years of Ottoman rule, the horo had an eminent role in building community and identity for the Bulgarians. With the participation in the Horo on the village square one belonged to the community of Christian Bulgarians, in contrast to the Muslim Turks.

When a large number of people take part in a Bulgarian horo, they hold hands and form a winding line that fills the entire dance floor. According to the traditional dance tradition, the dance leader at the right end of the row led to a spiral (bulg. Хоро се вие ​​/ horo se wie, to dt. About: the horo winds up), which gradually gets closer and closer, then turns in the Center around and "unwinds the horo" again. The orchestra plays for as long as it takes, and that can occasionally be 10 to 15 minutes, with one melody taking over from the other. Wavy lines or other spatial paths are also possible, entirely at the discretion of the dance guide.

The Bulgarian horos include:

Hora in Romania

Horă in Romania in the 1890s

In Romania the hora is a traditional dance. It is a rural circle that unites all those present in a large closed circle. The dancers hold hands, take diagonal steps, forwards and backwards, and usually turn the circle counterclockwise (to the right). The participants sing the text of the song and are accompanied by musicians with dulcimer , accordion , violin , viola , double bass , saxophone , trumpet and panpipe .

The hora is danced at weddings and at large folk celebrations. One of the most famous is the Hora Unirii .

Hora in Turkey

The dance is also known in Turkey, originating in the north-west Turkish regions of Turkey. This dance is danced hand in hand or arm in arm in a row.

literature

  • Herwig Milde, Belčo Stanev: The Bulgarian dance folklore. Balsies, Kiel 2004, ISBN 3-925594-58-2 .
  • Mercia MacDermott: Bulgarian Folk Customs. Jessica Kingsley, London 1998, ISBN 1-85302-486-4 .
  • Ivan Donkov: Folk Dances from the Region of Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria. Chervenakov, Veliko Târnovo 1997, ISBN 954-8877-20-1 .

Web links

Commons : Hora  - collection of images, videos and audio files