Folk Dance Info & Learning Pages

What’s a “Circle Dance?”

Firstly, I use the folk dancer’s definition of folk dance: “The dances that [international] folk dance group do.” Most of what our group and other International Folk Dance (IDF) groups dance is a form of non-partner “circle dance,” also known as “chain dance.” Circle dance is an ancient form of non-partner social and sacred dance where dancers connected to each other in a chain by some sort of hand/arm/finger/belt hold. The actual geometric formation is controlled by the dance style, available dancing area, and whim of the leader and ranges from straight line(s), serpentine curve, any level of incomplete (open) circle, full (closed) circle, or even concentric circles. Other folk dance sites and literature will often refer to this circle/chain dance form as a “line dance,” but I reserve that term for what has now been popularized by country-western dance in USA, where individuals form rows of lines and dance the same pre-defined choreography for a specific tune. Furthermore, as an engineer, I have a hard time thinking of a “line” as anything other than being straight, even though that’s just the mathematical definition, and in common parlance, a “line” is just a continuous path of singular width.

But to confuse things more for you, Sacred Circle dances are often referred to simply as “Circle Dances” with the intention that it means “Sacred Circle Dance” rather than the broad encompassing term “circle dance.” Sacred Circle Dance is a different kind of animal than historic International Folk Dance circle dance, because the method mixes and matches motifs and elements of folk dances from various countries, but the dances usually aren’t cultural representations of any style, and the music cultural choices are often very different from the dance styles. This causes some confusion and drives international folk dance purists insane! I include Sacred Circle Dances because many IDF groups have welcomed the new additions to our aging repertoires.

Dance Groups

“Dance Group” is only used for web page title purposes and is similar to dance type, except “Circle Dance” is broken into subtypes

After sticking the term “Circle Dance” in many page titles as I have been updating the site, it seems—even though it’s perfectly correct—that the term “circle” causes some confusion when applied to dances that are not in the form of a complete, “closed,” leaderless circle. I’m still not going to call those “line” dances, but I’ll compromise and call them “chain” dances, even though they are in the same dance group.

• Non-Partner Dances (no partner, but each dancing the same steps or choreography)
  • Circle Dance or Chain Dance (read What’s a “Circle Dance?”)
    • Circle Folk Dance: Non-partner dances done by IFD groups with dancers usually connected by hands, arms, belts, etc, but sometimes no hold. The formation is a complete (closed) circle. All dancers do the same steps (with possible individual variations). Dances may be ones people currently or at one time danced in the country attributed to the dance. They may also be dance creations representative of the music and dance style of a country, but never actually danced by the people in that country.
    • Chain Folk Dance: Same as Circle Folk Dance above, but the formation is not a completed (closed) circle. The formation ranges from straight line(s), serpentine curve, any level of incomplete (open) circle, and the leader is most commonly on the right end, but can be on the left end in some dance styles.
    • Solo Circle Dance: This is my own term for non-partner dances done in a circle where the dancers are not physically connected, but they are dancing the same choreography or variations of the same base choreography. This is a creation strictly for IFD or performance to represent motifs and movements that would normally be part of a solo dancer’s improvisational repertoire when participating in a real-life situation. In such a setting, there would be one solo dancer, a couple interacting, or solos and couples throughout the dance area, but not in any formation. Dances from Romani culture, such as Cigánytánc from Hungary, are the main entry in this dance group.
    • Sacred Circle Dance: Non-partner circle dances that don’t represent any specific ethnicity or style but are rather choreographed with simple steps expressing the music and spiritual bonding between humans and between humans and the earth. The repetition of the steps allows dancers to enter a trancelike and meditative state. The genre of music is noted, but this in no way indicates that the dance is representative of the corresponding country, ethnicity, or style.
  • Line Dance (country-western style): Non-partner dances where dancers are arranged in a single or multiple lines and dance as individuals doing the same choreography, which is specific for the song or tune. Country-western bar and club dancing in USA popularized this form, but the line dance form preceded and has now expanded far beyond just the country-western genre. Although many line dances are done by international folk dance clubs, the dances are neither traditional “folk” nor ethnic dances, although there are folk dances done in line format.
• Partner Dances
  • Partner Folk Dance: Traditional partner dances done by the common folk, distinct from the ballroom dances of the privileged. This group includes both choreographed, called, and free-style dances.
    • Mixer Folk Dance: A subgroup of Partner Folk Dance. Choreographed partner dances, usually in a circle, where dancers change partners by one progressing (usually moving forward) to a new partner while the other remains in place, receiving a new partner.
    • Couples Circle Folk Dance: Nearly identical to a Mixer Folk Dance done in a circle, but original partners are maintained throughout the dance.