Some History and Background for Macedonian folk dances

(These notes were excerpted from the Dunav folk dance site in Israel.
Some additional notes to nine dances were made by John Pappas)

Arap (Zajko Kokarajko)

Zajko Kokarajko is the most popular tune among recreational
folkdancers for this classic dance from Macedonia.

Bajrace (Zensko Berance) [Kostur, Greek Macedonia]

Bajrace or Zensko Berance is woman’s dance from the western part of
the Kostur area in what is now Greek Macedonia. It has an unusual rhythm
– 12/8, 12/16/ or 18/16 depending on who you ask. Originally called
Bajrace, the name of this dance was later changed to Zensko Berance by
Pece Atanasovski. Zensko means woman’s, and Berance comes from the word
Berat, which is a major city in Albania. So it means “Like a dance from
Berat” or “The Berat Dance”.

Berovka [Berovo, Macedonia]

Berovka takes its name from the town of Berovo in eastern Macedonia.
According to Mihailo Dimoski, Stanimir Visinski, and Elsie Dunin in
their book Makedonski Narodni Plesovi, the dance was learned from a
group of women from the village of Rusino, near Berovo, at a festival in
Skopje, 1948.

It is also danced in the area of Peh─ìavo and Del─ìevo. It’s a women’s
dance, danced in an open circle or line with the leader on the right
end.

Chesto [Thrace, Greece, Bulgaria]

This is a challenging dance from the Romilia Region, next to the
Bulgarian border. It was probably brought by Greeks to Greece who were
expelled from Bulgaria after the first world war. In Greece it is known
by the name of Tsestos.

─îo─ìek [Macedonia, Kosovo, South Serbia]

Cocek is a musical genre and dance that emerged during the early 19th
century. Popularized by Ottoman military bands, it is a variation of an
old 3-measure dance-form related to the Hasapiko or Kasapsko oro. Today
it is found in many parts of the Balkans and dance under a variety of
names. The spelling “cocek” is actually derived from Serbian.
Macedonians use chochek. In Bulgaria, it is written as kyuchek or
kyutchek.

Cocek like the Rom people was scattered across the Balkans, mostly
throughout Bulgaria, Serbia, Republic of Macedonia and Romania. It was
handed down the generations, preserved mostly by Rom minorities and was
largely practiced at village weddings and banquets.

Folk dancers in North America first encountered Cocek as ΓÇ£Razgranjala
JorgovanaΓÇ¥, ΓÇ£Bre Devoj─ìe and ΓÇ£Oj Coko, CokoΓÇ¥, Serbian town dances from
Prizren and Priština in Kosovo. These dances were named after the songs
that accompanied them.

The Serbian researchers, Danica and Ljubica Jankovi─ç described these
and many other variations when they published their eight dance volumes
in the 1930ΓÇÖs and 40ΓÇÖs.

─îo─ìek is especially popular among the Moslem Rom and Albanian
populations of Kosovo, South Serbia and the Republic of Macedonia. When
Tanec first came to America in 1956, they performed Cocek as a Moslem
woman’s dance, “Ќupurlika” from Titov Veles.

In Serbia, ΓÇ£─ìo─ìekΓÇ¥ refers mainly to dances in 9/16, ΓÇ£KarsilamaΓÇ¥
style, made famous by the opera “Koštana” by Petar Konjović in 1931.
Koštana was a Gypsy woman from Vranje famous for dancing the “Čoček”. In
fact, the opera named after her finishes in a rousing 9/16 ΓÇ£─îo─ìekΓÇ¥.

In Greece, the term is not used but a similar style of music is found
in the dances, ΓÇ£TsifteteliΓÇ¥ and ΓÇ£KarsilamaΓÇ¥, still popular today in
Northern Greece especially during Apokreas (Mardi Gras or Carnival).

Rom musicians living in areas of the former Yugoslavia have broadened
the term to include variations in 4/4, 7/8, as well as 9/16. Many but
not all of the 4/4 tunes are suitable for the dance.

Devetorka [Macedonia]

Devetorka is a basic Macedonian dance in 9/8 music (for the dancer:
QQQS or 12-12-12-123). Although the dance is popular all over the
Balkans, there is no common name that it is known by. It usually goes by
the name of the song that accompanies the dance. A popular name in the
1960s was Shareni Chorapi (multi-colored socks), a popular song of the
times. A popular name in Bulgaria is Svadbarsko Horo (wedding dance),
which means that it is danced at weddings. Even the name Devetorka
(nine) is somewhat meaningless, for it takes more than nine steps to
complete the dance. Maybe, originally nine dancers danced the dance!
Perhaps the best name is Povarnato, to ΓÇÿreturnΓÇÖ.

Eleno Mome [Bulgaria]

Eleno Mome is a Bulgarian dance with unclear regional roots that has
become popular in other countries as well. While it’s only a best guess,
the dance seems to have originated in the north and today it is danced
all over Bulgaria. Macedonian bands in the USA of the 1940s ΓÇô 1960s era
called this dance Tsiganskoto (the Gypsy dance).

According to Joe Graziozi, the Greek version is found mostly in the
northern parts of the province of Macedonia from Florina-Kastoria in the
west to Drama in the east. Interestingly, it is not danced in Greek
Thrace nor among the Greeks of Bulgaria who resettled throughout
Macedonia and Thessaly in the 1920s but is primarily associated with the
(former) Slavic Macedonian villages of these regions. It has become a
standard among most dance troupes throughout the country. There are
numerous recordings, all instrumental, performed by local bands
throughout Macedonia, from brass to zourna to gaida to lyra &
dahare.

Gurga Pere [East Macedonia]

Gurga Pere is a 9/8 measure melody from east Macedonia, very similar
to the Bulgarian Daicovo. Coincidentally, the dance also looks a lot
like the Bulgarian Daicovo. We think Daicovo, like a lot of other
dances, traveled to another country, changed its name, and took out dual
citizenship.

Jovano Jovanke [Macedonia]

Jovano Jovanke is a popular lesnoto (pravoto) from Macedonia.

Kasapsko Oro [Macedonia, Greece, Bulgaria, worldwide]

The dance comes from Byzantine times and is named after the butcherΓÇÖs
guild (kasapi). It is undoubtedley the dance that is the easiest to
grasp and the most universal.

Kokonjeste [Serbia]

The background material for Kokonjeste was written by Dennis Boxell,
based partially on Dick Crum’s “Nama” notes.

Kokonje┼íte or Kokonje┼í─çe is one of the “classic” dances of
Yugoslavia. It was a favorite of turn-of-the-century ballrooms as well
as village churchyards; by 1900 it had attained sufficient popularity
among Serbs living in the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Vojvodina) that by
the 1920’s it had been transplanted to the U.S. and Canada by immigrants
from that area.

Its name is a Romanian word meaning “in the style of a young
nobleman”, giving credence to the idea that the dance was introduced via
the upper-class ballroom. Also, many famous musicians of the time were
of Romanian origin, and these musicians definitely had a large impact on
the dance music of Serbia at the time.

Many different tunes were composed for Kokonješte. Both Čukaričko
Kolo and Zaječarka are forms of Kokonješte. Čukaricko Kokonješte was
named after ─îukarica, a district in the city of Belgrade, along the Sava
river, that was renowned early in the century for its racetrack.
Zaje─ìarka was named after the town of Zaje─ìar in Eastern Serbia.

The most famous Kokonješte is Arapsko Kokonjeste (literally
“Arabian”). This is the tune that has lived on among Serbian-American
musicians to the present day although you will be hard pressed to find
it danced any more, especially among new immigrants.

The many dances of this family are based on a simple symmetrical
pattern of four measures to the right and four measures to the left.
These four-measure-pattern dances were very popular in Serbia in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries and were precursors to the
Kokonješte. Several examples would be Dunje Ranke, Divna Divna, Ti Momo,
and Potam Povam to name a few.

In the early 1900’s it became fashionable to “double” the steps in
Kokoješte, a phenomenon which, based on the Serbian concept of a step,*
resulted in a six-step pattern and a logically derived new name, “U ┼áest
koraka” (in six steps). Other embellishments were added to the new
style, such as hops, subtle bounces and others, and the resultant highly
improvised dance has come to be referred to as U Šest, even when some of
the variations might not total six steps. While there are endless
melodies today for U ┼áest, the melody “Moravac” became so famous that it
is now a synonym for U Šest in the vocabulary of most Serbs. The
Kokonješte of yesteryear has now evolved over time to become the new
national dance of Serbia, Moravac or U ┼áest” and rare is the Serb who
cannot dance it.

* Serbian concept of a step (korak: “A shift of weight onto a given
foot plus whatever follow-up movement of the other foot. For example,
seven quick running steps to the right would be four Serbian “koraks” 1)
R-L , 2) R-L, 3) R-L, 4) R. Now add two “Three steps” in place LRL (5)
and RLR (6). Repeat in opposite direction and you have “six steps to the
right and six steps to the left”, the “missing link” from Kokonjeste to
U Šest.

Kopacka [Delcevo, Macedonia]

According to Atanas Kolarovski, when Kopacka was first introduced to
Tanec by the village dancers, the original name was Sitnata (the litte
one). Tanec changed the name to Kopacka and the dance subsequently
became so famous that the villagers adopted this name of Kopacka for
both the dance and the name of their group, to remind everyone from
whence this dance originally came.

Kopanica {Sopluk & Trakia, Bulgaria]

by Yves Moreau

Kopanica is a common name for a type of lively folk dance in Western
Bulgaria in 11/16 meter (QQSQQ) counted here as 1-2, 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2,
1-2. The name is derived from the verb “kopam” which means to “dig” or
to “hoe” and probably refers to the sharp kick-like down and up motions
often found in the dance.

The term Kopanica seems to be especially used in the Sopluk (Sop)
region of West Bulgaria, which includes the towns of Sofia, Pernik,
Radomir and Kyustendil. Common names are: Sopska Kopanica, Graovska
Kopanica, Divotinka Kopanica (from village of Divotino) etc. There is
even a village named Kopanica not far from the town of Pernik!

The term Kopanica is also found in Western Thrace and Sredna Gora
regions East of Sofia (Ihtiman, Panagjuriste, Pazardzik) and even as far
East as Plovdiv. In Western Thrace, dances in 11/8 meter are often
called Krivo (or Krivata), a term which means “crooked” or “uneven” and
may also refer to dances in other complex uneven meters such as 13/16
(Krivo Sadovsko), 15/16 (Bucimis) etc. The Kopanica or Krivo dances are
usually multi-figured and danced in lines or open circles with dancers
holding on to each others’ belts (za pojas or na kolan).

Many musicians and musical arrangers have also composed tunes called
“kopanica” which may or may not have a specific dance connected with the
melody; the purpose being mostly to show off creative talent and
musicianship.

Folk dancers are often confused by trying to figure out the
difference between Kopanica and Gankino Horo, as these dances are both
in 11/8 meter. Gankino (Ganka’s dance) seems to be used mostly in
Northern Bulgaria (NW and North Central). The basic Gankino Horo is a
three-measure dance using the step structure also common in the dances:
Dunavsko (Danubian Pravo), Povarnoto (also known as Devetorka in
Macedonia) and Eleno Mome. The famous Bulgarian accordionist Boris
Karlov had many Gankino tunes in his repertoire.

Dances in 11/16 similar to Kopanica or Gankino can also be found in
Macedonia using other names (Sedenka, Pletenica, Skopsko etc.). The
famous East Macedonian dance Kopacka (2/4) is also derived from “kopam”
(to dig).

Lesnoto [Macedonia]

A popular lesnoto (pravoto) from Macedonia.

Levendikos [Greek Macedonia]

This Levendikos is from Florina, in Greek Macedonia. The Levendiko,
from the region of Florina in Greek Macedonia, is also called Lytos in
Greek, but the original name and the most commonly heard in the Florina
region is the Macedonian (Slavic) name Puscheno. Many
Macedonian-Americans call this dance Boufsko.

Makedonsko Devojce [Macedonia]

Makedonsko Devojce is a Macedonian song composed by Jonce Hristovski
(also the author of Ako Umram). It’s one of the most popular tunes for
dancing Lesnoto

Memede [Macedonia]

Memede is also known as Toska Memede. It’s a basic dance with great
music.

Na Khelav Na Gilvav [Rom, Macedonia]

Music for Indijski Cocek.

Narodno Oro [Macedonia, Bulgaria]

Another simple Macedonian dance. It starts out slowly but the dance
doesn’t change as the music speeds up. It is danced across a wide area
in the Balkans and simply means ΓÇ£folk danceΓÇ¥ or ΓÇ£peopleΓÇÖs danceΓÇ¥.

Paidushko [Trakia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Turkey, Greece]

Payduska, Paidushko, Baidushka, Baiduskino, etc. is a family of
dances usually danced to 5/16 or 5/8 (Q S) rhythm and found in a large
area spanning Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Greece, and beyond. It is the
classic “aksak” (Turkish for limping) dance and rhythm. Its various
forms reflect local preferences. Yes, they also dance it in Turkey. The
Turks brought it from Skopje. Strangely enough, for all its immense
popularity and diffusion, the derivation of its name is still a mystery.
It has no other meaning in Bulgarian or Macedonian other then the name
of a dance called Paidushka.

Pusteno [Macedonia, Greek Macedonia]

Pusteno (also: Poustseno) is a Macedonian dance from the Levendikos,
Bajrace family. Pusteno is from the Kastoria/Kostur region of Greek
Macedonia but is considered a Macedonian dance by most folk dancers. Joe
Graziosi provided this background information:

In the Florina region the Puscheno/Pushteno a/k/a Levendikos or Litos
are the same dance. The Levendiko is also called Lytos in Greek, but the
original name and the most commonly heard in the Florina region is the
Macedonian (Slavic) name Puscheno.

There are numerous tunes for the dance, both instrumental and sung.
Within the Florina region the term Beranche or Beratche refers usually
to a tune or style of Puscheno, often slower or heavier, so it can also
be called Teshko or even Starsko. This last name, meaning old, is often
employed as a term of respect for the older generation that would more
often lead the dance.

The steps are the same except in the Albanian Christian (Arvanites)
villages of the region (e.g. Flambouron/Negovani) where the Beratche or
Beratis is a two measure dance based on the motif of a Sta Dhio step.
The inhabitants of the villages Alona/ Armnesko, Akritas/Buf and
Kratero/Rakovo have the reputation of being among the best dancers for
the Puscheno.

In the village of Alona/ Armensko it can refer to a seperate melody
(called Gherondikos in Greek), which starts quite slow and evolves into
a Puscheno. Among the Florina population, which is of Albanian origin
(as in the village Flambouro/Negovani) the Beratche, etc. is danced
differently – here with a two-measure phrase. The usual three measure
phrase Puscheno which is also danced by them, is considered a Macedonian
dance while their two measure Beratche they consider their own.

Also, in the region of Lake Prespa the Puscheno is danced differently
than the rest of Florina. Here, the dance starts with a full weighted
step on the right foot whereas elsewhere it starts with a lift or touch
of the right foot on the same beat, making for a very different feel. A
close listen to most Puscheno or Beratche recordings from Greek
Macedonia will show that the most common meter is 16/8 – 2223223;
sometimes it can be heard in a meter of 15 or 17; more rarely in 12 –
but in each case the grouped pulses are the same: slower, quick.slow,
quick.

The further south one goes, towards and beyond Kastoria/Kostur, the
more the three measure dance is replaced by a two measure dance, but
here the dance starts with a full weighted step on the first beat of
each measure (e.g. Zhensko Bairatche), whereas in the Greco-Albanian
villages of Florina, the first beat starts with a lift or touch. Local
variants also exist in the Vlach village of Vlasti/Blatse and among the
Greek villages of Voion (e.g.,the dance Lontzia) in Kozani County. Many
Macedonian-Americans call this dance Boufsko, sometimes Kondoropsko, and
probably a lot of other names. After all, it is a nice dance and
everybody wants to call it their own.

Rakija i cigari [Macedonia]

Rakija i cigari (Rakija and cigarettes) is a modern Macedonian song
by composer Chris Bajmakovich, performed by Balkan Cabaret, with lead
vocals by Mary Sherhart. It’s great for dancing Indijski Cocek.

Ratevka [Macedonia]

Ratevka, a classic folk dance from eastern Macedonia, has been
introduced by many teachers.

Raspukala Šar Planina (Lesnoto/Pravoto)[Macedonia]

Thanks to Dennis Boxell for sharing his knowledge.

Raspukala Šar Planina is a modern rendition of an old song from
Kavadarci about what happens to three shepherds on the Šar Planina
mountain range just NW of Skopje. It has become one of the ΓÇ£classicΓÇ¥
tunes for the dance Lesnoto/Pravoto.

The original version was sung by Makedonka Nedeva from Kavadarci in
1936 and published in 1964 in Soborski Narodni Pesni by Vasil
Hadjimanov. Somewhat later, the rendition on page one was made by Radio
Skopje that made the song popular throughout Macedonia. The original
words vary slightly from the modern version. In the original, the
mountain ΓÇ£poured or spread outΓÇ¥ and ΓÇ£took underΓÇ¥ the three shepherds.
And instead of a wife, the first shepherd has a lover who mourns until
noon. Again, it is the mother who mourns ΓÇ£as long as she livesΓÇ¥.

Sadilo Mome [Skopje, Macedonia]

A classic Macedonian dance from the Skopje region.

Sedenka [Macedonia]

Sedenka is a (very advanced) Shope dance from eastern Macedonia.

Sine moj [Macedonia]

Sine moj (My Son/Son of Mine) is a Macedonian song sung by Pepi
Baftirovski, who died in 2008 from liver cancer.
Pepi Baftirovski was a native of Lerin (Florina) in the Greek-Macedonian
region who later moved to Skopje, Macedonia. He was one of the most
beloved singers and interpreters of Macedonian songs. He was famed not
only in Macedonia but also in the surrounding countries, such as Serbia,
Bulgaria, and wherever Macedonian music is popular.

Strumicka Petorka [Macedonia]

Strumicka Petorka is a dance in the Macedonian style arranged by Bora
Gajicki and inspired by a recording of the same name composed by Nikola
Stefanov released on a Zagreb-based Jugoton LP. The piece is named
either after the eastern Macedonian town of Strumica or the Struma
River, which winds through Pirin and eastern Vardar Macedonia.

Bora Gajicki’s own Borino Orchestra recorded a cover of the
Aleksandric recording, and it is one of these two recordings that are
best known to international folk dancers and enthusiasts of Balkan
music.

The music and dance are sometimes mistakenly classified as “Serbian”
because the first widely available commercial recording happened to be
by Dragan Aleksandric’s orchestra, with Vilko Sedlar as the clarinetist,
on an LP titled “Narodna Kola” (folk circle dances). Likewise, the cover
of this piece and the arrangement of the dance were by a Serbian dancer
Bora Gajicki. Nonetheless, the music was composed by a Macedonian. and
the dance movements and styling is typically Macedonian.

Many if not most recordings of folk music in the Yugoslavia before
its break-up were released either on the Zagreb, Croatia-based Jugoton
or the Belgrade, Serbia-based RTB (Radio Television Belgrade). However,
their place of production did not mean that all such music were either
Croatian or Serbian. Pece Atanasovksi, the best known Macedonian gajda
(bagpipe) player released his recordings on both Jugoton and RTB, but
his music (and dancing) is distinctly Macedonian and typical of his home
village of Dolneni near Prilep Macedonia.

Many thanks to John Kuo for the background information about this
music.

Teshko Oro [Macedonia]

Also spelled Tesko, the teshkoto is the ultimate male dance and
probably with the most historical significance. It was the signature
dance of the Tanec ensemble and wowed audiences all over the USA when
first performed in the 1950s. To my knowledge, it has never been danced
by women. Some versions take up to 10 minutes. When it starts out, it is
extremely slow and requires a lot of control.

Tik [Pontian Greek, Greek Macedonia]

Tik (“upright”) is the most common Pontian dance, found all over
Pontos. Tik can be danced to different rhythms of music. This
non-traditional version is in 5/8 rhythm. When danced to fast music, the
dance is called Tik Tromachton (Jumping Tik).

Tresenica [South Macedonia]

Tresenica is a “shaking” dance from the rural Mariovo region in
southern Macedonia.

Triti Pati [Trakia, Bulgaria, Greece]

Triti Pati is a dance from the Trakia region in Bulgaria. Like many
other Trakian dances, it’s also danced in the Thracian region of Greece.
It translates into ΓÇ£three timesΓÇ¥.

Usti Usti Baba [Rom, Macedonia]

Usti Usti Baba is a Rom wedding song from the southern region of
Macedonia. It’s about a young bride who tries to awaken her father on
the morning of her wedding day.

ΓÇ£Get up, get up father, the in-laws are at the door to collect our
little girl!ΓÇ¥ And someone calls: ΓÇ£Open the gates! Let in the wedding
guests! Adorn the bride! And give the groom something to drink!ΓÇ¥

This version of Usti Usti Baba is sung by Slavica Pavlovic &
Jovanka Ivanovskaa. The music is great for Cocek.

Vrni Se Vrni [Macedonia]

Vrni Se Vrni is a love song from Macedonia. The dance is one of
Atanas Kolarovski’s early dances.

Zensko [Macedonia]

Zensko Za Raka is a women’s dance from Macedonia. Ljupco Manevski
uses this same music for Navestinsko Za Raka; the dance is very
similar.