What is a folk dance?
A folk dance is a dance of a community. Nobody wrote it for a stage. Families and villages taught it by showing, from grandparents to children. The steps are simple, so everyone can join. Folk dances are linked to work, seasons, festivals, weddings and prayers.
Four things to notice in any folk dance: the beat (drum or clap), the steps, the floor pattern (circle, lines, pairs) and the costume.
Japanese folk dances
Japanese folk dance is called min'yo (folk song and dance).
- Bon odori: danced in summer in a circle around a drum tower (yagura). Dancers wear light cotton kimono (yukata) and move in a slow circle with simple steps and hand claps. It welcomes the spirits of ancestors.
- Soran bushi: a dance from the fishing life of northern Japan. The moves copy pulling a net and lifting the catch. The dance is powerful, with big arm moves and shouts.
- Awa odori: a lively street dance with a two-beat rhythm and a famous "fool's dance" cheer.
In school, we learn the steps, the hand moves and the meaning, and we practise in a circle in time with the music.
Folk dances of the world
Every region has its own folk dances. They differ in rhythm and costume, but the patterns repeat:
- Circle dances: dancers hold hands and move around, for example hora-type dances of south-east Europe and the Middle East.
- Line dances: two lines face each other and move forward and back.
- Partner dances and mixers: pairs dance and then change partners. School "mixers" like Oklahoma mixer and jenka are popular in PE class.
- Stick dances: partners hit sticks on the beat, for example dandiya raas of Gujarat in India, danced at Navratri, along with the circular garba.
- Work and harvest dances: for example bhangra from Punjab, danced for harvest.
Respect the culture. Learn what the dance means before you perform it.
Moving with others
- Listen to the beat and keep time together.
- Look at your neighbours and keep an even gap in the circle.
- Be gentle with hands and sticks.
- If you forget the step, keep moving and watch your partner.
- Smile. Folk dance is for joy.
Try it
In the 3D, press Step and clap and count aloud: 1, 2, 3, clap. Then do it in a line with friends or family in a safe space. Next, try a pattern change: stand in a circle, then split into two lines facing each other. How many beats did you need to change? Fewer is better!
Key formulas and definitions
- Folk dance = dance of ordinary people, passed on by showing
- Four things: beat, steps, floor pattern, costume
- Floor patterns: circle, two lines, pairs, two circles
- Japanese: bon odori (ancestors, summer), soran bushi (net pulling)
- Mixer = change partners; dandiya = stick dance with a partner
Worked examples
1. A bon odori step pattern is "step, step, step, clap" (4 beats). How many beats in 8 patterns?
8 x 4 = 32 beats.
2. Eight dancers stand in a circle. How many pairs can they make for a partner dance?
8 / 2 = 4 pairs.
3. Why do soran bushi dancers pull and lift with their arms?
The moves copy the work of pulling in a fishing net. The dance tells the story of the fishermen's life.
4. In a dandiya mixer, the outer circle shifts by one place. Eight dancers: how many new partner pairs are made?
4 pairs (each of the 4 outer dancers now faces a new inner partner).
Common mistakes
- Dancing without listening to the beat. The beat keeps the whole group together.
- Treating folk dance as a mere show. Learn why the dance exists.
- Forgetting to keep an even gap in a circle, so the circle becomes uneven.
- Swinging sticks wildly in dandiya. Hit only on the beat.