Folk Dancing

For centuries, folk dancing has been part of almost every culture on the globe. Naturally, every region and diverse groups of people have developed their own special style of folk dancing. Folk dancing may be related to religious practices, to the seasons of the year or simply a response to simple country music.

Folk dancing, whether it originates in eastern Europe or Ireland or South American countries, usually has a definite style and involves specific types of movement. It may be lively or more sedate, done individually or in groups or with a single partner.

Folk dancing evolved, as the name suggests, among country “folk” rather than among the gentry. More formal dances, ranging from the minuet to the waltz, typified the dancing of nobility in earlier times, and more recently among “society” people. Now, of sourse, ballroom dancing is enjoyed by a broad range of people and certainly not limited to any social group.

Folk dancing is often done wearing specific costumes, clothing which typifies the wear of the early developers of folk dancing. In the US, those who enjoy square dancing usually wear clothing typical of earlier country western styles, as this dance originated among frontier peoples.

Square dancing is energetic and joyous. As the name implies, square dancing is executed by four sets of partners making a square formation, with specific dancing steps moving dancers around the square as they change partners and whirl about in a happy dancing mode. In some communities, square dancing is enjoyed more often by more people than conventional ballroom dancing.

Folk dancing in other countries is frequently performed in costumes typical of those worn in earlier times when this style of dancing developed. In a sense it is a celebration of the roots of a social group, a sort of ceremony to keep traditions alive. Folk dancing is of course great fun or it would not have survived.

There are other forms of folk dancing which involve an entire group of people moving in unison in lines across a dance floor. This is also a type of country dancing, with someone “calling” the moves as the dance progresses. This type of dancing allows for more single persons without partners to participate and is thus a good community activity.

The various forms of folk dancing provide good, healthy fun in a happy atmosphere, and are a good counterpart to the more formal social dances commonly held in clubs or ballrooms.

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