Folk Dance

Folk Dance, recreational or ceremonial dance performed usually by members of the community
to which the dance is traditional. Varying criteria have been used to differentiate folk dance from other
kinds of dance: For example, the dancers are said to belong to a certain economic level or come from
certain locales; the steps are simple and repeated, so that any member of the community can participate;
the dances require no audience; and they are passed down through many generations. Each of these
criteria can be contradicted by dances that are indisputably folk dances, and in each of these criteria, folk
dance overlaps with other kinds of dance.

Folk dance is sometimes defined as dance performed by agricultural peoples who live in close-
knit communities–a definition that reflects the division of preindustrial Europe into a peasant class and an
aristocracy. People in modern industrialized cities, however, participate regularly in what are called folk
dances, which were brought to the city by immigrants from rural areas or, sometimes, from other nations.
Although the dances of rural Europe are called folk dances, in Africa–which has no peasant-aristocracy
division comparable to that of 18th-century Europe–rural dances that in function and complexity are
comparable to European folk dances are instead often called tribal dances; confusingly and inconsistently,
African traditional stories are often called folktales.

Folk dance is usually viewed as being strictly for the pleasure of the participants, as not requiring
an audience, and, despite the dancers' enjoyment, as often being of little interest to spectators. If
participant pleasure is the only criterion, folk dance overlaps somewhat with much tribal dance and with
modern social dance, for example, the waltz and the twist. Paradoxically, some traditional ritual and
ceremonial dances, such as the English morris dance and the Romanian calusari, have for generations
attracted local informal audiences. On the other hand, when a traditional recreational dance is performed
onstage in a formal concert, its origin, steps, and patterns may be those of folk dance, but it has been
removed from the context of folk culture.

Folk dances are usually thought to be simple dances composed of repetitive, easy-to-learn steps.
Many folk dances, however, are highly complex and may even be performed as solo virtuosic pieces, an
example being the Highland fling of Scotland. Although folk dancing may be considered a
nonprofessional activity, some people make their living by performing staged adaptations of folk dances.

Folk dances are defined as being passed from generation to generation, with no known
choreographer. Folk dances continue to be invented, however, and in many cases the composer of the
dance is known; most Israeli folk dances, for example, were created in the 20th century. At the same time,
the choreographers of popular social dances (such as the jitterbug) are usually anonymous; but because
these dances remain popular only for a brief time and do not gradually become part of tradition, they are
generally not considered folk dances. The many forms of folk, popular, court, and theatrical dance,
however, may be closely related. The waltz, for example, originated in Alpine folk dances, was popular
for more than a century as an urban social dance, and persisted in folk tradition after its popularity had
otherwise lapsed.

Although folk dances may have, or may once have had, ritual purposes linked to the agricultural
year or the stages of a person's life, such dances today are usually performed for secular purposes such as
recreation, courtship, self-expression, and competition. Of these, recreation is perhaps the major function.
Folk dances sometimes develop around work activities. Rhythmical movement, as in the Japanese rice-
planting dances, can make the work more pleasant. Some recreational dances are also based on the
movements of certain tasks; an example is the Swedish renningen, a weaving dance.

Most folk dancing also functions to create or promote a sense of community. Even when other
nonrecreational functions have ceased to be viable (as when immigrants bring an agricultural dance to the
city), folk dance can continue to make dancers feel part of a national or regional group and help them
establish ties with their heritage.

The clothing worn by dancers may affect the nature of their movements. Japanese women, for example,
are restricted by the tightness of their kimonos. On the other hand, some elements of costume, such as full
skirts, handkerchiefs, and capes, can be manipulated by the dancers, as is done in the cueca, a couple
dance of Chile. The visual appeal of a dance may be enhanced by brightly colored national costumes.
Dress styles today have become fairly uniform worldwide, and people wear their everyday clothes when
they dance, or for special occasions, perhaps don fancier versions of the same styles. Revived forms of
folk dance, however, may be executed in traditional clothes, emphasizing the national origin of the dance;
some dances, therefore, are recognized almost as much by their costumes as by their movements.

During the last few centuries many trends have affected folk dancing. As the spread of
industrialization brought rural people into the growing cities, dances related to agricultural activities or to
communal rituals gradually lost their meaning. In the changing circumstances of urban life, new dances
evolved. Colonization also affected dances–frequently, indigenous forms fused with dances of the
colonial powers. In the Philippines, for example, new dances developed when dancers of traditional
native forms were influenced by Spanish and Islamic dance forms and styles.

Throughout history dances have been transmitted from one country to another. In the 20th century, with
the tremendous expansion of travel and mass media, this process has accelerated. Some areas of the
world, North America in particular, are populated by immigrant groups, who brought their dances with
them. Although some dances are usually lost, others are preserved. New forms result when dances
transplanted from one country combine with those brought from another. Square dancing, for example,
evolved from the dances of several immigrant groups. Tap dancing, too, probably developed from a
combination of national dances–the clog and solo jig dances of the British Isles (see Jig), together with
styles and movements from West African dancing. The last hundred years have also been characterized
by the revival of folk dances, both in their native countries and in their new homes in foreign countries;
national pride and group identity continued to be asserted and displayed in folk dance.