Horon (dance)

Horon with kemenche virtuoso Yusuf Cemal Keskin, Turkey 2007

Horon (Greek)[1] or khoron (Turkish: horon), which is related to Modern Greek χορός (chorós), refers to a group of a circle folk dances from the Black Sea region of Turkey.

The dances called horoi (Greek: χοροί), singular also horos, meaning literally “dance” in both Ancient (cf. also όρχησις) and modern Greek language, are circular in nature and are each characterized by distinct short steps. Today they are also danced in those regions of Greece where Pontic Greek refugees established themselves after 1922.

History

Horon or 'χορός'(dance) is a traditional dance of Pontic Greeks and it is originated in Pontus, which is located in the north region of today's Turkey at the Black Sea coast.

Description

Many Pontian dances are almost identical in steps to Greek dances. Pontian dances also resemble Persian and Middle Eastern dances in that they are not led, with no single leader in the dance formation. This is different from Greek dances but is a widespread aspect of Persian and Middle Eastern dances. A unique aspect of Pontian dance is the tremoulo, which is a fast shaking of the upper torso by a turning of the back on its axis.

The rapid shoulder and upper body movements from the waist might have evolved only in modern times, during the Ottoman reign, as some people seem to believe. These movements are said to have derived from the shimmying of the little silver anchovy fish (Turkish hamsi) found in mass abundance in the Black Sea, which has worked its way into an inseparable part of northern Anatolian culture.

Horon types

Extension and distribution of folk dances in Turkey

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.nisanyansozluk.com/?k=horon

External links

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