Horon (Pontic:χορόν,romanized: khorón) is a group of traditionalfolk dances from theEastern Black Sea Region inTurkey.
The termhoron derives from Greekchoros (Greek:χορός,romanized: khorós, seechorus), which means "dance." The earliest instance of its usage in a Turkic language is inCodex Cumanicus from 1303.[1]
In the provinces ofOrdu andGiresun, the termhoran is used instead ofhoron.[2]
Over 50 variations of horon have been identified in a single region.[3]
Horon orhoronu is the Turkish equivalent of theserra war dance of thePontian Greeks, resembling the ancient GreekPyrrhic armed dance.[4]
The horon is typically performed by a group of men or women in a line or semicircle. This dance form involves fast shoulder shimmy (Greek: Τρέμουλο, tremoulo), trembling of the entire body, and sudden squats.[5] Horon dances require speed and agility in a dancer.[3]