Introduction to Folk Dance

Folk dance is a way for people to express, share, and connect with their own traditional culture.
Various styles of folk dance have been performed all over the world for centuries, and are still
performed by many cultures today. Traditional dances emphasize the cultural roots of the
particular dance. The development of the folk dances in other countries and local regions
happens spontaneously.
Origins and Traditions
Most of the cultural dances came into being because of a social function. Folk dance was not
performed on stage until the middle of the 20th century. During the 1800s and early 1900s, this
type of exotic dancing gained popularity in Europe. Nowadays most of the groups perform the
folk dance on stage. The basics of a folk dance usually have remained intact through several
generations. Some are passed down for decades or centuries through demonstration and oral
tradition alone. Cultures that want to preserve a dance in its original form may also archive the
dance through photos, videos, and text instructions.
Common Attributes
1. Traditionally, most folk dances are performed by people without professional dance
training or experience. The dances themselves are passed down through generations,
learned through observation and mirroring rather than being formally taught.
2. Most folk dances are performed to the traditional folk music of the respective people.
Many of these songs contain lyrical verses that tell a story, but some are strictly
instrumental.
3. Folk dancers may wear their culture’s traditional garb or attire for a performance. These
clothes underscore the dancer’s cultural identity while providing a sense of uniformity
with the rest of the folk dance group.
4. Folk dances are often performed at festivals, cultural gatherings, or agricultural events.
Examples
1.  Fandango is a lively partner dance originating from Portugal and Spain, usually in triple
meter, traditionally accompanied by guitars, castanets, or hand-clapping. Fandango can
both be sung and danced. 
2. Traditional Greek dance where the dancers perform with their hands over each others’
shoulders to form a long human chain.
3. Tarantella is a group of various folk dances characterized by a fast upbeat tempo,
usually in time, accompanied by tambourines.
4. The dance involves at least two people beating, tapping, and sliding bamboo poles on
the ground and against each other in coordination with one or more dancers who step
over and in between the poles in a dance.
5. United States; which the dancer's footwear is used percussively by striking the heel, the
toe, or both against a floor or each other to create audible rhythms, usually to the
downbeat with the heel keeping the rhythm.
6. Originated in England, this traditional American dance involves four pairs of dancers
arranged in a square, and is typically accompanied by country music.
7. Originated in the Czech Republic, The Polka is a fast-paced routine usually danced by a
couple, who rotate in a circle in the same direction, smoothing out any rough bounces in
their quick steps.
8. Other term niya is sword dance, nirereenact battles or isang particular cultural theme.