Category Archives: Folk Dance

Folk Dance – Russia

Nationality: Russian-American
Age: 55
Occupation: Professor
Residence: New York
Performance Date: April 10, 2008
Primary Language: Russian
Language: English

My mom said in her Russian community, all children had to have at least one artistic talent. The youth were expected to entertain their elders.

Her specialty was Russian folk dancing. The boys and girls who learned this dance were around 11 years old.

The costumes were very distinct. Boys wore special tunics, belts, and leggings. Girls donned elaborate headdresses adorned with real flowers and ribbons on each side. Both wore a lot of embroidery on the sleeves and aprons and danced in special boots.

The dance was passed on in the churches from the older women and performed on social occasions. The girls would dance in a circle with the boys doing kicks, leg lifts, and squats called “yesginka” in the center. Most of the time, they would dance to Balalaika music.

It’s interesting to me that this dance, unlike most folk dances, was not necessarily performed in a celebratory fashion. Instead, it was more to please the adults at a social gathering.

This concept speaks to the level of discipline and familial hierarchy in Russian culture, which contrasts greatly to American society, where kids are never forced to pick up a hobby merely to entertain guests. This is an old-fashioned idea that maybe prevailed in previous centuries in America, but certainly not during my mother’s time.

Perhaps this forced acquisition of a “talent” was a way to teach discipline Russian children. My mom also mentioned how some kids had to memorize long Russian poems by authors like Pushkin and recite them from memory. That must have been incredibly difficult to accomplish, and is certainly not something we even consider a kid capable of doing in America.

Folk Dance – Italian

Nationality: Italian
Age: 23
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 23, 2008
Primary Language: English

Folk Dance- Festa Italiana

Every year during the second week of September, my family and other Italian friends have this festival called Festa Italiana, or Italian Festival.  It is weird because I am not totally sure why we do it, but anyways, we have this certain dance.  Before I tell about the dance, wow this is embarrassing, ok.  So, my mom always makes this old peasants outfit.  It is this white shirt with this red skirt, and I have to wear these special shoes.  All the people do this, but my mom loves to actually make the costume for some reason.  So, once we get to the festival with our costumes on and eat a little bit of course, we all get on the dance floor area.  There is one lady on the microphone that yells out the dance steps and we all have to participate.  It is actually really embarrassing, but it’s funny because we all do it.  I can’t really explain each step.  It kind of just comes to me as she says it because I have done it for so long.  I started this Festa when I was 11, and have continued ever since.  We also have Italian food and other Italian things to do.  It is actually pretty cool.

Jessica seemed embarrassed to tell me this wonderful story at first, but as she opened up, it was clear that she enjoyed the festival more than she thought.  Her face lit up when she spoke of the dance.  She wasn’t so happy about the costume though.  She wishes her mom would “relax and let her buy something herself”.  I asked her what she thought of the whole experience and she said, “ It is embarrassing to talk about, but I actually do enjoy the festivities.  Once you’re their with family and friends and they are all participating, you realize why your there and why your Italian”.  She also commented on the fact that she is not sure how the festival began.  She is just proud it continues every September.

This festival was very interesting to me.  I think it is a way for Jessica, her family, and Italian friends to see each other all together once each year.  Also, it serves as a way to celebrate their Italian heritage. The presence of Italian food and dance connects them with their culture.  Whether the dance is authentic or not, it makes the people involved feel more Italian.  This will imbed a feeling of pride that will drive them to celebrate their heritage year after year.

Jessica said the festival happens every year in September.  This could have something to do with the fall of the fascist regime in September of 1943.  September of that year was when Mussolini was arrested.

Jessica noted that her mother loved to make her costume.  I know this bothers her a great deal, but I think this connects her and her mother in a special way.  I believe it is supposed to make Jessica realize the importance of her Italian heritage and the effort people go through to preserve it.

Traditional Dance – China

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 28, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Mandarin

“USC TCDance” – Traditional Chinese Dance:

  • “Water Village”
  • “Dunhuang”
  • “Dance of the Peacock”

Joy spent ten years of her life in Wuhan, China and moved to the United States when she was ten years old. Her mother was from Shanghai, while her father was from Wuhan. Since her father was a highly distinguished professor, they were invited to live in Cedar Falls, Iowa so her father could teach at a local university. Next, she moved to Columbia, South Carolina for middle school (6th – 8th grade). Finally, before attending USC, she resided in Bakersfield, California during her high school years.

Joy stated that there were loads of different tribes in China, which meant there were different types of dances for each of these tribes, whether it be folk dances or classical dances. Of the countless art forms there are in the long history of China, She believes that dance is the most expressive. She has had a passion for dance ever since she was young, but her parents forced her to play piano instead. One day, her friend from high school told her about USC’s Traditional Chinese Dance team and it had sparked her interest. After moving to a dorm in USC, Joy immediately tried out and made this team in the fall semester of her freshman year. She rehearses with the team twice a week on Thursdays from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM and Saturday mornings from 10:30 AM to 1:00 PM. She said that the time commitment is somewhat difficult, considering she is in a 6-year pre-pharmacy program at USC called TAAP. However, she believes that it is worth the hard work. She stated that she learned a lot about discipline while being in TCDance, and she also learned about the cultures of other tribes of China. This was particularly important to her because she stated that most Chinese people are part of the Han tribe, so it was originally difficult for her to learn about the numerous other tribes.

This first picture is of a dance entitled “Water Village” from the Dai tribe. It is Joy’s favorite Chinese folkdance. The colors of the dancers’ costumes are blue and white, symbolizing the water motif of the dance. This dance portrays maidens washing their hair, and playing with the water by the river. This dance accentuates the curves of the dancers by incorporating loads of hip and waist movements, which are analogous to the sinuous characteristics of water. This was a variation from a dance originally performed in a Chinese art school that won first place in the dancing competition. The captain of her dance team brought it over to the USC Chinese dance team and modified it.

This is a classical dance entitled “Dunhuang.” The initial picture is supposed to represent the Buddhist goddess “Guaying.” She is most famous for her multiple hands, which is the picture that is trying to be portrayed by the dancers in the initial picture of this second set of pictures. Joy stated that an actual city called “Dunhuang” has loads of gorgeous Buddhist temples. She said that the movements involved very small steps and flowing movements, almost as though they were walking on clouds.  Their dresses were very long and covered their bare feet. The second picture is called “The Lotus Flower” and it is a representation of the goddess “Guaying.” These costumes, including the lustrous headpieces, were all obtained from China by their dance captain, who visits China every summer.

This dance portrayed above is called “Dance of the Peacock.” It is the most famous dance in China, and was made famous by a woman named Yang Li Ping. Joy described this dance as graceful and beautiful. The dancers were told to portray the beauty of a peacock with their bodies.

The USC TCDance team consists of mostly Chinese- Americans but some members are not full Chinese. They perform for organizations such as USC’S Asian Pacific American Student Association (APASA), Chinese American Student Association (CASA), Underground Student Government (USG), the Special Olympics, and several Chinese communities around the USC area. Also, they have their own show each year at Bovard Auditorium. Joy feels as though it is important to carry on with showcasing traditional Chinese folkloric dances because it is a great way for the present generation to connect with the culture of the past. Many Chinese Americans of our generation attend Chinese school to learn things such as calligraphy, but most people go because their parents force them to. She says that Chinese dance is something that genuinely interests her, and the fact that her parents are not forcing her to dance fuels her desire to learn more about her culture on her own. She hopes that this desire will rub off amongst her peers – not only her Chinese friends, but also anyone who is interested in the Chinese culture.

I completely agree with Joy in that dance is a highly effective means of connecting with a particular culture’s past. These dances mentioned above are all very symbolic and graceful. Each of them deals with some form of nature. For instance, the “Water Village” deals with the essential element of water, “Dunhuang” involves a the glorifying of a well known goddess, who associates herself with the lotus flower, and the “Dance of the Peacock” is a visual representation of the beauty of a peacock. This common factor illustrates that the concept of nature is a huge aspect of the Chinese culture. By studying these dances and searching for prevalent themes, such as nature, one can have a stronger understanding of the complex history and culture of China.

Dance – French

Nationality: French
Age: 44
Residence: San Marino, CA
Primary Language: English

Breton Dance from France

Dance Folklorique: “La Gavotte”

Brief history
La gavotte is believed to be one of the oldest dances in Brittany.  Connected to the Trihori dance, a kind of branle, this folklorique dance is practiced all around the Cournouaille and the north ouest of Leon’s region.  La Gavotte is the most popular folkloric dance in Brittany.
It is composed of variances of Gavotte des montagnes, of Maël Carhaix, of Quimper, of Pays Bigouden, which follows the eight beat measure of the dance.

Here is a description of the step of the dance : it has three « plays », the Simple Tone, the Bal and a double tone that begins again the simple tone but is a more sophisticated way and faster!

I used to go to few festivals (fest-noz in Brittany) during the summer holidays where La Gavotte was often danced by local dancers or sometimes professionals.  I have seen it danced by large group of men and women dresses in traditional Brittany attire and it is really fun to see.
I have danced the Gavotte for fun during weddings or other large gatherings and it is a dance that always cheers the crowd.

Collectors Analysis: This dance is a prime example of traditions being passed town from generation. Though not practiced in mainstream Brittany life, Bretons are proud of their history and choose to keep traditions such as these to retain a sense of identity. Because the dance is performed, rather than written down, it allows for multiplicity and variation.

Aging ritual–Salsa Dancers

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Nationality: Salvadoran
Age: 32
Occupation: Truck Driver
Residence: Torrance, CA
Performance Date: March 15, 2008
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

At many salsa dance scenes, if it is someone’s birthday, the band will play a version of the “Happy Birthday Song” to the salsa rhythm. If the birthday person is a woman, her male friends will form a ring around her while stepping to the music; other people and friends may or may not form a larger ring around this as well. Then a man will step into the ring one by one to dance with the birthday person, and then passes her off to another dancer in the circle. Sometimes the next man will simply find the right timing and snatch the birthday girl—but all in good fun. If the birthday person is a man, then his female friends will ring around him and do the same thing. Occasionally, if he is an advanced dancer, he will dance with two ladies at once, leading them with one arm each. The birthday person will switch partners until the end of the song, which is usually about 4-6 minutes long.

Jorge has been active in the Los Angeles salsa scene for about 11 years now. He told me that he did not see this happening at all at first, and it was about six years ago when he started seeing this unique custom—“and it spread like nothing!” The first place he saw it happen was at a Los Angeles club called Rodolfo. When asked what he thinks it means, he said it is simply to show that “this is her [the birthday girl’s] night,” and to make sure she is, literally, at the center of attention.

That most certainly seems to be the case—as a dancer, what could be more delightful than to have an entire ring of other dancers waiting just to dance with you? At least for this one song, the birthday person is the queen or king of the dance floor, and can dance with as many people during that song as she or he wants. It is also a chance for the dancer to show off, as almost the entire crowd will be watching and cheering. Beginner or champion, they get to show what they can do, and perhaps try to outdo what they did last year.

I also think it is a way for salsa dancers to celebrate the spontaneity and leadability of salsa. This is a birthday ritual that I have not seen in other dances, such as dancesport or Argentinean tango, for example. Compared to other such dances, to be able to improvise and to lead complete strangers are important skills in salsa, and spontaneity and flexibility are highly valued. Therefore, it really does make sense that such a custom—in which one dancer must be able to quickly adapt to a number of different partners, make smooth changes, spontaneously improvise in case of bad timing—would have developed and been so popular in salsa. It is a way for them to show off to other dancers, and confirm to themselves, their mastery of improvisation.

The flexible nature of salsa which allows for improvisation, also allows for creativity and invention. New moves, new tricks, new combinations are being invented everyday right on the dance floor—salseros and salseras are always experimenting, which is why one will often see one man leading two women at once, or two couple rapidly switching around, and frequently the switch itself can become a complex, fancy move as dancers experiment with different techniques for changing partners. Again, this ritual, then, is a great time to show off these invented skills, as normally on the dance floor there are not multiple dancers to switch around at one’s convenience.

Finally, I think the flexible attitude of the salsa dancers helped spread this ritual so widely in just six years. I was surprised to hear it was so young, because I have seen people do this in New York—even in Korea. Interestingly, each place I’ve seen it does it a bit differently. The New Yorkers that I’ve seen were in a ring as well, but instead of facing the dancers in the circle, they will walk, making a bit of a dizzier scene—the dancers focus a bit more on stylish walks, but seem to care less about a flashy partner switch. In Korea, they will not form a ring, but stand in a line instead. This makes for a much more orderly ritual, because there is rarely the case where two dancers accidentally approach the birthday person at one time. Again, instead of focusing so much on slick changes, the Korean dancers like to show off very fast spins.