Dancing with Dogs

“The dog is the perfect portrait subject. He doesn’t pose. He isn’t aware of the camera.” 

– Patrick Demarchelier

The pandemic has been going on for over two years. Dancing in the living room gets old after a while.  The floor and the space are not always ideal.  Children and pets can be a distraction. 

Tuesday Night Revival  from Boston posts videos from their Zoom sessions. (When I first heard the name I thought it was a religious meeting.) The reason for the name has to do with Tuesday night sessions that were held at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) until the 1990's, when they switched over to Saturdays.  They focus primarily on dances from the Balkans.

When dancers could no longer meet in person, they, along with many other groups, used the Zoom platform. Tuesday Night Revival  currently does a hybrid program (in-person dance as well as on Zoom).  What is great about the hybrid programs is that dancers who live at a distance can join them from their living room.

This video got my attention because the dogs stole the show. At 1:34 two dogs get up from the couch and demand attention.  It's amazing how the dancers concentrate with the canine distraction (It's actually quite cute). The dance is Vlashko, from Bulgaria.

The link to the video on YouTube is below. I didn't embed it because it is copyrighted.

https://youtu.be/Vy3cJ7UypRY

 If you enjoyed this, you may also like:  

The Dancing Hat

Critters in Balkan Folk Music

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

Flowers in Bulgarian Folk Music

“No rose without a thorn.” – French Proverb

Happy spring! Today's post is about flowers in Bulgarian folk music. The rose is the national flower of Bulgaria.  There is a big festival every year in early June in Kazlanuk, Bulgaria.  Here is some old video from 2010 to give you an idea what the Rose Festival is about (horo dancing is a big part of it!)

Video #1 is Biala Roza (White Rose), a song warning a young man to watch out for those thorns! The dance to this is Devetorka (9/16).

 

 

Video #2 is Karamfil (Carnation) It is a Hajduk (rebel) song.  The Hajduk (named "Karamfil") is a son of the Balkan Mountains and grew up in the Valley of the Roses. Karamfil is also a very popular dance.  Rhythm is 7/8. 

  

Video #3 is May Flowers by Diko Iliev. His specialty was horo (dance) music for wind instruments. He is much honored in Bulgaria, especially in the town of Oriahovo, where he spent his happiest and most productive years.  His favorite season must have been springtime, because he wrote two other pieces with seasonal titles: Maisko Utro (May Morning) and Proletno (Springtime) Horo.

There are no dancers in this video.  To me this sounds like a fast Pravo in 2/4.   The band itself is worth watching.

If you enjoyed this you may also like: 

 Dreaming of Spring in the Middle of Winter (a variation on today's theme) 

 Having a Blast with Diko Iliev

 

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