Balkan folk dances in Dublin
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This is a short version of the site in English with the most important information about Balkan folk dances in Dublin. The more popular modern terms are Bulgarian folk dances, Greek folk dances etc., however, folk dances from one region, in some cases spread beyond today's administrative borders of the countries. I look at ethnographic regions (as Thrace, Dobrudzha, Rhodopa, Macedonia etc.) and research the folk dances. Starting from today's Bulgaria and see where the path will lead us ...:)
Traditional Balkan / Bulgarian Folk Dance Classes for Adults in Dublin or as we prefer to call them - practice.
Why focus on Bulgarian folk music?
Bulgarian folk music is distinguished by its use of irregular, or asymmetrical, metres, which set it apart from many other European musical traditions. Rather than relying on regular duple or triple patterns, Bulgarian dances frequently employ additive rhythmic groupings such as 5/8, 7/8, 9/8, and 11/8, organized into combinations of short and long beats (for example, 2+2+3 or 2+2+2+3). Although asymmetrical metres are found throughout the Balkans, they are especially prominent and highly developed in Bulgarian folk music, making it a defining feature of the region's musical identity. Their influence extends beyond folk tradition, inspiring composers and ethnomusicologists, including Béla Bartók, who recognized their originality and referred to them as "Bulgarian rhythms."
"Asymmetric rhythms are present in the traditional music of other Balkan countries: Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Turkey, Greece, Albania, as well as in some Central Asian, Indian and Sub-Saharan cultures. Nevertheless, most theorists agree that their biggest prevalence and variety is in Bulgarian music. The term Bulgarian rhythm, as a means to describe the asymmetric meters in Bulgaria, was first coined by the Hungarian composer/pianist and music theorist Béla Bartók (1881-1945), after he became acquainted with the impressive collection of Bulgarian folk songs, comprised by the Bulgarian folklorist Vasil Stoin (1880-1938)."
More information you can find in the source if this quote as well as of the examples below at: Bulgarian Rhythms: Past, Present and Future by Borislav Petrov