Croatian dance traditionally refers to a category of folk-dances, the most common being thekolo.
Croatian dance varies by region, and can be found inAustria,Bosnia and Herzegovina,Croatia,Hungary,Romania,Serbia, andSlovenia. The traditionalkolo is acircle dance, a relatively simple dance common throughout otherSlavic countries in which dancers follow each other around the circle. Due to emigration, Croatian folk dance groups are prevalent throughout thediaspora, most notably theUnited States,Canada, Australia, andGermany.
Music is a very important part of Croatian folk dance. The most commonly used instruments are thetamburica,lijerica,jedinka,šargija,gusle,bagpipe, andaccordion. Today,kolo is danced atweddings,baptisms, holidays such asEaster, and ethnic festivals.
The circle dance is one of the oldest and most basic forms of Croatian folk dance. It can be seen as an expression of community, especially in village life. Throughout a large part of Croatia, right up untilWorld War II, thekolo was the center of village social life. Thekolo as a dance became a tool for social gathering, and was often the main venue for young women and men to get to know each other. With many dances, singing jocular verses during the performance served as a way to express feelings or tell a story. By singing, movement, and gestures, one could express what was proscribed in ordinary speech. Many young men and women used this as an excuse for courting and teasing one another. People may have performed akolo outdoors on special occasions such as harvests, weddings, and religious celebrations to honor a special saint. More recently, the dances have been performed at weddings, concerts, festivals or ethnic celebrations.
Other European dances became popular in certain parts of the country such as thepolka in the north and thefurlana inIstria, due to the respective German, Austrian, and Italian influences.
Folklore is an important part of Croatian cultural heritage, a hallmark of national identity.
The most important folklore festivals in Croatia:
At all these folklore festivals, participants wear peasant folk clothing from various parts of Croatia and show the folk wealth of the region they come from. At folklore festivals, folklore groups show costumes, jewelry, perform popular folk songs, town songs, klapa singing, and dance. Singing choirs, tamburitza and mandolin ensembles participate in these festivals. Numerous folk instruments can also be seen, such as mandolins, tamburitza, gusle, bagpipes (gajde), wind instruments such as flutes (žvegla, fajfa, dvojnice), cimbalom, accordion, clarinet (gunjci), bellows, šurle, sopele, diple (mišnjice, mih), mješina, and many others.
In 2014, the Zagreb International Folklore Festival was declared a festival event of national significance by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia and the City of Zagreb for its affirmation of the specific value of national culture.[1]
Often considered to be the richest and liveliest of all Croatian dancing, the dancing fromSlavonia is composed of difficult steps and lively music. Slavonian and Baranjan dances include:
Like most northern Croatian dances,Posavinakolo is lively with plenty of singing. TheDrmeš [hr] dance is one of the most popular types ofkolo in Croatia, and can be seen throughout various regions. Posavinan dances include:
Dances fromPodravina are stylistically close to Slavonian—lively with plenty of singing—which is typical for north Croatian folk dances. Podravina dances include:
Hrvatsko Zagorje, or Croatian hinterland, is the north-central part of the country, where the capitalZagreb is located. These dances are lively and merry. Hrvatsko Zagorje's dances include:
A variation of the traditionalpolka:
TheMeđimurje region forms the northern-est tip of Croatia. This region shares much of its traditional merry and lively dance qualities with other nearby regions. Međimurje's dances include:
Dances fromIstria have strong influence fromVenetian culture. Istrian dances include:
The LikanKolo may use music and instruments, or it may be silent with no instrumental accompaniment or even singing. During the silent dances, the only sounds produced are from feet making contact with the floor and the rhythmic clinking sound of the women's coin necklaces, and, sometimes, the dancers' voices as they sing. Though not often danced these days, these silent dances are well remembered by the olderLičani and are perpetuated by folk dance performing groups. Likan dances include:
Dalmatia has a variety of dances influenced by its history of foreign occupation. One example is the popular danceLinđo fromDubrovnik and southern Dalmatia, which has a distinct Mediterranean influence. On the other hand, theNijemo Kolo from theDalmatian hinterland shows evidence ofOttoman-era influences on the region. These dances include:
Dances fromHerzegovina are often a cross betweenDalmatian Zagora traditions, andOttoman influences, with much less influence fromBosnia proper. These dances include:
Dances fromVojvodina are most similar to the Slavonian dances in their liveliness and activity. TheBunjevci Croats from theBačka region are renowned for their beautifully embroidered women's dresses, made from realsilk fromFrance, and the rattling sound the dancers' boots make as they dance. In theBanat region, the men have their own competitive dance. These dances include:
Croatiankolo fromHungary is mainly concentrated in the southern region nearBaranja, while in Romania, it is in theBanat region. Due to Hungarian influence, theCsárdás remains one of the most popular dances among all ethnic groups. These dances include:
On the island ofKorčula in theAdriatic, a popularsword dance, themoreška, is still prevalent and performed at festivals and special events.
In the nineteenth century, a new form ofballroom dancing emerged in Croatia. Elements of European ballroom spread throughout the region, and dances such as thepolka soon became diffused all throughout Croatia. Croatian ballroom dancing, orsalonsko kolo, emerged in the nineteenth century as a result of the aforementioned influences.[2] Due to theCroatian national revival and re-awakening of Croatian culture and national identity, an effort was made to incorporate traditional music and dances into the urban dance revival. Intellectual idealists sawkolo as a quintessential Slavic dance, and chose to adopt it in the urban context.[3] It was at this time that thehrvatsko kolo emerged as a choreographed dance.
Due to the strongVenetian and Italian influence inIstria and parts ofDalmatia, thefurlana has become a part of the culture, most especially inVodnjan. A specific strain of thefurlana song is called thePolesana, and is thought to originate from Istria. The name may either have come from theItalian word for "a woman fromPula" or from the Croatian wordpolesa, meaning "rural."[4]
Thevesela, a popular children’s dance, is practiced throughoutContinental Croatia. Groups of 10 to 30 children hold hands to form a circle, and one child is chosen to stand in the middle of the circle. The child in the middle makes actions with their arms and legs, which the rest of the children imitate. Children take turns in the middle. Sometimes, a poem is sung during the dance.[5]
Burgenland Croats in Austria, influenced by German, Austrian, and Hungarian cultures, have their own dance traditions, influenced by the liveliness of the polka and thecsárdás. An example is theFilež dance fromNikitsch, which is light-hearted and cheerful, with dancers often bringing in props like a broom or a bottle to the dance.[6]
Many Croatian dancers wear anational costume. These vary from region to region in style, design, color, material, shape, and form.
