This dance….
is called:Хоровод (Khorovod)="Kalina" (Round dance)
This dance belongs to the family of Khorovod dances. Khorovod (literally translated as “Round dance”) is an ancient ritual dance of the Eastern Slavs that also includes games, singing songs and playing musical instruments.
Societal relevance
Khorovod is an echo of old syncretic ritual elements of folk culture.
In the old times, the performance of Khorovod was related to traditional rituals of welcoming spring, celebrating Ivan Kupala. The Ivanа-Kupala, is a traditional Slavic holiday that was originally celebrated on the shortest night of the year, which is on 21-22 or 23-24 of June. The celebration relates to the summer solstice when nights are the shortest and includes a number of Slavic rituals. The name of the holiday was originally Kupala - a pagan fertility rite.
Khorovod is danced by many people standing in a large circle that symbolizes the Sun. After establishment of Christianity, traditional Khorovods underwent changes and became bound to the ecclesiastical calendar. Nowadays, Khorovod dance has almost lost its ritual meaning.
The Ukrainian folk dances have been highly instrumentalized during the period of the Soviet Union. The folk dances allowed the local population and different ethnic groups of the different countries such as the Ukraine a space to follow their traditional culture within the heavily imposed ideologist culture of the Soviet Union. The folk dances thus served as identification for the different ethnicities that were part of the Soviet Union. Many folk dances have been composed into stage pieces. Nevertheless, those stage pieces link back to the dance steps and music of the former folk dances.
Music
In Khorovod dances text, dance and melody are organically combined and dramatized. In this video we hear a stylized melody.
Costume
The dancers wear a white dress with embroidery on the chest and a red hairband. Each dancer holds a bouquet. The bouquets have a traditional Ukrainian guelder-rose (a symbol of the maiden beauty) that was used by girls for the wreath during different spring and summer feasts or any joyous occasion (like marriage or end of the harvesting). The second element of the bouquets is fern. The fern is a magical herb of the Ivana Kupala feast. There is an ancient Kupala belief that the eve of Ivan Kupala is the only time of the year when ferns bloom. Ferns are not angiosperms (flowering plants) but reproduce by spores. They cannot flower. Prosperity, luck, discernment, and power befall whom ever finds a fern flower. Therefore, on that night, village folk roam through the forests in search of magical herbs, and especially, the elusive fern flower. Traditionally, unmarried women, signified by the garlands in their hair, are the first to enter the forest. They are followed by young men. Therefore, the quest to find herbs and the fern flower may lead to the blooming of relationships between pairs within the forest.
For further detail of traditional clothing and its implications click here.
[1] Talks with MAVKA (Artist Collective from Ukraine)
[2] Wikipedia, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khorovod
[3] Wikipedia, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_in_Ukraine
is called:Хоровод (Khorovod)="Kalina" (Round dance)
This dance belongs to the family of Khorovod dances. Khorovod (literally translated as “Round dance”) is an ancient ritual dance of the Eastern Slavs that also includes games, singing songs and playing musical instruments.
Societal relevance
Khorovod is an echo of old syncretic ritual elements of folk culture.
In the old times, the performance of Khorovod was related to traditional rituals of welcoming spring, celebrating Ivan Kupala. The Ivanа-Kupala, is a traditional Slavic holiday that was originally celebrated on the shortest night of the year, which is on 21-22 or 23-24 of June. The celebration relates to the summer solstice when nights are the shortest and includes a number of Slavic rituals. The name of the holiday was originally Kupala - a pagan fertility rite.
Khorovod is danced by many people standing in a large circle that symbolizes the Sun. After establishment of Christianity, traditional Khorovods underwent changes and became bound to the ecclesiastical calendar. Nowadays, Khorovod dance has almost lost its ritual meaning.
The Ukrainian folk dances have been highly instrumentalized during the period of the Soviet Union. The folk dances allowed the local population and different ethnic groups of the different countries such as the Ukraine a space to follow their traditional culture within the heavily imposed ideologist culture of the Soviet Union. The folk dances thus served as identification for the different ethnicities that were part of the Soviet Union. Many folk dances have been composed into stage pieces. Nevertheless, those stage pieces link back to the dance steps and music of the former folk dances.
Music
In Khorovod dances text, dance and melody are organically combined and dramatized. In this video we hear a stylized melody.
Costume
The dancers wear a white dress with embroidery on the chest and a red hairband. Each dancer holds a bouquet. The bouquets have a traditional Ukrainian guelder-rose (a symbol of the maiden beauty) that was used by girls for the wreath during different spring and summer feasts or any joyous occasion (like marriage or end of the harvesting). The second element of the bouquets is fern. The fern is a magical herb of the Ivana Kupala feast. There is an ancient Kupala belief that the eve of Ivan Kupala is the only time of the year when ferns bloom. Ferns are not angiosperms (flowering plants) but reproduce by spores. They cannot flower. Prosperity, luck, discernment, and power befall whom ever finds a fern flower. Therefore, on that night, village folk roam through the forests in search of magical herbs, and especially, the elusive fern flower. Traditionally, unmarried women, signified by the garlands in their hair, are the first to enter the forest. They are followed by young men. Therefore, the quest to find herbs and the fern flower may lead to the blooming of relationships between pairs within the forest.
For further detail of traditional clothing and its implications click here.
[1] Talks with MAVKA (Artist Collective from Ukraine)
[2] Wikipedia, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khorovod
[3] Wikipedia, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_in_Ukraine
How to dance the dance
The dance is performed as group. During the dance piece the dancers arrange themselves into ever new group constellations of couples, group circles and lines that change rows and travel through space. The group constellations split up at times to join the dancers again in a new constellation. The dance consists of soft and slow movements performed with grace.
Dancers- Starting position
12 female dancers
In a circle moving counter clockwise
The dancers hold hands, arms stretched out downwards. They form a circle and look with their faces inwards, towards each other.
Repeat 8 x
3 steps. There is a pause in the 3rd step. The dancers are holding hands, the arms are now stretched upwards.
Repeat 2x
4 steps on demie-point. The 5th step is a temps lié forward and backward on the whole foot
Repeat 10 x
Step on demie-Point.
Repeat 2x
The dancers place their arms from behind on the lower back of each other.
4 Borré steps: Right foot opens and makes a lunge to the right in the plié. Left foot follows the plié and closes behind, so that both feet are together again.
The dancers release from the circle. From their respective starting point they describe a circle clockwise outside the group circle with 8 steps on the demie- Point and then join back into the circle.
On the spot - In a circle facing the centre of the circle with the front of their bodies:
Temps lié forward towards the centre of the circle with their arms up in front of them
Temps lié backward with their arms down and behind their body
Temps lié forward towards the centre of the circle with their arms up in front of them
Temps lié backward with their arms down and behind their body with two additional steps backwards, making the circle bigger.
In a circle moving counter clockwise
5 x Walse Steps: 1 Step in plié with the second leg stretched out to the front and two steps on démie point. Starting with the right leg in Plié.
Going from the circle into 2 lines standing behind each other. The line in front is looking towards the left, the line in the back is looking towards the right. Once in the line the left hand is posed on the left shoulder of the dancer in front:
Repeat 2x
Temps Lié front and Back while swinging the right arm high up front and slightly back.
The right arm performs a circle in front of the dancer and to then perform a cambré, bending over to the right while the dancers kneel down with the left knee.
The dancers come back up onto demie-points still standing in 2 lines
Repeat 2x
The 2 lines switch. The backline comes front and the front line goes back while moving sideways with 4 Borré steps. Right foot opens and makes a lunge to the right in the plié. Left foot follows the plié and closes behind, so that both feet are together again. The arms are streched out on the hight of the hips. Then with 4 Borré steps on place one Cambré to the left and one Cambré to the right is performed. With another extra Cambré to the left the dancers disperse and form one crowd looking to the front
As a crowd looking to the front
The dancers in the front kneel down so that the dancers in the back can be seen.
The dancers wave their arms 2 x to the right, then to the left, then performing a whole circle with their arms towards the right.
The dancers wave their arms 2 x to the left, then to the right, then performing a whole circle with their arms towards left.
The dancers lift up onto demie-point, lifting their arms up high into the air.
Together in couples
With their right hand placed around each other’s waist and the left arm swinging up and down with every step. They perform 7 Borré- Steps in a circle around their own axis clockwise. They then step shortly apart to perform the same pattern to the other side counter clockwise.
In two lines
They take 8 Borré- Steps with plié to place themselves back into two lines standing behind each other: There while one part of the group is moving to the right with their right arm drawing a circle in front of them, ending in the front line. The other part of the group is moving to the left with their left arm drawing a circle in front of them, ending in the back line.
Repeat 2x
4 x Pas- de Borré to the front
1 Plié with the left leg, stepping diagonal front with the right leg onto demie-point, closing with the left leg on demie-point. Then 1 Plié with the right leg, stepping diagonal front with the left leg onto demie-point, closing with the right leg on demie-point. Start left again..
There while the arms are held in a V-Position above their heads.
2 x Pas- de Borré to the back starting towards the right, the to the left with their arms swing to the right, then to the left.
One step to the front on demie- plié closing both feet with the arms high up, then taking 4 steps backwards with the arms swinging down and behind them.
Dispersing to the left & right side of the stage to then join each other again
The group takes 4 Steps forward, then disperses into two groups walking off to the right and the left performing 3x Temps liés front & back and 4 steps taking a half circle towards the left and the right of the stage and traveling from the front to the back.
When the 2 groups arrive at the back of the stage they walk on demie-point in 2 rows, one behind the other towards the front of the stage.
They then perform a Borré -Step with a Cambré to the outside (to the left or the right of the stage) and 5 small Borré -Steps towards each other.
They then swing their arms once to the right and once to the left, lift their arms high up to sit down and close the piece doing a Cambré towards the centre of the group.
The dance is performed as group. During the dance piece the dancers arrange themselves into ever new group constellations of couples, group circles and lines that change rows and travel through space. The group constellations split up at times to join the dancers again in a new constellation. The dance consists of soft and slow movements performed with grace.
Dancers- Starting position
12 female dancers
In a circle moving counter clockwise
The dancers hold hands, arms stretched out downwards. They form a circle and look with their faces inwards, towards each other.
Repeat 8 x
3 steps. There is a pause in the 3rd step. The dancers are holding hands, the arms are now stretched upwards.
Repeat 2x
4 steps on demie-point. The 5th step is a temps lié forward and backward on the whole foot
Repeat 10 x
Step on demie-Point.
Repeat 2x
The dancers place their arms from behind on the lower back of each other.
4 Borré steps: Right foot opens and makes a lunge to the right in the plié. Left foot follows the plié and closes behind, so that both feet are together again.
The dancers release from the circle. From their respective starting point they describe a circle clockwise outside the group circle with 8 steps on the demie- Point and then join back into the circle.
On the spot - In a circle facing the centre of the circle with the front of their bodies:
Temps lié forward towards the centre of the circle with their arms up in front of them
Temps lié backward with their arms down and behind their body
Temps lié forward towards the centre of the circle with their arms up in front of them
Temps lié backward with their arms down and behind their body with two additional steps backwards, making the circle bigger.
In a circle moving counter clockwise
5 x Walse Steps: 1 Step in plié with the second leg stretched out to the front and two steps on démie point. Starting with the right leg in Plié.
Going from the circle into 2 lines standing behind each other. The line in front is looking towards the left, the line in the back is looking towards the right. Once in the line the left hand is posed on the left shoulder of the dancer in front:
Repeat 2x
Temps Lié front and Back while swinging the right arm high up front and slightly back.
The right arm performs a circle in front of the dancer and to then perform a cambré, bending over to the right while the dancers kneel down with the left knee.
The dancers come back up onto demie-points still standing in 2 lines
Repeat 2x
The 2 lines switch. The backline comes front and the front line goes back while moving sideways with 4 Borré steps. Right foot opens and makes a lunge to the right in the plié. Left foot follows the plié and closes behind, so that both feet are together again. The arms are streched out on the hight of the hips. Then with 4 Borré steps on place one Cambré to the left and one Cambré to the right is performed. With another extra Cambré to the left the dancers disperse and form one crowd looking to the front
As a crowd looking to the front
The dancers in the front kneel down so that the dancers in the back can be seen.
The dancers wave their arms 2 x to the right, then to the left, then performing a whole circle with their arms towards the right.
The dancers wave their arms 2 x to the left, then to the right, then performing a whole circle with their arms towards left.
The dancers lift up onto demie-point, lifting their arms up high into the air.
Together in couples
With their right hand placed around each other’s waist and the left arm swinging up and down with every step. They perform 7 Borré- Steps in a circle around their own axis clockwise. They then step shortly apart to perform the same pattern to the other side counter clockwise.
In two lines
They take 8 Borré- Steps with plié to place themselves back into two lines standing behind each other: There while one part of the group is moving to the right with their right arm drawing a circle in front of them, ending in the front line. The other part of the group is moving to the left with their left arm drawing a circle in front of them, ending in the back line.
Repeat 2x
4 x Pas- de Borré to the front
1 Plié with the left leg, stepping diagonal front with the right leg onto demie-point, closing with the left leg on demie-point. Then 1 Plié with the right leg, stepping diagonal front with the left leg onto demie-point, closing with the right leg on demie-point. Start left again..
There while the arms are held in a V-Position above their heads.
2 x Pas- de Borré to the back starting towards the right, the to the left with their arms swing to the right, then to the left.
One step to the front on demie- plié closing both feet with the arms high up, then taking 4 steps backwards with the arms swinging down and behind them.
Dispersing to the left & right side of the stage to then join each other again
The group takes 4 Steps forward, then disperses into two groups walking off to the right and the left performing 3x Temps liés front & back and 4 steps taking a half circle towards the left and the right of the stage and traveling from the front to the back.
When the 2 groups arrive at the back of the stage they walk on demie-point in 2 rows, one behind the other towards the front of the stage.
They then perform a Borré -Step with a Cambré to the outside (to the left or the right of the stage) and 5 small Borré -Steps towards each other.
They then swing their arms once to the right and once to the left, lift their arms high up to sit down and close the piece doing a Cambré towards the centre of the group.