On Female Dance Leaders and Long Skirts

Long skirts are annoying; they get in the way.
Natalie Dormer

Folk dancing is a follow the leader thing. But if you can't see the feet, how do follow?   There is something about a long, flowing skirt that some people like; however, if a female with a long skirt leads a dance, it's hard to see her feet.

Today's post features leading ladies wearing skirts. The dances are easy ones from Serbia, and most people can pick them up by watching. What do you do if you're totally new to folk dancing? Or if you've been dancing a while and are not familiar with the dance?   Sometimes the best thing to do is follow behind and find someone wearing pants who knows what he or she is doing.

Video #1 is Raca, a Vlach dance from Serbia.  It's an easy dance that's easy to screw up if you don't pay attention, especially when it speeds up. It tends to go awry when people try to have a conversation while doing it. (Hint, the faster the music, the smaller the steps).

Notice how the lady third in line had to bend over to see what the leader was doing.



Video #2 is the dance Srbijanka. Leader and the woman behind her both wear long skirts. You have two choices: follow the third person in line or follow the man at the end. (He knows what he's doing, but that isn't always the case).

By the way, I never wear skirts at dances.  It's too cold in my area for most of the year, and in summer I prefer capri pants. I also wear colorful shoes, so when I lead, it's easier for people to see my feet.



If you enjoyed this you may also like:

Fun and Easy Folk Dances From Serbia

Stamp it Out: Vlach Dances From Serbia



This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.