A Family Resemblance: Theme and Variations....

Have you ever been to a family gathering and noticed how all those relatives look and sound alike? That's what happens when a bunch of people share similar DNA. They are all branches of the same tree.

Some interesting things happen when there are dances in the same "family." It's called a family resemblance. Here are several examples, from the Balkans, of dances that resemble each other.

One of my favorites, Graovsko Horo, a dance from Bulgaria, is almost an identical twin to Kystendilska Rachenitsa. Here's the Graovsko (in 2/4:)



Speed it up, change the tempo and the music and you have Kyustendilska Rachenitsa (in 7/16.)



To add even more to the confusion, this is Kyustendilsko Horo, which looks and sounds similar to the first dance, Graovsko. See a pattern here?



Here are two dances from Macedonia which are very similar in music and choreography. The first is Tropnalo Oro.



The second is Sadilo Mome. They both have that Macedonian slide and the hop-step-step.



For more on dances in the same "family" read my post on Pajduško:

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2010/09/travels-of-pajdusko-horo.html

You can also try The Flavors of Bulgarian Rachenitsa for a tasty look at a traditional Bulgarian dance.

http://katleyplanetbg.blogspot.com/2010/07/flavors-of-bulgarian-rachenitsa.html


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