Video #1 is Daichovo Horo. It is a dance originally from northwestern Bulgaria, and the musical accompaniment to this is usually a brass band or an accordion.
The style is pure northern Bulgarian, with arm swinging, bounciness, and crossovers (typical of Vlach dances). The rhythm is in 9/16: quick-quick-quick-slow. The accent is on the first beat, although the fourth is the longest. This variation uses some of the Zizaj Nane steps, but none of the calls.
What makes this particular daichovo interesting is the music: It has a strong Macedonian accent. The most emphasized instrument is the tambura, more typical of southwestern (Pirin) region and Northern Macedonia. You can also hear gaida (in the introduction), kaval (at 1:20), and tambura (at 1:57). The tupan keeps the rhythm going, although it's hard to hear it in the background.
The group, Gergiovden, is from Barcelona, in Catalonia (an autonomous province in Spain). Bulgarian culture is alive and well in that part of the world.
Dzanguritsa is a dance from the Pirin region. It is also in 9/16 and the same rhythm as Devetorka, but a totally different choreography. Rhythm is quick-quick-quick-slow. You can hear the tambura in the background in this piece, too. It's not as strong as in the previous video.
Video # 3 is Svornato Horo from the Rhodope region in southern Bulgaria. The music is played on the kaba gaida. The dance begins with the devetorka step and there is an up and down arm movement at the end of each sequence.
Video #4 is a more basic version of Svornato, and it's the one we use at our dances. It's nice to have a dance room in which to practice, but I don't know how this lady can stand that awful shade of pink. It reminds me of Pepto Bismol.
If you enjoyed this you may also like:
Dancing in Sevens (the series)
Mandolins, Marimbas, and Bulgarian Folk Music
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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