Let's dance the horo! Its impossible to spend more than a week in Bulgaria without trying the horo. We were there about 3-4 days when our Peace Corps trainers taught us a few basic ones. Nearly every Bulgarian child takes tanz (dance) and have many opportunities to practice- weddings, birthdays, office parties, or even just a weekend at the pub or disco.
When you learn horo, you count the steps starting with raz which is the Russian word for one, then you count forward in Bulgarian: dva, tree, cheteri, pet, shest and so on. The most simple horo is Byala Roza or White Rose, which is 6 steps foward and 2 steps back, similar to Pravo. Which is demonstrated here:
It's in Bulgarian, but its demonstrated with one dancer and illustrated with arrows. They show the steps (krakata), which leg goes first and what to do with your arms (rutzete).
Da go videyat Let's watch!
My favorite horo is Dunavsko which is named for the Danube River which forms Bulgaria's Northern border with Romania and empties into the Black Sea. While Pravo can be danced to a number of songs, Dunavsko is always danced to the same song.
I am a bit winded, I need to practice before the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival and the Celebration of Peace Corps' 50th anniversary! We'll be there next week to represent Peace Corps Bulgaria, check it out if you are around Washington, DC.
Smithsonian Folk Life Festival 2011
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