Narodno Horo

REGION: Bulgaria, Macedonia

TRANSLATION: National dance, or dance of the people, or folk dance

RHYTHM: 2/4, counted as 1 and, 2 and

ARMS: “V” position

Description

Measure

  1. With weight on left foot, and moving in LOD, step on Right foot, hop on Right, step on Left foot, hop on Left.
  2. Facing center, step on Right, step on Left behind Right, step to right on Right foot, hop on Right and close Left to Right, without taking weight.
  3. Repeat measure 2 with opposite footwork, and moving in reverse LOD.

Variations

  1. On measure 1 substitute 2 running steps for the 2 step-hops, RLR, LRL.
  2. The leader only, may turn once clockwise while doing the 2 step-hops.

ANOTHER WAY TO DO IT!

I don’t know why, but Macedonians seem to add something else to a dance.  In Narodno Horo, they substitute a pas-de-basque instead of closing Left foot to Right in measure 2, and then add two pas-de-basques after that.  Thus they make it a four measure dance rather than a three measure dance.  So again, you might ask which is the correct way?  And again, the answer is “when in Rome, do as the Romans”.

Some styling comments: the dance starts on count one of any measure.  As in many Balkan dances, the women dance in a more restrained manner while the men dance with more gusto and larger steps.