How to learn folk dancing like a pro
Celebrations of regional folk music and dance take place around Bohemia, Silesia and Moravia each year, drawing hundreds of admirers. And while the tradition is only brought out on special occasions, the good news is that those charmed by their vibrant appeal can learn to dance them like a pro!
A defining feature of folk dances, which emerged during the 17th and 18th centuries, was that they were not taught in any formal way. People learned them directly at celebrations by imitation, and a fair amount of inaccuracy in movement was accepted as a matter of course. Today these dances –performed in colourful folk costumes that are specific to each region -are mainly mastered by people from the older generation and by folk ensembles. Still, members of the general public who are willing to learn, have many opportunities to do so.
Folk dance instruction courses are organised by folklore ensembles or cultural centres. They focus on regional dances from Bohemia, Moravia and Slovakia, such as sedlácké, skočné or verbuňk (a highly demanding solo male dance inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list).
Many ensembles run open courses for the public, for example in Prague or Brno, where participants learn the basic steps of a given dance, rhythm and spatial awareness.
Some dances are simple and easy to pick up. Others — with demanding ensemble choreographies or more complex figures like zavádky and bránly — require a high degree of coordination and regular practice. Each dance has its own specific tempo and rhythm. The level of difficulty depends on the particular dance, the speed and the number of steps or figures involved. Even so, the basic principle can be learned quite easily.
Magdalena Kaprasová heads the Folk Dance Department at the Prague Dance Conservatory. She says that her path to dance was straightforward. She hails from Uherské Hradiště in the Slovácko region, where dancing and singing were simply part of life and something she was familiar with from early childhood. She says that teaching folk dances is a dream job.
“Folklore has always been, and will always be, a form of human expression, where people show their emotions through folk songs and dances and enjoy sharing them within a group. I believe that what I pass on to my students has a positive effect on them and develops their sense of dance and musicality. And it gives them joy in movement. However, a word of warning. Folk dances may look simple, but they really are hard work!”
