Slovak Folk Dances
In Slovakia, tradition is also kept alive in the form of music and dance. Slovak folk music is popular throughout Slovakia, with different regions performing their own unique dances. When Slovak folk groups perform a dance from a particular region, they wear the traditional costumes typical of that region.
Slovak folk dances are especially popular in the Orava, Liptov, Šaris and Horehronie regions of Slovakia.
ORAVA DANCES
There are many different Slovak dances typical of the Orava region. These beautiful traditional dances include:
Cepovy
This is a folk dance full of energy and quite typical for the Low Orava Region. The dance represents the old traditional way of threshing cereals with flails.
Olasku
This dance is performed by girls dancing over sticks, which are called ‘love’. Olasku, Orava.
This dance comes from the village of Osadka, in the Low Orava Region, and girls traditionally dance this when playing up on the meadows and also at ‘fasiang’ festivals.
‘Fasiang’ is a Slovak festival, with traditional masks, from the Low Orava Region. Typical masks include a bear, a gypsy, a soldier, half-man/half-woman, loktibrada (little bearded dwarf) and others.
SARIS DANCES
The Saris
The Saris is an energetic dance performed by a couple, which is typical for the Saris region, in Eastern Slovakia. The routines includes the following dance elements:
- Karicka
- Bottle Dance
- Sarispolka
HOREHRON
This is another energetic folk dance, which is typical for the Horehronie Region, in Central Slovakia. The dance is always very popular with the crowds thanks to the characteristic stamping rhythms.
MYJAVA
An energetic dance performed by a couple, typical for the Myjava Region, in Western Slovakia.
SLOVAK MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
The folk music that accompanies the dancing, is played using the following musical instruments:
- Violin
- Viola
- Double Bass
- Clarinet
- Accordion
- Penny Whistle
- Bagpipes
- Cimbal
- Fujara
