Balkan Dances That Are Often Confused: Part 19: Dunavsko Horo and Dunavsko Daichovo Horo

If I look confused, it is because I am thinking.
Samuel Goldwyn

Let's start 2020 with one of my favorite topics: Balkan dances that are often confused. It is the series that never ends. If you are a regular, you had probably read the previous 18 posts on this fascinating topic.

Video #1 features a group from the Czech republic, from the city of Brno. Despite the "soubor Pirin" in the title of the video, this is not music from southwest Bulgaria (Pirin region) but from the northwest region. Are you confused yet?

They perform a medley of two dances: the first a Vlach dance (known as Krajdunavsko, or from the Danube region).  Vlach dances are characterized with a lot of fast steps, crossovers and stamps. At 2:04 is the Dunavsko Daichovo Horo.  Daichovo is also a dance popular in northern Bulgaria and there are several variations, with different choreographies and different music.



The original version of Dunavsko Daichovo was composed by someone in the group Orchestra Horo. They are from the city of Ruse, and their specialty is modern renditions of folk songs and dances from the northern region of Bulgaria. The ensemble celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2012. I'm sure they will make it to their 60th in 2022.

The album cover below is probably from one of their original albums. Remember when there were records instead of digitized music?



Things get to be even more confusing because there is a very famous piece by Diko Iliev, that he composed and introduced in 1937: Dunavsko Horo.

This piece has a martial motif because Diko Iliev was involved with military bands in a number of towns and cities in Bulgaria. Diko Iliev had also fought in the First Balkan War as well as World War I. He was also the bandmaster in the town of Oryahovo, where he composed numerous works.

Video # 3 combines an old war movie with Dunavsko Horo.  The explosions seem to be in time with the music.  The music begins at 0:19. The New Year fireworks in Bulgaria are also in synch with the music. (If you want to see those, check out the 2020 New Year Post).



There are different tunes used for Dunavsko Horo . The choreography is essentially the same no matter what music is used because you can hear the dance in the music.  Here is an example of a more traditional version with dancers in folk costumes.  The group is Ensemble Gotse Delchev.



If you enjoyed this you may also like:

Balkan Dances That Are Often Confused, Part 18 (links to rest of the series)

The 2020 New Year Post (fireworks)

Same Dance, Different Music: Dunavsko Horo

Orchestra Horo: Modern Bulgarian Folk Songs, Traditional Rhythms


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Balkan Dances That Are Often Confused, Part 17: Opinca and Opincuta

It's sensational to be part of a series that takes on a life of its own.
Robert Wagner

The series continues: who knew that the names of so many Balkan dances were so confusing?

Today's dances are similar when it comes to name (an additional syllable), the first from Romania (Bukovina), the second from Moldova. Moldova is a separate country, although they speak the Romanian language.  Their folk music is very similar to Romanian.  To confuse matters even more, there is a region named Moldavia (Moldova) in Romania.

Opinca is a dance very popular in my Sunday night group. The name is derived from the Romanian word for peasant sandals, now used as dance shoes.  They are made of leather and tied to the feet with leather strips. Nobody in the video is wearing them.



Opincuta is a totally different dance. If you click on the link you can find the dance notes as well as the lyrics, so you can sing along.

The leader is Roy Butler.  He has many videos on YouTube.  He is really into folk dancing, especially Romanian dances.



If you enjoyed this you will also like:

Balkan Dances That Are Often Confused: Part 16.  This post links to the others in the series. You can spend a good part of a day reading them and still be confused.


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Balkan Dances that are Often Confused: Part 15

Before I came here, I was confused about this subject. Having listened to your lecture, I am still confused -- but on a higher level.
Enrico Fermi

Folk dancers are often in a state of confusion because there are so many dances with similar names.

This post is a part of the longest continuous series on The Alien Diaries.  There are 14 other posts on this subject (see links at end).

Today's dances are Maleshevsko Horo and Maričensko (the full name is Maričensko Pravo Horo, but no one ever writes that on request lists.)

Video #1 shows the dance club Chanove from the city of Ruse performing Maleshevsko.  Although this is a very macho piece of music, there are women as well as men in the line, so this is an equal opportunity dance.

Maleshevsko is from the southwest Bulgarian region of Pirin.



Maleshevsko can be danced to more than one tune; here is another example done to the folk song Ay da idem Jano; click on the link and you can sing along, provided you can read Bulgarian. This is a slightly different choreography by the group акцент (Accent).



Video #3 is Maričensko Pravo Horo. It's a moderately fast Pravo from the Shope region.

Pravo is one of the most popular dances in Bulgaria; it has many variations, from slow to hold on to your neighbor's belt fast.



Video #3 was the only example of Maricensko I could find with dancing, but here's another version  that's worth a listen, played by a very talented guitarist, Ewan Dobson. You can dance to this one too.



If you enjoyed this you may also like the rest of the Balkan Dances that are Often Confused Series.  You can link to all posts by going backwards from this one:

Balkan Dances that are Often Confused, Part 14

Pravo Horo variations from different regions of Bulgaria:
Dancing Across Bulgaria, the Pravo and Regional Folk Dance Styles


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Balkan Dances That Are Often Confused, Part 13: Sandansko Horo and Strandzhanko Horo

If confusion is the first step to knowledge, I must be a genius.
Larry Leissner

At dance, there are many well-educated people. For some reason many folk dancers are into math and science. I don't know how many of them are geniuses, but if genius thrives in an atmosphere of confusion, I am in good company.

The never ending series on sound-alike dance confusion continues.

Video #1 is Sandansko Horo, named after the town of Sandanski, located in the Pirin region of Bulgaria.  This dance has a compound rhythm structure of 9/16 and 13/16.

If you listen to the music carefully, you will hear the kaval (open ended-flute) and the tambura (lute-like instrument popular in southwestern Bulgaria).

Remember last week's post with female dance leaders and skirts? The leader wears a skirt, but it's short enough for the other dancers to see her feet. I'm glad short skirt lady is leading and and not the woman third in line 😊.



Video #2 is Strandzhankso Horo from southern Bulgaria. The rhythm of this dance sounds like it's in 9/8, almost like a slow daichovo.  From what I've seen on YouTube, this dance is not performed outside Bulgaria. There are many amateur dance groups that perform in competitions all over Bulgaria and the video below is an example.

Strandzha is the region best known for Nestinari (fire dancers). They dance on coals on the feast day of Saints Constantine and Helen which falls on May 21st.



If you enjoyed this you may also like:

Balkan Dances That Are Often Confused (there are many!) Just follow the link in Part 12 which goes to the rest of the series.

On Female Dance Leaders and Long Skirts

The Balkan Buy One Get One Free Special: Dances in Compound Rhythms


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Balkan Dances That Are Often Confused, Part 11: Kulsko Horo and Kulskoto

May the forces of evil be confused on the way to your house.
George Carlin

We know that dancing keeps evil forces away, and that confusion helps.  George Carlin was definitely on to something.  After you finish reading and dancing to this week's post check out some some of his comedy routines. (WARNING: do not listen to Carlin when there are small children around!)

Kulskoto is the dance also known as Arap.  There are a number of tunes for Arap, the best known is Zaiko Kokoraiko from Macedonia. Neveno Mome, a Bulgarian song, is also used, as well as Katerino Mome by Tatiana Sarbinska.  And then there's Kulskoto, a song and a dance without words.

Arap and its variations are popular in southwestern Bulgaria, Macedonia, and northern Greece.



Video #2 is Kulsko Horo, a dance from the Severnjashko (northwestern) region of Bulgaria. It is not to be confused with Kulskoto!

The Vlach people are a sizable minority in this part of Bulgaria, and their dances are known by their stampiness.  Kulsko Horo is from the town of Kula in the Vidin area.  Kula means "tower" and the tower is a leftover from a Roman fortress.  The Romans left structures all over Bulgaria which used to be a part of the Roman Empire.

The Vlachs were decendents of Romans who lived in the Balkans, and they settled all over the place, including Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece.

The version shown here is the one taught by Yves Moreau.



Video #3,  Kulsko Horo Version #2, is a dance from the same region, but with different choreography and different music.  Are you confused yet?



If you enjoyed this you may also like:

Three Variations of the Bulgarian/Macedonian Folk Dance: Arap

Vlach Dances from Bulgaria and Serbia

Balkan Dances That Are Often Confused (link leads to entire series, going backwards, starting with Part 10.)


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Balkan Dances That Are Often Confused, Part Nine : Sirba Din Cimpoi and Cimpoi

Men are like bagpipes. No sound comes from them until they're full.
Irish proverb

Bagpipes are popular all over Europe: Ireland, Scotland, and the Balkans. This week's post is part of the continuing (and possibly never ending) series: Balkan Dances That Are Often Confused.

Video #1 is Sirba din Cimpoi. Sirba is a very popular Romanian dance usually punctuated with shouts and stamps. Cimpoi is a bagpipe. Bagpipes and Sirba go very well together, especially when the bagpipes are well inflated with hot air :)

Although bagpipes are often associated with Bulgaria and Macedonia, where the instrument is called gaida; they are part of the folk music of Romania as well.

The choreography is by Mihai David (seen here in the video) and the one most popular with recreational folk dancers.



Video #2 is another variation of Sirba din Cimpoi.  The group is Tingluti from Copenhagen, Denmark. The in and out step with the arm swinging reminds me of a dance very popular in Bulgaria: Dunavsko Horo.



Video #3 is Cimpoi, a fast and furious dance played on (guess what?) a bagpipe.  The rhythm is 6/8.

I have noticed when the Dunav group posts a video, the number of people dancing indicates the difficulty. They are from Jerusalem in Israel and have an excellent web site, with downloadable music and video, as well as song lyrics, dance notes, and sheet music.

Yehuda and Mika, the dance experts, demonstrate Cimpoi.  



If you enjoyed this you may also like:

Another Country Heard From: The Bagpipe in Romanian Folk Music

The "Flavors" of Romanian Sirba

The series: Balkan Dances that are Often Confused:  this link leads to part eight, which in turn goes back to seven, six, five, four....it just doesn't go to liftoff!


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Balkan Dances that are Often Confused Part Eight: Opsa and Opas

I never want to confuse people or go over their heads.
Wiz Khalifa

Today's post features two dances with names that are easily confused. It is part of a series that ran away with itself.

Opsa is a dance very popular in the Serbian community in the United States.  It probably came into existence during a party when a bunch of people got tanked on slivovitz.  It is an easy dance, fun, and you even get to shout opsa! numerous times.

Despite the U.S. origin, the lyrics are in Serbian, and one part sounds like the words "whatever doesn't kill you opsa skochi" (listen at 0.08).

The lady in the middle is Sasha, who used to teach dance at the 92nd Street Y in New York City many years ago.  She also led workshops in upstate New York, on the grounds of a Workmens' Circle summer camp.  It was tricky dancing around those poles.



Video #2 is the Bulgarian dance Opas, the Dobrudjan version of Pravo Horo.  There are many versions of this dance; this variation is the most popular in the folk dance community.  At dance recently the programmer mistakenly played this tune instead of Opsa. He had everyone confused except me.



Video #3 is a different version of Opas performed by Zagortski dance group from Bulgaria.



If you enjoyed this you may also like the Balkan Dances that are Often Confused series (this post links to all of them).

Two Variations on a Bulgarian Folk Dance: Opas


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Balkan Dances That Are Often Confused, Part Seven: Balta and Ca La Balta

“Knowledge is the name professors give to the confusion they create.”
― Marty Rubin

Today's post will give you even more knowledge about the confusion of names in Balkan dance with two dances from Romania.

Video #1 is the dance Balta, which fits a lot of steps in less than two minutes. The music reminds me of Calusari, another Romanian dance.

"Balta" is the Romanian word for marsh or swamp. It is also the name of a commune in Romania.

The performance in the video is smooth and seemingly effortless. It is a pleasure to watch this man dance.



Video #2 is Ca la Balta.  This is a modern version played on a saxophone. Click here if you want to hear the traditional version on panpipe and cimbalom. The name translates to "as in Balta."



If you enjoyed this you may also like the rest of the series Balkan Dances That Are Often Confused.
The link goes to Part Six, you can access the other posts from there.

Crossing the River, Part Two: The Stick Dancers - Romanian Calusari and Their Bulgarian Counterparts


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Balkan Dances that Are Often Confused Part Five: Djurdjevka and Djurdevica

Don't be afraid to be confused. Try to remain permanently confused. Anything is possible. Stay open, forever, so open it hurts, and then open up some more, until the day you die, world without end, amen.
George Saunders

Today's post features two Serbian folk dances that have similar sounding names and are easily confused. This seems to be a very common thing in Balkan dance. We mix up the names, we mix up the steps.....

Video #1 is of Djurdjevka from the region of Sumadija.  The Dunav group from Jerusalem in Israel has a website with videos, lyrics and notes. It is one of the best resources for Balkan dance on the Internet.

There are subtitles for the lyrics so you can sing along :)



It is also dance #3 in the Serbian Medley (see below): at 3:08, The dances in this medley are, in order: Poskok, Ti Momo, Djurdevka, Igrale Se Delije, and Cacak.



Video #3 is of Djurdjevica, a totally different dance, and a little faster than the previous one. It's the perfect party dance.  The IFDO (International Folk Dancers of Ottawa) is the group featured here, at their Christmas party in 2010.

The steps go perfectly with the music.  One of them reminds me of a stalking cat.



If you enjoyed this you may also like the previous posts about Balkan dances that are often confused.

Part One: Cacak and Cocek
Part Two: Lesnoto and Lesnoto Oro
Part Three: Vrapceto and Kopcheto
Part Four: Bavno and Ravno

If you have an interest in names that are confusing, check out some drug names on the Web. Medication errors can sometimes be fatal.

List of Confused Drug Names

It's even worse when you give similar sounding names to your kids and pets.

Don't Give Your Kids and Your Pets Similar Sounding Names


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Balkan Dances that are Often Confused (Part Three)

Chaos is a name for any order that produces confusion in our minds.
George Santayana

Sometimes the subconscious plays some very strange tricks on the mind. I was at dance last Sunday and had requested Kopcheto when the dance I had in mind was Vrapcheto. The names sound alike enough to be confusing. They are totally different dances, one slow and easy, the other difficult and fast.

Video #1 is Vrapcheto,  from northern Bulgaria.  You can sing along to it, if you like. The song is about the Russians coming to Kotel.



Kopcheto was the dance I had written on the request list. It is a rather challenging and high energy dance, also from Bulgaria, that's similar to Gjusevska Rachenitsa. I don't think anyone else was prepared to lead it and certainly not I. The men in the video make it look easy.

I couldn't find any dance notes for this in English, which leads me to believe it is much more popular in Bulgaria than it is in the United States or Canada.



If you enjoyed this you may also like:

Balkan Dances that are Often Confused: Part One and Part Two

The "Flavors" of Bulgarian Rachenitsa


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