Russian folk dance squat. Buza - Russian martial dances

Living for millennia is not a field to cross.

The only constant in the world is change. And the fashion for dancing also changes along with lifestyle, new generations and their preferences. Now it’s hard to imagine that Russian folk dance will become as popular as samba, latina, belly dancing and others modern styles. Of course, Russian dance has not been forgotten, but clearly masses he is not in favor these days. And completely in vain! He is bright, beautiful, emotional and able to give odds to all Western dance innovations!

Fashion is fashion, and Russian dance was born long before hip-hop, lives with all newfangled styles, and will continue to live, based on the fact that it is not just Russian folklore, but part of the deepest historical heritage, in which intertwined and secret knowledge ancient Slavs, and the multifaceted Russian character, and life, and feelings, and unity with nature, and the memory of ancestors, and what is called the soul of the people.

The ancient Slavs acted out drama in dances.

Russian folk dance has gone through a surprisingly long evolution. IN historical documents Russian dance “debuted” in 907. The official mention concerns the dance with bears, which was demonstrated to guests at the celebration of the victory over the Greeks by Oleg the Prophet in Kyiv.

Unfortunately, neither exact dates origins dance art ancient Rus', nor a complete idea of what Russian dance was like dozens of centuries ago is unknown for certain. Everything we know about the dances of those times from epics, oral traditions and songs - this is their ritual meaning and close sacred connection with nature.

In addition to the fact that Russian dance, like the creativity of any nation, reflects the temperament, way of life, character and experiences of its people, it has several striking features, which undoubtedly distinguish it from the background of world dance culture.

AND main feature- This reflection of reality.

Russian dance has never reproduced fictitious pictures, has not been distinguished by pretense or exaggeration, much less created fictitious ones, mythical images and plots, and did not look into the future. It was intended to reflect the current present or the accomplished past, daily life people, woven from events, communication with nature, holidays, love or sadness. This deep dramatic basis allowed Russian dance to express strong, genuine emotions, to take, as they say, “to the quick.”

Overlapping with the multifaceted Russian character, the dance was also different - lyrical and playful, demonstrating prowess, breadth of soul, the joy of victory, the bitterness of defeat, that is, everything that our ancestors came into contact with every day.

But at the very, very beginning, the purpose of the dance was somewhat different.

Russian dance was originally part of rituals.

Every spring in Rus' a new cycle of agricultural rituals began. They were timed to coincide with the most critical moments, which, according to the ancient Slavs, required the support of the gods - the time of sowing, the ripening of grain, the beginning and end of the harvest.

Russian folk dance was an integral part of ritual actions. Round dances take place around a newly blossoming birch tree, personifying fruit-bearing power; they walked around the fields in round dances on Kupala night and chanted special spells to protect the harvest from fire and evil spirits; round dances in the fields were supposed to ensure good weather during the grain harvest.

And since we started talking about the round dance, then this is the most ancient Russian dance - the ancestor of all types folk choreography. We can say that Russian dance appeared, breaking the chain of round dance.

Its choreography is extremely simple. However, in its meaning and purpose, this Russian dance has, perhaps, the most powerful sacred basis. Its design reflects the shape and movement of the sun, paying tribute to the luminary that was worshiped in pagan times. In a round dance, personal boundaries are erased and the idea of uniting people and their strength, the idea of joy shared with each other, is realized.

That’s why the round dance was accompanied by almost any Slavic holiday. This Russian folk dance was an indispensable attribute of ceremonies in honor of newlyweds and a “favorite” folk festivals. The round dance lost its ritual meaning over time, but the dance pattern remained unchanged. He still decorates family and children's parties and looks amazingly beautiful on stage.

Game round dances play out a certain story. Usually this Russian dance is very feminine. The synchronized movements of the dancers' hands, the bends of their bodies, create the image of animals, birds or other characters, create pictures of blooming flowers or depict traditional activities Russian young ladies. For example, the drawing of the round dance “Spindle” shows girls doing needlework, “Swan” accurately reflects the habits and grace of the noble bird.

In ornamental round dances, without any specific plot, wreaths of wild flowers or scarves are often used, with the help of which an additional “zest” is woven into the fancy dance pattern (“snake”, “figure eight”, etc.). Waves and reverent glances, folding of hands, low bends and turns around its axis, long sundresses to the floor - that's natural beauty and tenderness, demonstrating the modesty and dignity of a Russian woman.

This Russian dance has always been loved because it is accessible to all ages. Children, old people, men and women can take part in the round dance. That is why this Russian dance has survived to this day, because it serves as a symbol of bright solar energy, transmitted along a chain from hand to hand.

However, Russian dance had not only ritual significance.

The secret martial art of Russian women.

Few people know that the ancient Slavic women were not at all defenseless when they were left alone in the village, without men, with old people and children in their arms. Among them were women - Beregini, who mastered dance, or rather real martial art, which, under the guise of seduction, hid powerful impact on human biologically active points.

If the enemy entered the village, open resistance could lead to the death of the entire clan. It was also impossible to use herbs and poisons, since the same food and water were forced to be given to children. And the women resorted to cunning. For centuries, a dance has been honed, akin to oriental martial arts of internal influence, based on a deep knowledge of not only physiology, but also the biologically active circuit of a person. One can only marvel at the depth of knowledge of our ancestors.

Russian dance Beregini.

The enchanting dance was a complex, well-thought-out system in which all movements were subordinated to clear time intervals, and the plasticity of the movements hid the blows, delivered as if into emptiness, but aimed precisely at the stranger’s limbs. He himself, fascinated by the dancer’s flexibility and her deliberately inviting movements, looked at her with voluptuousness and did not suspect how powerful the weapon was directed against him. And during the dance, the woman, arching her whole body, hugging the ground and then suddenly “floating” onto the man, methodically delivering invisible blows, changed the resonant wave characteristics of her own biofield and processed its biologically active zones. The dance simply caused a malfunction in the systems of the enemy body and was a formidable weapon of delayed action.

A similar Russian dance is also mentioned in connection with the fact that ancient beauties treated their men in this way, with the difference that they affected other points. Causing strong sexual arousal in a loved one through dance, they repeatedly enhanced his sensory perception, activated resonant wave structures and “triggered” the balancing of the body. Wounds received in battles healed faster, and signs of various diseases disappeared.

But let’s not get carried away, but rather give our answer to the West.

We dance not for the sake of the snow, but for fun!

Only partially can such complex and energetic elements of Russian dance as “Pistol”, “Pike”, “Barrel”, “Goat”, “Arabian”, “Bedouin”, “Raznozhka” and others be considered a means of warming the body. The dynamics of Russian dance were influenced by two more reasons.

Firstly, pagan culture left a noticeable imprint on Russian folk dance. People in those days felt themselves to be an integral part of the world around them. Therefore, Russian dance was often based on imitation of the behavior of animals and birds, or reflected natural phenomena. “Crane”, “Gusachek”, “Twitch”, “Bychok”, “Blizzard” - there are countless such names in Russian dance. Russian folk dance could imitate the arrogant gait of a black grouse, cockfighting, jumping of a roe deer, or a bear's snoring, and therefore its pattern often had quite sharp movements.

Subsequently, such imitation became the basis of one of the genres of Russian folk dance - play. For example, a guy came out to dance “the fish” - he started jumping, spinning and stamping his feet, then suddenly fell to the ground and exactly repeated the movements of a fish thrown onto land. He bent so that his heels were at the back of his head. The playful Russian dance especially amused the people, since it involved not only imitation of the habits of animals, but also the desire of the dancer to give the character traits of a human character.

Secondly, Russian dance assimilated with the warlike dances of unfriendly neighbors. During numerous wars, occupations and long periods of captivity, cultures were mixed. Cheerful and carefree Slavic dances, smooth and leisurely dances were imbued with new energetic elements. This is evidenced by the names of the elements themselves, for example the same “Arabic” and “Bedouin”.

But, no matter how great the influence of other cultures on Russian dance, the people passed all the changes through the prism of their spirituality and, as a result, presented us with an original and vibrant art.

Let's see what dance heritage our ancestors left.

Russian dance "Squat".

This colorful Russian dance was given to us in 1113 Grand Duke of all Rus' Vladimir Monomakh, who noticed a daring young man in Kyiv - bricklayer Petro Prisyadka. After a difficult working day Petro used to take it “on the chest” and went out onto Khreshchatyk to stretch his stiff leg muscles, vigorously jumping up. There Monomakh was noticed with his strange dance and soon danced for the prince at every breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Russian dance “under the Squat” quickly became fashionable and was spread by buffoons throughout Rus'.

People's play dance and dancing is the language of communication.

It is interesting that Russian dance, for the most part, has simple and succinct names that clearly reflect either the pattern of the dance, or the number of dancers, or the music to which it is performed, or a certain plot. Among the dances and improvisations the following are widely known: “Lady”, “Balalaikas”, “Dance with Spoons”, “Veselukha”, “Topothukha”, “Monograms”, “Valenki”, “Timonya”, “Polyanka”, “Siberian Fun”, Russian dance “Matryoshkas”, “ Pleskach”, “Circular Dance”, “Kamarinskaya”, “Polka”, “Chebotukha”, “Seni”, “Vorotsa”, “Steam Room”, “Four” and others.

Lives in all Slavic dances characteristic– cheerfulness and a strong sense of self-esteem. What unites Russian folk dances is a demonstration of prowess, a breadth of movements that echoes lyricism and modesty, as well as a fullness of meaning.

Russian dance is not danced, but as if they are telling something... They are telling it beautifully, emotionally. With a look, expressive facial expressions, gestures, the dancer conveys a story, no worse than the real thing. theater actor. Is the same "Kamarinskaya" eloquently reproduces the arrogant, boastful appearance of a drunken Kamarinsky man, comically plays up the “disobedience” of his wild legs, sincere surprise and cheerful debauchery.

Russian dance requires majestic, swan-like smooth movements from women and energy from men. But he is also often playful and mischievous. For example, Russian folk dance "Trepak"- lively, dynamic, where the partner and partner are in fast pace perform fractional steps and stamping steps, jumping and spinning, can freely improvise and excite those around them from the first minute of performance. And the costumes chosen for him are completely different: short colorful sundresses, sun-flattering skirts and bright embroidered blouses. Trepak can be performed as a single male dance or pair dance.

Another wonderful Russian dance - "Troika", where a man dances with two partners. Folk art could not ignore the unchanging symbol of any holiday - the Russian troika. The dance imitates it, representing galloping horses harnessed to a cart. And again, imitation of animals is adherence to old traditions.

At holidays, fairs, weddings, Russian dance often acquired a competitive character - danced. And now the dance is very popular in folk dance. Two dancers participate in a kind of dance duel. Many elements can be used in a re-dance, and their combination and sequence are pure improvisation of the dancer. Dance participants compete in strength, agility, endurance and ingenuity. The task is to out-dance your opponent.

Such a variety of dances allows you to express any feelings and emotions, “adapt” Russian dance to any important event, make it a means of releasing excess energy and gain aesthetic pleasure. IN modern interpretation Russian dance is still rich and original, and deserves the closest attention.

Expressive Russian dance can instill good taste, the ability to move beautifully, hold your body gracefully, and most importantly, completely devoid of vulgarity.

For Russians folk dances bright costumes are typical. Basically, it is red, white, blue, green colors, which symbolize love, purity of soul, sun, sky, fresh spring grass.

And all this, together with excellent choreography, gives a stunning picture of Russian folk dance, which has no equal in world dance history.

Russian dance, as a type of Russian traditional art, has its own centuries-old history. Even in the pre-Christian period, in the 5th-7th centuries, the character of the dance was imprinted religious ideas. "Cyrillic" tells about 7 Russian folk dances.

1. TREPACK

Trepak is an ancient Russian folk dance. Performed at a fast tempo, bipartite. The main movements are fractional steps and stamping. The movements were composed by the performer on the fly. Its properties have much in common with “Kamarinskaya” and “Barynya”: either a single male dance or a re-dance. But, unlike them, the trepak did not have its generally accepted tune.

2. DANCING WITH THE BEAR

The first official mention of the Russian folk dance with a bear dates back to 907, when Prince Prophetic Oleg celebrated his victory over the Greeks in Kyiv. At the gala reception, 16 dancers dressed as bears and four bears dressed as dancers performed for the guests. After the end of dinner, according to the order of the prince, the bears were ordered to be released on all four sides, and the dancers were executed. As it turned out later, the blind Prince Oleg mistook the dancers for ambassadors of the Northerners, who owed him several hundred marten skins.

3. SQUTT

The history of this dance begins in 1113 in Kyiv, when Grand Duke Svyatopolk died. At that time there lived a bricklayer Petro Prisyadka. He worked a lot while squatting with heavy stones and tools in his calloused hands. Every evening after his feat of labor, he went out to Khreshchatyk and, having accepted a ladle of wine and a roll of bread, began jumping up and down, stretching his legs that had become stiff during the day. Vladimir Monomakh, invited by the people of Kiev to the kingdom, was passing through the city in the evening with his retinue. He immediately noticed the strange dance and pointed out to Metropolitan Nikifor the dancing young man. Within a few days, Petro danced for the Grand Duke of All Rus' at every breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dancing like Prisyadka or Pod-Psyadka soon became fashionable in wealthy Kyiv. Fat buffoons lost weight and learned to dance the “B-Squat,” breaking their crooked legs on the nasty medieval sidewalks.

4. ROUND DANCE

A popular Russian dance is a round dance - a dance in a circle. In ancient times, the circle in a round dance symbolized the Sun - the god Yarilo. It was believed that such movements in a circle while singing songs would appease the Sun God and bring good harvests. Today it's only historical fact religion of paganism of the ancient Slavs, which no longer carries its semantic load in the performance of round (circular) dances.

5. RUSSIAN DANCE

Russian dance is a type of Russian folk dance. Russian dances include improvised dances (re-dance, mistress, etc.) and dances that have a certain sequence of figures (quadrille, lance, etc.). In each region, these dances vary in character and manner of performance and usually have their own name, derived from the name of the area or dance song. Russian dances are slow and fast, with a gradual acceleration of the tempo.

6. DANCES-IMPROVIZATIONS

Improvisation dances and competition dances were very popular among the people. In them, the dancers were not constrained by a specific composition. Each performer is given the opportunity to express himself and show what he is capable of. Such dances are always unexpected for the audience, and sometimes even for the performers themselves. Boys and girls “learn” improvisational dances from an early age. The dancer does not want to repeat himself, to do the same thing that others do - hence the wide variety of original Russian dances.

7. PLAY DANCES

A special place belongs to dances in which the observation of the people is manifested: either about natural phenomena (“blizzard”, “blizzard”), or about any animals or birds (“Bull”, “Twitch”, “Bear”). These dances can be called play dances or game dances, since the playful principle is very clearly expressed in them. In his movements, the dancer does not simply imitate the habits of animals or birds, but tries to give them human character traits. It is very important that all components are subordinated to the creation of the dance image: movements and drawings, that is, choreographic figurative plasticity, music, costume, color. Wherein means of expression dances do not exist on their own, but as figurative expression thoughts. The completeness of all this is achieved by the synthesis of all components.

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Russian dance, as a type of Russian traditional art, has its own centuries-old history. Even in the pre-Christian period, in the 5th-7th centuries, religious ideas left their mark on the nature of the dance. "Cyrillic" tells about 7 Russian folk dances.

1. TREPACK

2. DANCING WITH THE BEAR

The first official mention of the Russian folk dance with a bear dates back to 907, when Prince Oleg the Prophet celebrated his victory over the Greeks in Kyiv. At the gala reception, 16 dancers dressed as bears and four bears dressed as dancers performed for the guests. After the end of dinner, according to the order of the prince, the bears were ordered to be released on all four sides, and the dancers were executed. As it turned out later, the blind Prince Oleg mistook the dancers for ambassadors of the Northerners, who owed him several hundred marten skins.

4. ROUND DANCE

A popular Russian dance is a round dance - a dance in a circle. In ancient times, the circle in a round dance symbolized the Sun - the god Yarilo. It was believed that such movements in a circle while singing songs would appease the Sun God and bring good harvests. Today this is only a historical fact of the religion of paganism of the ancient Slavs, which no longer carries its semantic load in the performance of round (circular) dances.

7. PLAY DANCES

A special place belongs to dances in which the observation of the people is manifested: either about natural phenomena (“blizzard”, “blizzard”), or about any animals or birds (“Bull”, “Twitch”, “Bear”). These dances can be called play dances or game dances, since the playful principle is very clearly expressed in them. In his movements, the dancer does not simply imitate the habits of animals or birds, but tries to give them human character traits. It is very important that all components are subordinated to the creation of the dance image: movements and drawings, that is, choreographic figurative plasticity, music, costume, color. At the same time, the expressive means of dance do not exist on their own, but as a figurative expression of thought. The completeness of all this is achieved by the synthesis of all components.

Http://maxpark.com/community/5134/content/1898416

Chewy, lively grunts.
Born for good, patient, long to “heat up” and long to “cool down.”

For each of these characters, tradition recommended a special combat system. Chewing explosive, amplitude and energy-intensive. Kind, economical and uncompromising. However, often fighters studied both techniques, knowing that one was better suited to the combat of the cavalry, and the other to the needs of the reconnaissance infantryman.

These combat systems each had their own specialized war dance. We do not know the ancient reliable names of these dances; they have changed. It is well known that the dance that is now called hopak was called Cossack in the time of N.V. Gogol, and the current Cossack has almost nothing to do with our topic. The same dance in the north-west in the 19th century was called “lunyok”. The name of the dances was often transformed depending on the dance tunes that were popular at that time. The name of the music became the name of the dance. However, all of these dances had movements with the same definition of "squat". This is the sum of the fighting movements of chewing fighters used in dance. All these dances could be danced in a squat without it.

For those “born for good,” the dance was similar to the northwestern buzz with all its variants of “breaking.” In this dance, elements of squatting were also often used, but only occasionally, as a decoration.

Here we will talk about the battle dance IN THE SQUT.

This dance was widespread throughout Rus'. IN early middle ages total number Eastern Slavs did not exceed a million, the language was practically uniform, communication within the military class was close. The Slavic clan grew, its numbers increased, features appeared in language and culture, variability appeared in methods of combat, and the previously uniform martial dances changed.

The root, the archetype of the squat dance, is the same for all Eastern Slavs. A number of differences in music and dynamics do not change the original meaning and appearance of the ancient Russian battle dance. Ethnologists and folklorists are well aware of the rule: “The presence of many variants of the same ritual or text speaks of antiquity. Lack of options, about the “remake”.

Belarusians dance in a squat position in the Trepak dance.

Ukrainians in hopak, cossack and shingle.

Russians:

Lunyok, has not reached our time.
Buza, sit down only occasionally.
Russian, danced alone and with a couple, there are dance variants where there is little squatting.
A lady is dancing with a girl, whom another dancer is trying to beat off. There is an option without a squat.
Apple, naval dance, a late version of the East Slavic squat dance. Dances alone in a circle and together with an opponent.

Initially, the squatting technique existed in two forms:

As a way of fighting.
Like a war dance.

Crouching fighting methods were widespread among horsemen and were used by infantrymen in clashes with cavalry. It happened that during the battle, the speed of the cavalry attack was lost. Riders who suddenly ran into a barrier, a camouflaged convoy, or a ditch with stakes could face a stronger enemy, losing initiative and speed. During this phase of the battle, riders often lost their horses. When a warrior flew out of the saddle or found himself on the ground with a dead horse, it was necessary to continue fighting and regain the initiative. The infantry, on the contrary, tried to “hurry” the enemy and take possession of his horse. This is where crouch fighting skills were needed. The infantryman against the rider used, for example, such squat knees.

In the “slider”, “in single file” he rode under the belly of the enemy horse with a saber on his shoulder. When he found himself under the belly, he pressed the handle of the saber and raised it higher in order to trim the horse’s “little veins,” the groin. The horse fell, dragging the rider along with it.

He cut down the horse's front legs with a saber or with a blow of his hand or foot. The horse stumbled and fell over its head, crushing its rider.

With a foot or fist, they struck the enemy’s horse on the head. They hit the place between the horse's eyes and ears. The horse fell stunned.

If possible, they tried not to cripple the enemy horse, it was worth big money and was considered a rich trophy. In these cases, the rider was attacked. To do this, the gopkorez1 tried to strike the rider with his weapon and yank the enemy from the saddle. Here is how the epic tells about this technique: “Tugarin knocked Alyosha off the saddle like a sheaf of oats, but Alyosha dodged under the horse’s belly and hit Tugarin from the other side with a damask knife under the right sinus. He tore open his white breasts, and the ghost was gone.”2

If an infantryman was unarmed (and in this situation a cavalryman could also find himself in a situation where he had lost his horse in battle and lost his harness), then he jumped on the enemy, simultaneously grabbing his armed hand and hanging on the side of the enemy horse, clasping it with his legs. The horse fell, the attacker tried not to get under the body of the falling horse. Jumping on the rider was also used, while simultaneously knocking the enemy out of the saddle. Sometimes they jumped, leaning on a pike or fighting stick.

An evasion from an attacking cavalryman, intending to thrust with a pike or deliver a slashing blow, often began with a trick: the footman would squat down, as if allowing him to take aim, and then move away with a slider or jump to the side, scaring the horse, as if throwing himself at his feet. Horses try not to step on a fallen or sitting person, this is their instinct. War horses were specially trained to hit the enemy with their hooves, bite him, and knock down infantry with a body blow. Such a horse, which had undergone special combat training, was especially dangerous and was incredibly highly valued.

Crouching combat included four main levels.

Somersaults.
Sliders (movements on squatting and all fours)
Strikes and movements while standing.
Jumps and cartwheels.

Somersaults were used mainly as tactical movements and as methods of self-insurance when falling.

Sliders, it's special kind movement on the lower level from which you can strike and jump. Attacks with weapons were intensified by strikes and sweeps performed by legs. Hands placed on the ground provided additional support; you could hold a weapon in them and pick it up from the ground.

While standing, blows were delivered mainly with the legs, since the hands were occupied with cold or firearms(he was, of course, also allowed entry). This is why in squat dancing more attention is paid to footwork.

Squatting movements, changing combat levels, going down and jumping complement the technique of working “in growth”. When jumping, they mainly kicked and used melee weapons. They attacked the rider, jumped on the horse and jumped to the ground. Once on a horse, the gopkorez knew how to run along the backs of the horses, delivering saber blows, shot from behind the horse and from under its belly, knew how to horseback (vault) and flank (rotate the weapon with attack and defense of the flanks).

We will not consider the horse riding (vaulting) section; it was separated into a separate discipline “horse riding”. These exercises were trained both on horseback and as gymnastic exercises with an “artificial horse” (similar exercises still exist today in the practice of gymnasts). We started talking about horse riding because previously it was a natural and necessary section of the combat science of horsemen and was an organic continuation of the squat fighting technique. In ancient combat clashes, the fighter was required to be able to fight both on horseback and under horseback.

In foot battles, fighting in a crouch was relevant for a warrior who had fallen to the ground, found himself alone against many opponents, in cramped conditions or in the dark. IN street fights on compacted snow, fighters often slip and find themselves at the level of the “slider”, from where it is convenient to hit and especially trip an enemy standing on the slippery one. This style of fighting required good physical training and was very energy-intensive, which is why it was used as a tactical element of combat, alternating with economical equipment, now well known from modern (not fictional) systems of Russian wrestling.

The men developed the necessary motor skills specific to this style of fighting, especially endurance and fitness, by constantly practicing in dancing and fighting competitions.

In the north-west of Russia, the squat dance has been preserved in the form of variants of the Russian dance, both alone and in pairs with an opponent. The lady was dancing with a woman, when the same knees had to be knocked out around the partner, not allowing the rival dancer to approach her. He, in turn, tried to fight off the dancer, wipe off his opponent with a skillful movement and continue the dance himself. This option was very difficult, requiring high control over complex combat movements. It was considered unacceptable not only to touch a partner with a blow, but even to frighten her with a dangerous movement.

Video: Buza - Russian hand-to-hand combat

In the Vologda region they said that before the war, dancing competitions were held. More often, this happened at fairs. They “argued” and placed bets on the dancers. The winner received good prize in the form of a gift, wine or money. The production was divided among the entire artel.

In preparation for this, the men left home, sometimes for several days, and trained there, inventing new combinations of dance “knocks”, unknown to their rivals and amazing fans. For the time being they were kept secret, and when performing at competitions they “presented” “new developments”. This tradition constantly replenished and enriched the dance technique.

Usually the competitions took place in the form of pair and single dances in the form of a re-dance. While dancing, one of the dancers showed some movement or sequence, the opponent had to repeat them exactly, then showed his own. Sometimes, in the re-dance there were other rules; the competitors alternately showed their movements, but it was forbidden to repeat the previous ones. The loser was the one who ran out of tricks first.

The purpose of the movements in the combat dance was both directly applied and conditionally combative, developing for dexterity and coordination. Since the martial dance was an information carrier martial art and a way of training applied movements, it goes without saying that it became most widespread among warriors: Cossacks, soldiers, sailors, officers; it was very popular in the artels of fist fighters.

IN Cossack troops The dance lived everywhere, harmoniously intertwined with Cossack life, violently bursting out of hot hearts on village and military holidays. During battles, when hostile armies converged, gopkorez with weapons danced in front of the ranks of their comrades, calling out enemies in hertz3. They went into battle with music and dancing. This custom of our ancestors was so well remembered by the Poles that they filmed it in the film “With Fire and Sword” based on the book by Sienkiewicz. And we forgot!

This is how N.V. Gogol describes the revelry and dancing in the Zaporozhye Sich:

“Their way was again blocked by a whole crowd of musicians, in the middle of which a young Cossack was dancing, with his hat twisted over the devil and his arms thrown up. He only shouted: “Play more lively, musicians! Do not spare Thomas, burners for Orthodox Christians!” And Foma, with a black eye, measured out a huge mug to each person who pestered him without counting. Near the young Zaporozhian, four old ones were working rather shallowly with their feet, throwing themselves up like a whirlwind to the side, almost on the heads of the musicians, and suddenly, dropping down, they squatted and beat the hard ground with their silver horseshoes steeply and firmly. The earth hummed dully throughout the entire area, and in the distance the hopaks and tropaks, knocked out by the ringing horseshoes of boots, echoed in the air. But one of them screamed out louder than everyone else and flew after the others in the dance. Chuprina was fluttering in the wind, her strong chest was all open; a warm winter jacket was worn in the sleeves, and sweat poured from him like a bucket. “At least take off the cover! - Taras finally said. “See how it soars!”

- "Not allowed!" - shouted the Cossack. "From what?" -"Not allowed; I have such a disposition: I’ll drink whatever I lose.”

And the young man had not had a hat on for a long time, nor a belt on his caftan, nor an embroidered scarf; everything went where it should. The crowd grew; others pestered the dancers, and it was impossible to see without internal movement how everything was torn away by the most free, most frantic dance that the world has ever seen and which, according to its powerful inventors, is called a Cossack.

- Oh, if it weren’t for the horse! - Taras cried out, “he really would have started dancing himself!”

In the regular army, dancing was carried out mainly among soldiers, but already in the 19th century, every regiment, hundred and even more or less self-respecting unit Russian army had their own choirs and dance groups. Units competed in dance along with drill, shooting, gymnastics and fencing. It was considered good form when the best dancers of the unit were “squatted” before the marching formation. If an outstanding dance tradition was developed in a regiment, then it was cherished and demonstrated to the authorities at the first opportunity, at reviews and demonstration performances.

During civil war The martial dance continued to live among the troops, both Red and White. The Red Army soldiers remember well the attacks of the regiments of the Izhevsk and Vodkin factories, which fought under the red flag against the Bolsheviks. They went into battle to the accordion, with rifles slung over their shoulders. The soldiers danced in front of the formation, sometimes together with the nurses. It is difficult to explain this rationally, but the Red Army soldiers could not withstand such attacks and retreated.

The legends of the civil war tell the same story: legendary division commander Vasily Ivanovich Chapaev knew the martial dance and loved to dance “Russian” on the parapet, under heavy fire from the White Guards. Dancing to the accordion, he taught the soldiers courage; among his subordinates there was confidence that “a bullet can’t kill a division commander.” They say that he has kept this custom since the First World War.

The naval squat dance began to be called “Apple” after the chorus in the then popular tune. Rising from the shore to the decks, the apple became one of the favorite pastimes of Russian sailors. The closeness and cohesion of the naval team created good soil for the preservation and transfer of dance skills, and competition between sailors of different ships constantly enriched the tradition.

The squat battle dance was also inherited by the Red Army. The rules of shows and competitions remained unchanged, although the movements were heavily “combed” by Soviet cultural education workers. Dancing at holidays and at the front is another matter. It was not only training the body and repeating fighting methods; it is difficult to overestimate the impact of music and dancing on the morale of the fighters. The great-grandfather's tradition turned exhausted soldiers into miracle heroes, kindled fearlessness and enthusiasm in their hearts.

Publications in the Traditions section

Everybody dance!

We remember how they danced in Rus'. Kamarinskaya and the lady, Cossack and square dance, round dance and fair dance with a bear. Not a single holiday in Rus' was complete without dancing. Dances were named by melody, number of dancers, or pattern of movements. The dances were lyrical or martial. One for every occasion. The soul sings - the legs begin to dance.

Round dance . Dance with pagan roots. Circle in honor of Yarila, ancient god sun. “Walking after the sun” is part of Slavic rituals. Over the centuries, the ritual character faded into the background. Round dance has become the main decoration of Russians national holidays. The nature of the dance changes from occasion to occasion. Either they start a round dance in honor of the arrival of spring, or they greet Ivan Kupala holding hands, scarves or maiden wreaths.

Troika . A folk dance that can be unmistakably recognized by counting the dancers. Initially it was a man and two women. The rhythm and steps are like a Russian troika of galloping horses. The troika is danced not only by folk dance groups, but also on the classical stage. As, for example, in the ballet “The Nutcracker” to the music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

Kalinka . A dance performed to a song that is only considered folk. The authorship belongs to Ivan Larionov. The Russian composer and folklorist wrote Kalinka in 1860. The melody went to the people straight from the Saratov stage amateur theater. There are no special choreographic figures in Kalinka: it is an improvisational dance. Including on ice - as in the case of figure skaters Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev.

Lady . The daring danced like " social conflict"in the spirit of who will out-dance whom. Main characters- “madam-lady” and “peasant peasant”. To the accompaniment of an accordion or balalaika, majesty stands against prowess, smoothness of movements against dexterity. According to one version, the Oryol province became the birthplace of the dance.

Kamarinskaya . The dance “hands on hips, heel to toe” became a fantasy for the orchestra. Mikhail Glinka in his overture used the melody itself and echoes characteristic of folk singing, and Pyotr Tchaikovsky included the theme in “ Children's album" IN leading role dance version - “Kamarinsk man”, a cheerful and perky resident of Kamarich, a volost of the Oryol province.

Cossack . Russian, Terek, Kuban. The dance is international with squatting steps, pair dances and jumps. The cheerful and playful melody of the Cossack has been known since the 18th century. The glory of folk dance reached the Parisian salons along with the Russian troops. Alexander Dargomyzhsky wrote for symphony orchestra“Little Russian Cossack”, and since the 19th century the Cossack in Russia has been “elevated” to ballroom dance.

Russian folk dance

Squat . Dance as an element of combat. Initially, Slavic warriors squatted to attack, and during the time of Suvorov they competed in the “combat squat” along with drill training and shooting. Either an acrobatics exercise, or a dance that raises morale. In the Vologda region a century ago they competed in dances, throwing out knees, and the naval squat dance was called “Apple” - after the name of the tune.

Quadrille . From a French village to a Russian one through noble assemblies. Russified French dance in Russia has acquired its own traditions. The dance meeting of several couples grew into a real romance in dance with many chapters: “acquaintance”, “walking”, “separation”, “farewell”. Supplemented with a ditty,