Many national dances are well known all over the world: tango, flamenco, waltz, cancan. But Russian folk dances are not well known even to the inhabitants of Russia, since they did not become widespread and gradually became the property of history. These are such ancient dances as trepak, round dance, lady, apple and others.
Round dance
Perhaps the most famous Russian folk dance is the round dance, an ancient ritual dance in which people stood in a large circle and moved in a certain direction, performing movements with their arms and legs. This is not only Russian dance - round dances were common among many Slavs, only their names sound different.
Today, round dances are almost forgotten; in their traditional form, they can be seen only in some villages where Old Believers live. They remember the customs of the dance: everyone can take part in it - men, women, children and old people. Round dances are performed in national costumes, usually after the holiday as the final part of it. It is not always necessary to form a circle, there are several figures of round dances: wattle, reins, on four sides, dance. The round dance ends with a dance part, this is no longer a ceremony, but ordinary dances to the accompaniment of an accordion. At this time, you can perform any folk dances, for example, a trepak or a lady.
Trepak
Trepak is a more complex dance than 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 the 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, making up various types of dances from the elements. Today trepak can be seen performed by dance groups specializing in Russian folk dances.
Russian dance
The elements of the Russian dance are similar to the figures from the trepak: they also used a squatting position, a step and stamping. As a rule, men were engaged in Russian dance, the dance began with a stand with hands at the sides, after which the dancer began to squat, putting his legs out, making steps from several elements. During the women's dance, you had to wiggle your hips.
Often during the Russian dance, the dancers clapped themselves on parts of the body, especially on the boots - this is how the Russian folk dance Kamarinskaya was born. The rhythm of this dance is quite fast and must be maintained at all times.
In the past, dance was taught to all children from a young age. This dance was performed on major holidays. Often at fairs or during Maslenitsa, contests were held among dancers: sometimes for the quality of the dance, and sometimes for the endurance - it was necessary to dance "until you drop."
Lady
The lady is danced together by a woman and a man, but their elements are different: the dancer performs squatting, stomping, jumping, symbolizing the courage and dexterity of the peasants, and the dancer holds a scarf and moves more smoothly, like a stately landowner. The lady is dancing to a balalaika or an accordion in traditional costumes. Another Russian national dance, the apple comes from a lady.
