Troika is a Russian

performance dance Concert dance (also known as performance dance or theatre dance in the United Kingdom) is dance performed for an audience. It is frequently performed in a theatre setting, though this is not a requirement, and it is usually choreographed and p ...

based on

Russian folk dance Russian folk dance (russian: Русский народный танец) is an important part of Russian culture. Some of the unique characteristics suggest that many elements were developed by the early Russian population. History Many Russian ...

s. The Russian word ''

troika Troika or troyka (from Russian тройка, meaning 'a set of three') may refer to: Cultural tradition * Troika (driving), a traditional Russian harness driving combination, a cultural icon of Russia * Troika (dance), a Russian folk dance Pol ...

'' means three-horse team/gear, and the dancers imitate the prancing of horses pulling a sled or a carriage. The first version was created by choreographer

Nadezhda Nadezhdina Nadezhda Sergeevna Nadezhdina (Russian: Надежда Надеждина) (1904/8–1979) was a Russian choreographer, ballerina, and former director of the Russian female dance troupe Beroyzka ("little birch") from its inception in 1948 unti ...

for her folklore dance troupe Beroyzka in 1948. Since then this dance is included into repertoires of virtually all Russian ethnographic dance ensembles. Initially it was a dance or a man and two women, but later choreographies with other combinations were created, such as one woman and two men or three women.

Other cultures

Similar folk dances are known among other

Slavic peoples Slavs are the largest European ethnolinguistic group. They speak the various Slavic languages, belonging to the larger Balto-Slavic language, Balto-Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout ...

, e.g., the Polish

Trojak Trojak ("threesome", "trio", in Polish) is a Silesia Silesia (, also , ) is a historical region of Central Europe that lies mostly within Poland, with small parts in the Czech Republic and Germany. Its area is approximately , and the popula ...

. A

Cajun dance The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana. While Cajuns are usually described as t ...

of the same name, Troika, exists, similar to the Russian dance. It has been suggested that the

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the U.S. state of Louisiana. While Cajuns are usually described as ...

version of the dance originated at the times when

Cossack The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

s of the Russian tsar army were stationed in Paris. There was a German

contra dance Contra dance (also contradance, contra-dance and other variant spellings) is a form of folk dancing made up of long lines of couples. It has mixed origins from English country dance, Scottish country dance, and French dance styles in the 17th c ...

''triolet'' recorded in 1829 for groups of one man and two women.Контрдансы ХІХв./Контрдансы ХІХв. : Triolet
modern reconstruction based on the book, Eduard Helmke, ''Neue Tanz- und Bildungsschule'', 1829

References

External links

Our Russian Folk Dance
from the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (formally known as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, and commonly referred to as the Kennedy Center) is the United States National Cultural Center, located on the Potom ...

's ArtsEdge program. Dance in Russia Cajun dance Russian folk dances {{Dance-stub

Other cultures

See also

References

External links