Russian folk dance. Russian folk dance - a guest from time immemorial

Folk dance is one of the oldest ways of expressing human emotions associated with various manifestations of life. Joy and sadness, goals and achievements, beliefs and humor - everything was reflected in the dance. His plot, movements, tempo, musical accompaniment, and costume features speak of the characteristic features of the nation in which he was born.

Russians are a freedom-loving people, with a broad soul and a kind heart, sometimes perky and sometimes lyrical. These qualities are manifested in dancing. Russian folk choreography for men is distinguished by its scope, dynamism, complex tricks and cheerful mood. The dances of Russian girls are often smooth, graceful, soulful, and very melodic. Although sometimes they are just as daring and cheerful as men’s.

Russian folk dances: names and features

Round dance is a combination of dance, song and dramatic play. In pagan times, people believed that ritual movements to music were pleasing to the gods. Having served them, one could hope for a generous harvest. Many dancers took part in the round dance at the same time, most often holding hands. Sometimes - for a scarf, wreath or belt.

The participants walked in circles, intertwined in round dance rows, created all kinds of figures, sometimes speeding up, sometimes slowing down. In different parts of Russia they danced in different ways. These Russian dances could have different names: street, tank, town.

The round dance “Birch” is a slow dance in which girls walk in a circle, holding birch branches in their hands, and all squat together to the music. It is particularly smooth. The participants move so softly that it seems as if they are not walking on the ground, but floating through the air.

The dynamic, cheerful movements of Russian dances are most reflected in the dance. This is pure improvisation, during which the number of different steps was constantly increasing. The dance required special skill, since no one prepared in advance for its performance. There were women's and men's dances. The girls moved easily and flirtatiously, and the guys tried to amaze and outdo everyone with their dexterity and valiant strength. Often men's dances developed into fun competitions.

The dramatic action of the famous dance “The Lady” is based on a playful dispute between a landowner and a peasant. In the pair version of the dance, men always kept their hands on their belts or spread them to the sides, and girls folded them in front of them. These movements expressed the daring, courageous character of a simple peasant and the pride of a lady.

Russian folk dances are still an important part of national heritage. With their help, modern man can penetrate the secrets of the people's soul.

It is difficult to determine how many folk dances exist in Russia. They are simply impossible to count. They have a wide variety of names: sometimes by the song to which they dance ("Kamarinskaya", "Seni"), sometimes by the number of dancers ("Steam", "Four"), sometimes the name determines the pattern of the dance ("Pleten", "Vorotsa" ). But in all these very different dances there is something in common, characteristic of Russian dance in general: this is breadth of movement, prowess, special cheerfulness, poetry, a combination of modesty and simplicity with a great sense of self-esteem.

X growers

Photo of the Kudrinka ensemble. Russian round dance Veretentse

The disputes of philologists are also comforting. The Latins found consonance with Horace in Book IV, ode 7 - horos ducere - to lead choirs, choirs, and asserted primacy for themselves. Peering at this research as if it were an assumption, we find that it is beautiful, that it revealed to the workers a dreamy consonance in words; but who can guarantee that this was so? Who will prove to us that the Russians, introducing games into their family life, composed their round dance from the Latin expression of Horace? There are many, many direct indications of how the Russians were able to borrow rituals from Greece for their lives; and in all this we only find approximate indications. There is no need to look for evidence; Our people do not have them when legends convey the past to you about the old life.

We find round dances among all Slavic tribes. The Lithuanian-Russians renamed the round dance Korogod. Bohemians, Croats, Carpatho-Russians, Morlaks, Dalmatians turned it into a kolo - circle. The Slavic kolo was also accompanied by songs, dances and games, just like the Russian round dance. We find similar changes in Russian villages. The villagers of the Tula, Ryazan and Moscow provinces, speaking about round dances, express themselves: “They went thin to lead.” In the word tonki we recognize the folk game of toloka, in which players walk in a crowd, like in a round dance.

The importance of Russian round dances for our people is so great that, apart from weddings, we don’t know anything like it. Occupying three annual periods in the life of the Russian people: spring, summer and autumn, round dances represent the special features of our people - revelry and delight. Separating the nationality from the common people, we discover in it the creative power of folk poetry, the originality of centuries-old creations. In just this glance, our nation has nothing like it. Take away poetry from the Russian people, destroy their cheerful revelry, deprive them of games, and our nation will be left without creativity, without life. This is what distinguishes Russian life from all other Slavic generations, from the whole world.

Russian round dances are accessible to all ages: maidens and women, young men and old men equally take part in them. The girls, surrounded by round dancers, learn songs and games according to their instructions. Our round dance preserves traces of ancient times. Pay attention to her care in passing on age-old songs to the younger generation, to her desire to instill in the maidens a passion for folk games, and you will see in her a mediator between posterity and modernity, you will see in her thoughts a genius guardian of our nation. With all this importance, a round dancer is considered by us to be an ordinary, simple woman, capable only of singing and dancing. So at one time the popular meaning of this word could change. Between ours Orthodox people Until now, respect for the round dancer is observed: gifts from village girls, treats for mothers, and fathers’ penniless labors in her field. This is all done during round dance games. At other times, she changes her character: she becomes a matchmaker at weddings, a caller at feasts, a godfather at christenings, a mourner at funerals. This is the circle of life performed by Russian round dancers. In addition, there are also special differences between urban and rural round dances.

The places where folk round dances take place have received special names in many places and have retained this right since ancient times. Rivers, lakes, meadows, churchyards, groves, cemeteries, vegetable gardens, wastelands, courtyards - these are the places for their departure. In some places there are festive round dances, in others they are ordinary, simple. Festive round dances are the most ancient: they are associated with the memory of the past, an immemorial folk festival. For such round dances, villagers and townspeople prepare in advance, call distant guests and neighbors, paint yellow eggs, bake loaves, scrambled eggs, pies, brew beer, honey and mash. Festive round dances are performed equally by villagers and townspeople, but ordinary ones are more noticeable in cities. Girls of rich fathers go out to have fun in their yard, where their friends gather. All this happens in the evening, after the end of work.

Men in rural round dances represent the guests, called upon to share the fun and joy. Young guys, unmarried, enter into games with girls at the invitation of a round dancer. In city round dances, performed in courtyards and squares, men rarely participate; there you can see brothers and relatives, future betrothed. These brothers will vividly present to you the special way of life in our family life: becoming close to one’s circle and getting close to life’s friends in advance.

Russian round dances are distributed by time of year, free days of life and by class. Rural ones begin with Holy Week and continue until working hours; others appear from August 15 and end with the onset of winter. The villagers have fun only on holidays; on other days they are surrounded by needs, and to redeem them they must sacrifice everything. City round dances also begin with Holy Week and continue throughout the summer and autumn. The townspeople, idle people, have more time to walk and sing; they use everything ready-made. Time and different customs diversify the amusements of the Orthodox so much that at the same time in one city we celebrate such a holiday, and in another we find a completely different one; there are their own ancient rituals, here they are different. Spring and autumn are the two times when the villagers have the most fun. Here family life appears in different pictures. Accepting the division of round dances into spring, summer and autumn, we will see real picture Russian life and we can more correctly follow the gradual progress of popular entertainment.

The first spring round dances begin on Holy Week and end in the evening on Krasnaya Gorka. Here they connected with round dances: welcoming spring, equipping the betrothed for the crown train. Radunitsa round dances are distinguished by the performance of Vyunts, the old folk ritual in honor of the newlyweds. St. George's round dances involve driving cattle to pasture and playing in the fields. On this day, the round dancers are joined by human horn players who can play all rural songs on the horn. The last spring round dances are considered to be the Nikolsky ones. To celebrate Nikolytsina, invited guests arrive in the evening and are received with honor, bows and requests to feast on the holiday. The whole village pools together for a worldly collection: to light a worldly candle for the saint; cook mash, cabbage soup, noodles, porridge; bake pies for invited guests. This whole matter was awarded to the headman or zemstvo. The invited guests left with their horses for the night, where the feasts continued until the morning with dancing and singing. The holiday was approaching, Orthodox Christians, invited and uninvited, flocked from all sides. Rich uninvited people came to the headman and gave their contribution to feast Nikolshchina; the poor only got off with bows. Around the churchyard there were tables with pies and tubs of mash; and in the zemstvo hut they stood on the table: cabbage soup, noodles, porridge. With the end of mass, the feast began. The guests walked around the huts, ate whatever they pleased, and drank to excess. Before evening, women went out into the streets to sing songs and play round dances. Expanse was noisy and revelry when the boyar lived in the village and celebrated Nikolshchina with his guests. His courtyard was filled with people; The boyar and the noblewoman treated the guests to wine and mash. All this happened before, but now it is overgrown with its former self. This is what old people remember with grief! This is why Russian antiquity is dear to the Russian soul and heart! Nikolytsin lasted three days, and sometimes more. The visiting guests enjoyed the mash so much that they could not take the hat with their hands. This was considered a special honor for the hosts, and the guests considered themselves to have the right to boast of such a treat. Only the maidens did not participate in the feast; they enjoyed round dances when the women danced “all the way to Ivanovskaya.”

Summer round dances begin on Trinity Sunday and are more fun and varied than spring ones. Villagers buy outfits: scarves and ribbons. Family life awakens with all its quirks. The Moscow Semik, the first-born of the Trinity round dances, goes off on all the fun. On this day, men cut down birch trees, women paint yellow eggs, prepare loaves, butter cakes, scrambled eggs, and scrambled eggs.

As the day dawned, games and songs began. Trinity round dances continue throughout the week. At this time you can only study Semitic songs. All Saints round dances last three days and are combined with special local celebrations. Petrovsky and Pyatnitsky round dances depart almost at the same time. The beginning and continuation of them depends on the variability of our monthly word. Ivanovo round dances begin on June 23 and last for two days. Our summer round dances end on Peter's Day. In cities and villages they take place in squares, along with all other entertainment.

Autumn city round dances in some places begin on Ilyin's Day, and in others on Assumption Day. Rural round dances begin in Indian summer. Such a difference indicates more in the area than in the difference in rituals. Assumption round dances begin on August 6, when fruits begin to be collected. In the old days, these celebrations took place in Tula gardens. The Venevians, who were exclusively engaged in gardening, began picking apples and pears with songs and round dances.

Semeninsky round dances take place all over Russia with different rituals and last for a whole week. Kapustinsky round dances begin in mid-September and are performed only in cities. The last round dances are Pokrovsky, and their departure depends on the time of year.

In addition to these doomed days, Russian round dances are performed at weddings, even in winter. I often happened to see how in winter, at Moscow weddings, girls performed round dances in their rooms.

Russian round dances are accompanied by special songs and games. The songs belong to distant times, when our fathers lived happily ever after, without grief and worries. There is no way to determine when the games were combined with round dances. This mixture of games and round dances is more noticeable in cities. Round dance games contain the dramatic life of our people. Here family life is personified in different types. Folk opera consists of round dances, taken exclusively. Its character, filled with local rituals and old beliefs, belongs inclusively to the Russian people.

In the Chernigov province at the end of Holy Week there is a special game: expulsion, or seeing off the mermaids.

Tales of the Russian people, collected by Ivan Petrovich Sakharov

RUSSIAN DANCE

Dance improvisations

Vladimirskaya fun

There are two girls in the middle of the circle. First, they walk in a circle, walking around all the gathered people and looking importantly at everyone, then, stamping their right or left foot, they meet. So they walked around each other from behind, one returned to her place, and the other, stamping her heels and kicking her legs shallowly, again walked in a circle, moving her hands now to the right, now to the left, looking fervently at those around her. She approached her friend again, raised her head, beat out a fraction with her heels and socks and sang high, loudly:

I danced "Ryazanochka"
She lowered her eyes down.
A friend told me:
"The accordion player loves you!"

Then, shaking her head, she ran around the circle in small fractions and stood in her place, turning to face her friend standing opposite her. Now the other girl, stomping “in three feet,” walked in a circle, moving her shoulders. Beautiful, stately, she stopped near her friend and, as if on the sly, began a ditty:

I didn't want to dance
She stood there, embarrassed.
And the harmonica began to play,
I couldn't resist...

The form of dance-improvisations, dance-competitions in our time has received further development. They became more dynamic, sharp rhythms, complex dance elements, and various combinations appeared. The girls dance more boldly, more energetically, competing as equals in skill with the boys.

And wild dancing

Stomper

Siberian lyrical

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 a figurative expression of thought. The completeness of all this is achieved by the synthesis of all components.

R Russian folk costume

Russian national costumes are very diverse. Not only each region, but often even a separate region is distinguished by a special combination of colors, the cut of the sundress, the shape of the headdress, and unique patterns. In the old days, girls spent many years preparing their holiday clothes, decorating their sundress and kokoshnik with patterns, embroidering shirts and sweaters. The rich costume, into which a lot of work was invested, was inherited from mother to daughter.

A sundress is typical for a girl's costume. It was worn in the North, and in Central Russian and southern regions. Girls' hairstyles and hats were noticeably different from women's. Girls braided their hair in one braid, wore ribbons and various headbands on their heads.

For men's suit The shirt is characterized by a special cut - a blouse (the collar is cut not in the middle of the chest, but on the side). The kosovorotka did not have a sewn collar-stand: the collar and opening were simply trimmed with a narrow strip of calico. The pants were made from canvas and decorated with patterns or stripes. Later they began to sew smooth dark-colored trousers.

AND history of the squat war dance

1. Chewy, lively grunters.
2. 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 combat 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 the early Middle Ages the 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 ones changed war dances.

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, text, speaks of antiquity. The absence of variants speaks of a “remake.”

Belarusians dance in a squat position in the Trepak dance.
Ukrainians in hopak, cossack and shingle.

Russians:

1. Lunyok, has not reached our time.
2. Buza, squat only occasionally.
3. Russian, danced alone and with a couple, there are dance options where there is little squatting.
4. The lady is dancing with a girl, whom another dancer is trying to beat off. There is an option without a squat.
5. 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:

1. As a method of combat.
2. 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. This 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 ripped open his white breasts, and the spirit 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 and lost his harness), then he jumped at 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.

1. Somersaults.
2. Sliders (movements on squatting and all fours)
3. Strikes and movements while standing.
4. 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.

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 rings, 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.

The purpose of the movements in the combat dance was both directly applied and conditionally combative, developing for dexterity and coordination. Since martial dance was an information carrier of 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.

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

“Their path was again blocked by a whole crowd of musicians, in the middle of which a young Cossack was dancing, twisting his hat like a devil and throwing up his hands. He only shouted: “Play more lively, musicians!” Do not spare Thomas, burners for Orthodox Christians!" And Thomas, with a black eye, measured out a huge mug to each person who pestered him. Near the young Zaporozhian, four old ones worked out rather shallowly with their feet, threw themselves up like a whirlwind to the side, almost on the heads of the musicians, and suddenly , having dropped down, they squatted and beat the densely packed earth with their silver horseshoes steeply and firmly. The earth hummed dully throughout the entire area, and in the air in the distance the hopaks and tropaks, knocked out by the sonorous horseshoes of their boots, were heard. But one milestone screamed more lively 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 put on her sleeves, and sweat poured from him like a bucket. “At least take off the jacket!” - Taras finally said. “See how it soars!”

- "Not allowed!" - the Cossack shouted. "From what?" - “It’s not possible; I have such a disposition: I’ll drink whatever I throw away.”

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, “he really would have started dancing himself!”4

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 of the Russian army had its 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 sound of an 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 cannot 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.

It is no coincidence that Tvardovsky devoted an entire chapter to accordion and dancing at the front:

The fighter just took the three-row,
It’s immediately obvious that he’s an accordion player.
First things first, first things first
He threw his fingers from top to bottom.

Warm up, hang out
Everyone goes to the accordion player.
They surround.
- Stop, brothers,
Let me blow on your hands.

The guy froze his fingers, -
We need emergency help.
- You know, give up these waltzes,
Give me the one?

And again, down with the glove,
Looked back well done
And as if that three-row
Turned the other end.

And forgotten - not forgotten,
This is not the time to remember
Where and who lies dead
And who else should lie.

Dancers for a couple
They rushed into a circle.
Breathed in frosty steam
The tight circle warmed up.

And the same driver runs
For fear of being late.

Whose drinker, whose breadwinner,
Where did you come to court?
He shouted so loudly that they parted:
- Give it to me, otherwise I’ll die!?

And he went, he went to work,
Advancing and threatening
How can he come up with something?
Which is impossible to say.

Serves one piece at a time:
- Eh, it’s a pity that there’s no knock,
Eh, friend,
If only there was a knock,
If only suddenly!
If only I could throw away my felt boots,
Shoe on your heel,
Print it right away.
That heel is a mess!

At least something for these guys,
From the spot - into the water and into the fire.
Everything that can be in the world
At least the accordion is humming.

Of course, when they had to dance in the snow or mud, they did not do jumps or sliders, only knees that were acceptable for the situation remained, but the spirit of the battle dance, the military fervor, did not diminish. They danced to warm up their legs that were numb in the trenches, warm themselves in the cold, and relieve pre-battle tension. https://www..html

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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 is difficult to imagine that a Russian folk dance became as popular as samba, latina, belly dancing and others modern styles. Of course, Russian dance has not been forgotten, but it is clearly not in favor with the masses today. 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 The origins of the dance art of ancient Rus', nor a complete idea of ​​what Russian dance was like dozens of centuries ago, is unknown for certain. All we know about the dances of those times from epics, oral traditions and songs is their ritual significance 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 past, the everyday life of 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” of 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.

Secret martial arts 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 hard day of work, Petro used to take it “on his chest” and go out to 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'.

Folk 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.

All Slavic dances have a characteristic feature - cheerfulness and a pronounced 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 a 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.

Russian folk dances are characterized by bright costumes. 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.

Perhaps the most famous Russian folk dance is the round dance - an ancient ritual in which people stood in big circle and moved in a certain direction, performing movements with their feet. This is not only Russian dance - round dances were common among many, only their names sound different.

Today round dances are almost forgotten, traditional form they can only be seen in some villages where they live. They remember the customs of the dance: everyone can take part in it - men, women, children and the elderly. Round dances are performed in national costumes, usually after the holiday as its final part. It is not always necessary to form a circle; there are several round dance figures: the fence, the reins, the na, the dance. The round dance ends with a dance part, this is no longer a ritual, but an ordinary one accompanied by an accordion. At this time, you can perform any folk dances, for example, trepak or barynyu.

Trepak

Trepak – more complex dance Compared to a round dance, it can only be performed by trained dancers. It consists of fast movements: it is mainly characterized by the famous squatting steps, when the legs are thrown forward. But trepak consists not only of them: the dance is accompanied by stomping, complex fractional steps, body turns and other elements.

According to custom, during the trepak, the dancers improvised, composing elements different kinds dancing. Today trepak can be seen performed dance groups, specializing in Russian folk dances.

Russian dance

Elements of Russian dance are similar to figures from trepak: it also used squatting, stepping and stamping. As a rule, Russian dance was performed by men; the dance began with a stance with hands on the sides, after which the dancer began to squat, sticking out his legs, and taking steps from several elements. During the women's dance, you had to sway your hips.

Often during Russian dances, dancers smacked themselves on parts of their bodies, especially their boots - this is how the Russian folk dance Kamarinskaya was born. The rhythm of this dance is quite fast and must be maintained constantly.

Folk dance is a reflection of life, mood and culture. It was thanks to dance that people were able to express their experiences and emotions using smooth movements and thematic musical motives. All Russian folk dances take their roots in Ancient Rus', many of them have survived to this day. The most famous are round dances, dances and quadrilles, which you can learn about in more detail below.

Russian folk dance

Folk dance is a harmonious combination of jumping and active movements, humor and elegant suits. They are a reflection of the broad Russian soul, which always strives for fun. In most of the dances, dancers tell the history of our country, its customs and the courage of the people. They were often accompanied by songs about kings and princes who ruled the territory of Rus' and left their mark on it.

Previously, there were also improvised dances (re-dances and mistress), as well as entire productions in which all the figures were placed in a certain order. The manner of performance, character and name could change in different regions countries, but the dances were always very funny and fast.

The dance was a certain competition between dancers who wanted to attract maximum attention from the public.

Russian round dance

Russian round dances are known throughout the world. They decorated the lives of our ancestors, who tried to convey the entire history of their homeland with the help of smooth and rhythmic movements. But it is not known for certain when exactly the round dances began.

Round dances were performed not only in fields and forests, but also in rivers, cemeteries and vegetable gardens. These were ordinary and festive dances, which are considered one of the most ancient. Preparation for festive round dances always took several days, when townspeople and villagers baked pies, brewed beer and mash.

Russian square dance

Russian square dance combines several dances, each of which is distinguished by its originality. Quadrilles were linear and square, as well as circular. In each of them, from 4 to 16 pairs took part, which move with a certain periodicity towards each other or towards the center of the circle.

Each of the figures had its own unique name, which was selected in accordance with the nature of the movements or dance patterns. The presenter announced the figures using a handkerchief or stamp.