Kolo ( sr-Cyrl, Коло) is a
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
List of Intagible Cultural Heritage inscribed
South Slavic circle dance
Circle dance, or chain dance, is a style of social dance done in a circle, semicircle or a curved line to musical accompaniment, such as rhythm instruments and singing, and is a type of dance where anyone can join in without the need of par ...
, found under this name in
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and ...
,
Croatia
, image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg
, anthem = " Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, capi ...
and
Serbia
Serbia (, ; Serbian: , , ), officially the Republic of Serbia ( Serbian: , , ), is a landlocked country in Southeastern and Central Europe, situated at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin and the Balkans. It shares land borders with Hu ...
.
History
According to Wilkes (1995), the kolo has an
Illyrian origin as the dance seems to resemble dances depicted on funeral monuments of the
Roman era
In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...
.
Description
The circle dance is usually performed amongst groups of at least three people and up to several dozen people.
Dancers hold each other's hands or each other's waists. They form a circle, a single chain or multiple parallel lines.
Kolo requires almost no movement above the waist. The basic steps are easy to learn. Experienced dancers demonstrate virtuosity by adding different ornamental elements, such as
syncopated
In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "plac ...
steps. Each region has at least one unique kolo.
It is difficult to master the dance and even most experienced dancers cannot master all of them.
Kolo is performed at
weddings
A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage v ...
, social, cultural, and religious ceremonies.
["kolo"](_blank)
(2009). ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved March 26, 2009. Some dances require both men and women to dance together, others require only the men or only the women.
Music
The music is generally fast-paced.
The dance was used by
Antonín Dvořák
Antonín Leopold Dvořák ( ; ; 8 September 1841 – 1 May 1904) was a Czech composer. Dvořák frequently employed rhythms and other aspects of the folk music of Moravia and his native Bohemia, following the Romantic-era nationalist example ...
in his ''
Slavonic Dances
The ''Slavonic Dances'' ( cs, Slovanské tance) are a series of 16 orchestral pieces composed by Antonín Dvořák in 1878 and 1886 and published in two sets as Op. 46 and Op. 72 respectively. Originally written for piano four hands, t ...
'' – the Serbian kolo is the seventh dance from opus 72.
Traditional dance costume
Traditional dance costumes vary from region to region. Bordering regions are mostly more similar to each other.
Various kolos are performed at social ceremonies. Often traditional clothing, which is unique to a region, is worn. The most common kolo is the ''narodno kolo'' or ''drmeš''; a standard step followed by accordion music.
Other South Slavic circle dances
Elsewhere in South Slavic countries, there is
horo ( bg, хоро) in
Bulgaria
Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...
and
oro ( mk, оро) in
North Macedonia
North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...
and
Montenegro
)
, image_map = Europe-Montenegro.svg
, map_caption =
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, capital = Podgorica
, coordinates =
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, official_languages = ...
.
See also
*
Armenian dance
The Armenian dance ( Armenian: Հայկական պար) heritage has been considered the oldest and most varied in its respective region. From the fifth to the third millennia B.C., in the higher regions of Armenia, the land of Ararat, there a ...
*
Assyrian folk dance
Assyrian folk dances are sets of dances that are performed throughout the world by Assyrians, mostly on occasions such as weddings, community parties and other jubilant events.
Assyrian folk dances are mainly made up of circle dances like ball ...
*
Circle dance
Circle dance, or chain dance, is a style of social dance done in a circle, semicircle or a curved line to musical accompaniment, such as rhythm instruments and singing, and is a type of dance where anyone can join in without the need of par ...
*
Croatian dances
*
Dabke
''Dabke'' ( ar, دبكة also spelled ''dabka'', ''dubki'', ''dabkeh'', plural ''dabkaat'') is a Levantine Arab folk dance. Dabke combines circle dance and line dancing and is widely performed at weddings and other joyous occasions. The line f ...
*
Faroese dance
The Faroese chain dance ( fo, Føroyskur dansur, da, Kædedans) is the national circle dance of the Faroe Islands, accompanied by kvæði, the Faroese ballads.
The dance is a typical mediaeval ring dance. The dance is danced traditionally in a ...
*
Greek dances
Greek dance (''choros'') is a very old tradition, being referred to by authors such as Plato, Aristotle, Plutarch and Lucian. There are different styles and interpretations from all of the islands and surrounding mainland areas. Each region forme ...
*
Khorovod
The khorovod or horovod ( rus, хорово́д, p=xərɐˈvot, uk, хоровод, translit=khorovod or uk, коло, translit=kolo, label=none, be, карагод , bg, хоро, pl, korowód) is an East Slavic and pagan art form and on ...
, an Eastern European circle dance
*
Kurdish dance
Kurdish dances ( ku, Govend, Dîlan, Helperkê, Helperge, Şayî, script=Latn; , , , , ) are a group of traditional dances among Kurds. It is a form of a circle dance, with a single or a couple of figure dancers often added to the geometrical cent ...
*
Serbian dances
*
Turkish dance
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and ...
References
External links
Music and video of the basic KoloKolo, traditional folk danceon the
Unesco
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
channel
{{List of intangible cultural heritage of Serbia
Bosnian dances
Croatian folk dances
Serbian folk dances
European folk dances
Dance forms in classical music
Circle dances