Croatian Dances

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

Croatian dance varies by region, and can be found in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, and Slovenia. The traditional is a circle dance, a relatively simple dance common throughout other Slavic countries in which dancers follow each other around the circle. Due to emigration, Croatian folk dance groups are prevalent throughout the diaspora, most notably the United States, Canada, Australia, and Germany.

Music is a very important part of Croatian folk dance. The most commonly used instruments are the , bagpipe, and accordion. Today, is danced at weddings, baptisms, holidays such as Easter, and ethnic festivals.

History

The circle dance is one of the oldest and most basic forms of Croatian folk dance. It can be seen as an expression of community, especially in village life. Throughout a large part of Croatia, right up until World War II, the was the center of village social life. The as a dance became a tool for social gathering, and was often the main venue for young women and men to get to know each other. With many dances, singing jocular verses during the performance served as a way to express feelings or tell a story. By singing, movement, and gestures, one could express what was proscribed in ordinary speech. Many young men and women used this as an excuse for courting and teasing one another. People may have performed a outdoors on special occasions such as harvests, weddings, and religious celebrations to honor a special saint. More recently, the dances have been performed at weddings, concerts, festivals or ethnic celebrations.

Other European dances became popular in certain parts of the country such as the polka in the north and the in Istria, due to the respective German, Austrian, and Italian influences.

Folklore Festivals in Croatia

Folklore is an important part of Croatian cultural heritage, a hallmark of national identity.

The most important folklore festivals in Croatia:

* International Folklore Festival in Zagreb; amateur cultural and artistic groups from all over Croatia participate in this folklore festival. Based on the long tradition of the Seljačka sloga festival, the Zagreb International Folklore Festival was started in 1966. The Zagreb Folklore Festival presents traditional culture, dances, costumes, folk music, etc. Since 1992, the festival has hosted thematic events.
* Vinkovci Autumn (Vinkovačke Jeseni); Vinkovci Autumn is a state festival of original Croatian folklore and a festival of Croatian folklore groups from the Croatian diaspora.
* Đakovački vezovi (Đakovo embroidery)
* Brodsko Kolo
* Folklore festival on the island of Krk
* Dalmatian Folklore Festival
* Knightly games on Korčula
* Sinj's Alka (Sinjska Alka)
* Meeting of Croatian folklore ensembles and indigenous groups in Koprivnica
* International folklore festival in Karlovac
* Croatian Children's Folklore Festival, in Kutina
* Istrian folk music and dance festival

At all these folklore festivals, participants wear peasant folk clothing from various parts of Croatia and show the folk wealth of the region they come from. At folklore festivals, folklore groups show costumes, jewelry, perform popular folk songs, town songs, klapa singing, and dance. Singing choirs, tamburitza and mandolin ensembles participate in these festivals. Numerous folk instruments can also be seen, such as mandolins, tamburitza, gusle, bagpipes (gajde), wind instruments such as flutes (žvegla, fajfa, dvojnice), cimbalom, accordion, clarinet (gunjci), bellows, šurle, sopele, diple (mišnjice, mih), mješina, and many others.

In 2014, the Zagreb International Folklore Festival was declared a festival event of national significance by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia and the City of Zagreb for its affirmation of the specific value of national culture.

Kolo (dance)

Slavonia and Baranja

Often considered to be the richest and liveliest of all Croatian dancing, the dancing from Slavonia is composed of difficult steps and lively music. Slavonian and Baranjan dances include:

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* Dorata
* Logovac
* Žita
* Srce moje
* Todore
* Mista
* Kabanica
* Jabučice
*Ranče
* Sitne bole

Posavina

Like most northern Croatian dances, Posavina is lively with plenty of singing. The dance is one of the most popular types of in Croatia, and can be seen throughout various regions. Posavinan dances include:

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* : A woman's will
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Podravina

Dances from Podravina are stylistically close to Slavonian—lively with plenty of singing—which is typical for north Croatian folk dances. Podravina dances include:

* Drmeš
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* Moldovan: literally Moldovan, believed to originate from local Romani
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Hrvatsko Zagorje

Hrvatsko Zagorje, or Croatian hinterland, is the north-central part of the country, where the capital Zagreb is located. These dances are lively and merry. Hrvatsko Zagorje's dances include:

* Drmeš
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* : a lively dance said to have been derived from local gypsies from Marija Bistrica
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A variation of the traditional polka:
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Međimurje

The Međimurje region forms the northern-est tip of Croatia. This region shares much of its traditional merry and lively dance qualities with other nearby regions. Međimurje's dances include:

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Istria

Dances from Istria have strong influence from Venetian culture. Istrian dances include:

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* , literally, "Croatian" dance
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Lika

The Likan may use music and instruments, or it may be silent with no instrumental accompaniment or even singing. During the silent dances, the only sounds produced are from feet making contact with the floor and the rhythmic clinking sound of the women's coin necklaces, and, sometimes, the dancers' voices as they sing. Though not often danced these days, these silent dances are well remembered by the older and are perpetuated by folk dance performing groups. Likan dances include:

*: traditional Lika dance
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*: from the town of Otočac
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Dalmatia and islands

Dalmatia has a variety of dances influenced by its history of foreign occupation. One example is the popular dance from Dubrovnik and southern Dalmatia, which has a distinct Mediterranean influence. On the other hand, the from the Dalmatian hinterland shows evidence of Ottoman-era influences on the region. These dances include:

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* : line dance done to
* : a couples dance done to the
* : a "winking" couples dance
* : popular
* : from the town of Vrlika
* : From the village of Baska on Krk island
* : from the island of Murter
* : a merry dance from the Dubrovnik countryside
* : A Dubrovnik carol

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Dances from Herzegovina are often a cross between Dalmatian Zagora traditions, and Ottoman influences, with much less influence from Bosnia proper. These dances include:

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Serbia (Vojvodina)

Dances from Vojvodina are most similar to the Slavonian dances in their liveliness and activity. The Bunjevci Croats from the Bačka region are renowned for their beautifully embroidered women's dresses, made from real silk from France, and the rattling sound the dancers' boots make as they dance. In the Banat region, the men have their own competitive dance. These dances include:

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* : literally the Bunjevac men's , where one man dances with two women
* : the men's competitive dance
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Hungary and Romania

Croatian from Hungary is mainly concentrated in the southern region near Baranya (region), Baranja, while in Romania, it is in the Banat region. Due to Hungarian influence, the remains one of the most popular dances among all ethnic groups. These dances include:

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Other dances

On the island of Korčula in the Adriatic Sea, Adriatic, a popular sword dance, the , is still prevalent and performed at festivals and special events.

In the nineteenth century, a new form of ballroom dancing emerged in Croatia. Elements of European ballroom spread throughout the region, and dances such as the polka soon became diffused all throughout Croatia. Croatian ballroom dancing, or , emerged in the nineteenth century as a result of the aforementioned influences. Due to the Illyrian movement, Croatian national revival and re-awakening of Croatian culture and national identity, an effort was made to incorporate traditional music and dances into the urban dance revival. Intellectual idealists saw as a quintessential Slavic dance, and chose to adopt it in the urban context. It was at this time that the emerged as a choreographed dance.

Due to the strong Venetian and Italian influence in Istria and parts of Dalmatia, the has become a part of the culture, most especially in Vodnjan. A specific strain of the song is called the , and is thought to originate from Istria. The name may either have come from the Italian language in Croatia, Italian word for "a woman from Pula" or from the Croatian word , meaning "rural."

The ''vesela'', a popular children’s dance, is practiced throughout Continental Croatia. Groups of 10 to 30 children hold hands to form a circle, and one child is chosen to stand in the middle of the circle. The child in the middle makes actions with their arms and legs, which the rest of the children imitate. Children take turns in the middle. Sometimes, a poem is sung during the dance.

Burgenland Croats in Austria, influenced by German, Austrian, and Hungarian cultures, have their own dance traditions, influenced by the liveliness of the polka and the . An example is the dance from Nikitsch, which is light-hearted and cheerful, with dancers often bringing in props like a broom or a bottle to the dance.Volkstänze
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Costume

Many Croatian dancers wear a Folk costume, national costume. These vary from region to region in style, design, color, material, shape, and form.

See also

*Music of Croatia, Croatian music
* National Folk Dance Ensemble of Croatia LADO

References

Further reading

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External links

National Folk Dance Ensemble of Croatia

Croatian Folklore Ensemble

Zagreb Folk Ensemble



Sword dances in Croatia

{{Music of Southeastern Europe (the Balkans)

Croatian folk dances,
Croatian folk music, Dances
Culture of Croatia, Dances