1. The Baltics

The Baltics (not to be confused with the Balkans!) are the countries on the eastern edge of the Baltic Sea in northern Europe: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. They are bordered on the south by Poland and on the east by Belarus and Russia. The Baltic countries have at various times been part of the Russian Empire, the Swedish Empire, and the Soviet Union. They are now small but fiercely independent countries. The people who live in Latvia and Lithuania speak languages that belong to the Baltic branch of Indo-European. The Estonians speak a language related to Finnish and Hungarian, which is unsurprising when you look at a map and see how close Estonia is to Finland.

Although there is no linguistic unity among the three Baltic countries, in terms of costumes, music, and dance, they have much in common and, indeed, with their Scandinavian neighbors to the north.

Their costumes are characterized by flourishes of geometrically patterned ribbons and reflect the cold climates in which these people live. They wear many layers of clothing that fully cover their bodies. Felted jackets and vests are common. The cloth that some clothes are made of is often patterned with checks, plaids, or stripes.

The most characteristic-sounding instrument in Baltic music is the kankles/kannel/kokle, a plucked zither that sounds a bit like a harpsichord or a harp. They also play a small pan flute known as the skudučiai. Of course, you find the standard fare of accordions, jaw harps, bagpipes, and fiddles, too.

• Lithuanian Kanklès
• Estonian Kannel
• Latvian Kokle
• Skudučia

In terms of dance, the vast majority of dances from the Baltics are set dances (typically squares) with some couple and trio dances. They use running and walking steps to trace out figures around the dance floor.

• Estonia, Raksi Jaak
• Estonia, Jämaja Labajalg
• Latvia, Sudmalina
• Lithuania, Jonkelis

2. Poland

The other countries of Northeastern Europe, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, all speak Slavic languages.

Like many countries we’ve studied, Poland has been occupied and ruled by many countries and empires: the German Habsburgs, the Prussians, the Russians, and the Nazis. Poland was the site of some of the worst atrocities of the Nazi genocide. Following World War II, Poland became a communist satellite state until the 1980s, when it was among the first to see open rebellion against its authoritarian regime. This deeply Roman Catholic country is united by a single language: Polish. Nonetheless, Poland exhibits a diversity of cultural traditions, often linking to those of its neighbors (Germany, the Baltic states, Ukraine, Slovakia, etc.).

There is no single national Polish costume. The people of each region wear the ethnic dress of their own province. That said, common decorations include pompoms and ribbons. Both men and women wear boots to dance. Some examples are found in the figures below.

Polish music relies heavily on the violin and accordion, but you also find hurdy-gurdies, hammered dulcimers, bagpipes, zithers, and tambourines.

In the history of dance, Poland takes an oversized role. Polish folk dances gave us one version of the Polka (and Polska), the Waltz, the Mazurka, the Polonaise, and other dances widely performed throughout Europe. Western European and American dances borrow so heavily from the Polish folk tradition that it is hard to imagine Western dance without these Polish-inspired styles.

Unlike many countries, which have only one national dance style, Poland is characterized by the diversity of its music, costumes, and dances. Every region has its own distinct flavor. Mostly, Polish people dance as couples moving around a circle or square together using turning figures. See Przeworska as an example of such turning dances. But you will also find circle dances, such as the Góralski axe dance linked below.

• American Polka dance
• American Polka dance competition
• Ballroom Polonaise
• Ballroom Mazurka
• Lajkonik from Tucson performing Przeworska in Poland
• Góralski axe dance
• Krakowiak
• Kujawiak and Oberek

3. Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine

3.1. History and Geography

In terms of landmass, Russia is the largest country in the world, spanning 11 time zones and extending from the Baltic Sea in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. Ethnically, Russia is dominated by the Rus, who constitute the world’s largest Slavic-speaking population. But Russia also includes over one hundred ethnic minorities. Indigenous people of the north, in Siberia and along the Kamchatka Peninsula in the east, usually have ethnic connections with the Aleut, the Yupik, and the Inupiat Eskimo of Alaska, as well as with the Inuit of Canada. Certain Mongolian groups also live in Russia, and many people of Asia and the former Soviet republics of Central Asia also call Russia home.

Obviously, Russia remains a major world power and continues to compete with the USA for global influence. Next to Russia, west of Moscow, are two independent nations that assert their own cultures and political authority: Belarus and Ukraine. At the time of writing this book, Russia and Ukraine are locked in a terrible and brutal war. Even though these are now fiercely independent countries and adversaries, it is hard to discount the close cultural relationship among these three countries linguistically, musically, and in dance traditions.

3.2. Music

Iconic instruments of Russian and Ukrainian music include the bandura, which is a large, strummed harp-like instrument; the balalaika, which is related to the tambura but is characterized by its distinctive triangular shape; the garmon, which is a small button accordion; and the bayan, which is the large orchestral chromatic accordion. The bayan is called an orchestral instrument because it’s incredibly complex and has a rich sound that makes it sound as if multiple instruments are playing.

• Bandura
• Balalaika orchestra
• Bayan

3.3. Traditional Dress

Like the traditional costumes of many Slavic nations, Ukrainian and Russian costumes are often heavily embroidered. Boots are the standard for dance footwear. Unmarried Ukrainian women wear elaborate crowns of flowers and ribbons on their heads. Russian women wear hats that look like the Pope’s miter. Ukrainian men wear distinctive red or blue satin baggy pants with a cloth belt.

3.4. Dance

One surprising detail about Russian and Ukrainian dancing is that traditional dances are rarely found in urban contexts today. Very traditional dances are now often performed only by immigrant families and folk dancers in countries like Canada and the USA, or at very rural village dance events. What you now find as representative folk dancing in Russia and Ukraine is almost exclusively elaborate state choreographies. These stage choreographies are usually very spectacular. The men perform athletic, showy steps inspired by Cossack dancers, including the Prisyadka, squats, and kicks. Women typically do floating, elegant circle dances called Khorovodnaya, which echo the floating dances of their southern neighbors in Georgia.

In 1936, Igor Moiseyev began the character dance movement in Russia. He choreographed and staged traditional Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian folk dances for stage presentation. His dancers had ballet training, so he incorporated balletic steps and movements into traditional folk dance forms and patterns. His choreographies included glimpses of folk rituals such as Bread-and-Salt Welcome ceremonies, solstice celebrations, baptisms, and regional wedding festivities. Wedding scenarios always featured an amusing drunken dancer.

Belarusians actually adopted one of Moiseyev’s dances, Bulba (the potato), as a traditional folk dance. This character dance movement, combined with the suppression of most aspects of folk culture during the Stalinist and Soviet years, most likely erased traditional folk dance from these countries. Since the end of the Soviet Union, however, there has been a bit of a “roots” revival in Ukraine and other former Soviet countries, where people are looking at doing more traditional, non-stage dances.

• Russian Berezka floating dance (Beryoka Ensemble)
• Ukrainian Hopak (Virsky National Ensemble)
• Belarusian Bulba
• Russian Yablochko (Moiseyev Folk Ballet)
• An excellent seminar on traditional dance in Ukraine

Further Reading

• David (1979), Dziewanowska (1997), Koop (n.d.), Marek and Marek (1997), Wolska (1952). See the References section at the end of this book for full citations.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Poland

Some Suggested Dances for Teaching

The following links take you to descriptions and instructions from my website, Folk Dance Musings, for dances appropriate for teaching to new dancers.

• Alexandrovska
• Bielolitsa Kruglolitsa
• Korobushka
• Vesyolaya Kadril
• Sasha
• Syp Simeon
• Troika
• Arkan
• Klapok
• Polka Jadownicka