The round dance is the most ancient ritual dance that embodies the principle of eternal rotation. In the Slavic culture, it also has the names "salting" (by the sun), "Kolo", "Kolovrat" and hundreds of other variations. Round dance is the most ancient Russian dance - the ancestor of all types of folk choreography.
We can say that the Russian dance appeared, breaking the chain of the round dance. Not just a dance, but life itself, a symbol of the universal harmony - such is the Russian round dance.
There are two types of round dances - ritual and play. The movements of the ritual dance are guides to the inner world and follow the given structure of the dance, which certainly includes 7 sacred figures:
Pillars
The participants in the round dance form a motionless square, which then begins to move. Those who are behind, three go a little to the side, go around the rest and stand at the beginning of the square. The movement continues until everyone has moved. The "pillar" figure symbolized the unity of the earth and the sky, the feminine and masculine principles, which, moving and mixing, form the Universe.
Promotional video:
Rein
The participants in the round dance form wavy lines, which soon begin to gradually decrease in amplitude, eventually turning into a point. It is the wavy lines that personify the waves of the Ocean of Chaos, from which the new born appears, and into which the old deceased leaves.
Wattle
The name of this figure is not accidental. Like an artisan who starts making a wattle fence from the starting point, the participants in the round dance diverge from the center, forming increasing spirals every second, which symbolically illustrate the process of the Creation of the Universe.
A circle
The symbolism of the circle is not limited to two definitions - it is the completion of Creation, and Perfection, and Harmony, and eternal Time, and the Universe, and God, and the immortal Soul.
Side to side
During the execution of this figure, men line up in a row opposite women. Then begins the alternate convergence of the "two principles" and their communication. Women, as it were, accidentally drop scarves and wreaths, while men pick up and return the losses to their mistresses. They straighten their clothes on top of each other and disperse only to come back together in a moment. This figure perfectly illustrates that everything in the world exists only due to the interaction of two principles - the heavenly male and the earthly female.
Four sides
The penultimate figure is designed to show the final stage of the formation of the Universe. The participants form a square, the sides of which symbolize the four cardinal points. A stable and harmonious square perfectly reflects the state of the world in time and space. One of the elements of this figure is symbolic movements - the participants “sow millet” on four sides in order to “reap the harvest” soon.
Dance
With each figure, the movement of the round dance accelerates, and towards its completion the sacred dance acquires dashing prowess. During the dance part of the round dance, the most favorite folk dances are performed, accompanied by a daring accordion player. The best dancers begin to solo, skillfully and inimitably demonstrating their abilities. This is the moment of realizing your essence, your place and your purpose.
In the spiritual practices of all peoples, there are circular or curly joint walks with singing or music. Now we remember only the little-meaning children's walking around the Christmas tree. Psychologist and ethnographer Aleksey Kolyada and participants of the traveling training program "Journey to the Origins" reveal the depth of possible living in a round dance.
Summer round dances
The issue is compiled from materials of an educational film about the choreography of Russian traditional round dances, filmed in collaboration with folklorists who worked in the 70s.
Humor - linguists about round dances:
Those who lead round dances are round dances.
Those who study the creativity of round dancers are round dancers.
Those who like to read round dancers are round dancers.
Those who hate round dancers are round dancersophilophobes.
Those who eat round dancers are phylophobes.
Those who fight against the round-water-ledophilophobophages are antichlor-water-ledophilophobophages.
Those who pretend to be antichorovodovodofilophobophagov - quasi-antichorovodovodofilophobophagov.