Pirin Dances

Pirin is one  of our beautiful mountains. Its nature makes a person feel welcome and encourages him to create things of beauty and art such as the ones that surround him. In this region men and women usually dance separately and if they take part in the same dance the women dance at the rear of the line with a handkerchief held between the last man and the first woman. There are many dances in 7/8 and often the dances begin slowly and increase in speed. The style is either sustained with a catlike feel , weight being taken onto the balls of the feet slightly behind the beat (hesitation), or is characterised by fast  and low movements skimming across the ground. Men's dances include balancing movements with high knee lifts, often in shoulder hold. Women's style is graceful and light, hands are held in low hold or in 'asymmetrical' W- hold in which case the left arm is extended further than the right arm. In certain dances the arms move up and down in time with the music.

Shop Dances

Another Bulgarian style with lots of different dances in it. Shop style is probably the most difficult Bulgarian style for non-Bulgarians to master. Mostly that's because of the speed of the dances and the amount of energy necessary to dance so many steps in a short space of time. Dances are usually performed in short lines, with belt hold or crossed hand hold. Separate hand movements are not common in Shop dances. If hands are not joined they are placed on the hips with palms flat, backs facing out. The body is held upright but with weight slightly forward so it is over the balls of the feet. This allows the performance of fast small steps often referred to as "knitting with the feet". Knee lifts are abrupt and high, and are often coupled with bending the body forward. Men's and women's styles are similar. As the dancer moves the whole body, especially the shoulders, should vibrate with a type of shaking movement called "natrisanne" which gives the impression that the dancer is hardly touching the floor with his feet. Cries and shouts are also common.

Rhodopes Dances

The dances in this region are as  beautiful as it is. However, the Rhodope mountain area is known more for its strong tradition of open throat singing than for its dances. Our mountains are one of the most beautiful places in Bulgaria. On such places you feel inspiration and connection with nature. The dance style here has been subject to religious influences as this is the area of Bulgaria which has the largest Muslim population. This means that men and women usually dance separately. Religion differences are sometimes a thing that throws a shadow over the beauty of dances and nature. The style is subdued and heavy, with small steps and low hops using the whole foot. Hands are joined in low or "W" hold. Women's dances are usually accompanied by songs.

Trakija Dances

The most deceptive Bulgarian dance style is probably Thracian style. At first it appears  relatively easy style to learn, but it takes a great deal of practice to really dance the dances from this region with the smoothly flowing, graceful movements evident when watching both men and women who have been born in this area, and it is a style that is easily lost. Dance with relaxed knees, that’s the most important key to Thracian style. Steps are taken onto the whole foot, with the body weight centered over the feet. Hands are held in "W" hold or low hold or are used for smooth flowing arm movements.

In this region dances are based mainly on a 2/4 rhythm especially in Eastern Thrace. More common in Western Thrace ,especially in the area close to the Shop region ,are irregular rhythms such as 5/8, 7/16 and 9/16. The tropoli (tapping) step is found only in Eastern Thrace (Stara Zagora, Sliven, Yambol Districts) and is danced only by men. Women dance with a less flamboyant style than the men. Pair dances are more common in Trakija than other regions.

Dobruja Dances

First of all, to get the feeling of Dobrujan dancing ,stand with your feet apart and bend your knees as far as you  comfortably can with your feet flat on the floor, push your ribs forward while keeping your back straight and stay there throughout the dance! Dobrujans dance with their knees always bent and their backs hollow. They all seem to be of short stature and solid.

With the dance a story is told- the life is hard for the Dobrujan farmer as he has to struggle with nature in order to survive, so his dancing, with strong downward movements, expresses his struggle with the land.

When a Dobrujan dances he uses his whole body. Hands are joined crossed in front, in belt hold, in "W" hold or placed with the back of hand on hips,the  palms open and facing outwards. They are also used for strong, firm, positive arm movements. Men and women dance together, though there are some dances for men or women only. Women's movements are simpler and lighter with slight shoulder twists.

Northern Dances

Another region that contributes to our colorful dances. The dances from the North of Bulgaria are mainly mixed, with similar styles for men and women. They are danced with an upright body carriage, with weight over the balls of the feet which allows the dancer to perform fast footwork with high knee lifts and various crossing steps similar to those found in dances from southern Romania. The impetus is upwards, hops are further off the ground than in the Shop region and knee lifts are less sharp.

There are some typical positions of course. In this region a variety of hand "positions" and movements are common. These include hands joined in low hold and swung backwards and forwards, joined in "W" hold in which case the arms "jig" up and down in time with the music making small circular movements, joined crossed behind backs  or placed on hips, thumbs back.

Bulgarian National Dances

Bulgaria is famous with its national dances. We have a huge variety of folk dance styles. Our country is very popular among international folk dancers. Even though the moves are important and sometimes difficult , in Bulgaria the main thing is the passion. When we dance you can see our feelings, our fire, our passion.

Our dances range from the simple village dance with one basic pattern that repeats to highly complex choreographies. Most of the dances that we enjoy in our country fall in between these two extremes. They are usually slightly more complex arrangements of traditional village dances, possibly combining several figures from adjoining villages or else including several of the more interesting variations performed by the village "extroverts". We usually dance a fixed number of variations in an agreed order which have been "put together". Most Bulgarians are able to join  dances, such as" pravo horo" or improvised " ruchenitsas"|. Everyone in our country knows at least the basics of these dances. We perform them together at social gatherings such as weddings. We don’t just watch the best dancers for fun, we have fun while dancing, everyone as much as he can.

Bulgarian folk dances are normally line dances, with hands joined either in low "V" hold, belt hold, crossed in front or "W" hold. Footwork can vary from fast intricate steps to slow sustained cat-like movements.

In the different regions in our country we dance different dances. We all know them but we also know which part of Bulgaria they’re typical for. We enjoy watching the dances we cannot perform and then performing for the enjoyment of others. There are five different regions where our national dances are concerned. One of the most interesting ways of identifying the regional style differences is to look at the way that the basic Pravo Horo is danced in each region. In Trakija it is danced in a smooth flowing, graceful style. In the Shop Region it is jerky with small hopped steps and lifted knees. The Dobrudjan Pravo is called Opas and is danced in a solid "earthy" style with knees always bent. The Severnjaško Pravo, called Dunavsko or Svishtovsko, is more springy, with an upward feeling, and the arms swing or "jig" in time with the feet. Pravo Rhodopsko is a simple dance with a solemn feeling, and small, restrained steps. The Pirin "Pravo" is usually in 7/8 and is what we know as Makedonsko, or Lesnoto. The 7/8 count is long, short, short, and begins with a lift on the first beat. Steps are onto the balls of the feet. Men lift their knees high while the women's feet barely leave the floor. When women only are dancing the leader of the line often performs a variation by moving back along the line of dance and dancing in a pair with the following woman.