Popovičanka is a chain folk dance from eastern Serbia. While the literal translation is “Girl from Popovica,” there is a practice in the Balkans of naming tunes and songs with a feminine conjugation of a city name…just because, and it’s probably better translated as just “Popovica” or “A tune/dance about Popovica.” Balkan folk dance, music, and culture expert Radboud Koop makes this point over at Folkdance Footnotes. Some dance notes say the dance comes from the village of Jasenica or actually Popovica, both of which are located in the municipality of Negotin in East Serbia. Additional information on geography, music, and who taught what version is at Folkdance Footnotes.
| Dance Name: | Popovičanka |
| Original Script: | Поповичанка |
| Pronunciation: | POH-poh-vee-CHAN-kah |
| Translation: | Popovica (a city in Serbia) |
| Aliases: | Popovichanka |
| Country of Origin: | Serbia |
| Region: | East (Jasenica or Popovica/Popovice), Negotin municipality |
| Choreographer: | (Village) |
| Taught in USA: | Bora Gajički, Desa Djordjević, Rickey Holden, Slobodan Slović, Miroslav Marcetić, |
| Year: | 1970s, 1990s |
| Dance Type: | Non-Partner | Circle/Chain |
| Dance Category: | Village Folklore & Oldies IFD |
| Native Presence: | Living w/o IFD Variations |
| Skill Level: | Easy |
| Energy Intensity: | Lively |
| Tune: | Popovičanka |
| Time Signature: | 2/4 |
| Dancer Formation: | Short Lines, Open Circle |
| Hand Hold: | V-pos, Front Basket, Belt |
| Leads to: | F w/ R (R) |
| Styling: | lively and bouncy, but light, small steps |
| Date Taught: | 1/20/2026 |
| Teacher: | Sallie |
| Published: | January 31, 2026 |
| Updated: | February 1, 2026 |
Popovičanka Variations
The village version of Popovičanka can be characterized as forward and back, rocking and reel steps (rockin’- and a’ reelin.’) One chorus variation has been taught widely by instructors in USA (Zig-Zag) and a second to a lesser extent (Grapevine). It is unclear if any variation was/is found in village situations or, the more likely case that they are performance and IFD creations.
Reel Step
Some groups take sideways rocking to an extreme in the backward reel step. I think the goal is to keep the upper body movement to a minimum while achieving showy side reel steps (foot moves backwards behind the other in a circular “reel” motion to the side with straight knee). In the simplest version, the reel step is omitted and it’s just backwards stepping.
Arm Swings
Non of the printed dance syllabi I found online mention arm swings. Andrew at Folk Dance Musings documents “arms swings as Arms swing forward on each (1) count and back on each (2) count.” Obviously, arm swings are not possible with basket or belt holds. Here are some variations seen in posted videos:
- No arm swings
- Entire Dance: Forward on each (1) count and Back on each (2) count
- Rocking Steps (to match melody): Fwd (1), Back (2); Fwd (1), Back (&), Fwd (2)
- as above for Rocking Steps, then reverse direction Back and Fwd during reel steps. This gets tricky on the last count when the arms are SSQQS while the steps are SSSS.
Village Examples
Dancing Examples: Basic + 1 Common Variation: Zig-Zag
The variation is danced on the music chorus (second 16 bars of 2/4: 8 bars x2). This is consistently used in two or three variation dances for the chorus of the music.
Dancing Examples: Basic + 2 Variations: Zig-Zag & Grapevine
Alternate between Basic (8 bars x2) and Grapevine (8 bars x2) for verse and always dance Zig-Zag (8 bars x2) for chorus.
Music Examples
From Folkdance Footnotes: Issued on the RTB 2310228 LP from 1987 Muzika narodnih igara – 3 Igre istocne Srbije. This LP contained dances from the program of Desa Djordjevic and it included in the booklet a brief dance description [on Folkdance Footnotes].
Notes from Radboud Koop posted on Folkdance Footnotes:
This is actually an old recording made by the Dutch band “Ansambl Rakija” and issued on LP in 1976 by Nevofoon 15016, side A band 9 (LP title “Joego Slavië zingt en danst” [Yugoslavia sings and dances], see discogs. This LP accompanied a Yugoslavian folk dance program for the Dutch recreational folk dancers collected by the Dutch folk dance teacher Frits Meijer. In the accompanying dance description booklet there is no additional information about the dance except that it is a dance from eastern Serbia, but I assume the source of the dance is Desa Djordjevic and/or Rickey Holden, because it consists of basically the same steps. The 2022 YouTube post of this music uses the fake name Suma Ograda, which is a fantasy word referring to the personal name of the Dutch publisher of this LP (there exists no orchestra or person with this name).