💃 Top 10 most exotic national dances in the world
Have you ever started getting acquainted with a culture unknown to you through dance? I can assume not. As a rule, when planning a trip, we find out about the laws of the country, local attractions, and national cuisine. We don’t climb into the historical jungle—we don’t take bread from the guide. At the same time, we lose attention to such an interesting art form as dance. And he has a superpower – in a minimum amount of time he can “tell” about the customs of the people, habits, character and cultural characteristics.
See for yourself – the passionate Argentine Tango, the temperamental Spanish Flamenco dance, the cheerful Czech Polka, the selfless Italian Tarantella. You read the titles, and excerpts from movies, music tracks or living memories are already running through your head. I suggest moving from popular dances to unusual ones and learning the stories of their appearance in the cultures of the peoples of the world.
Adumu (Kenya and Tanzania) or “jumping dance”
There is a feeling that the Massai tribe is known precisely because of their ritual dance, Adumu. Anyone who goes on an East African safari gets to see first-hand the jumping capabilities of the local population. The thing is that during the performance of Adumu, the men of the Massai tribe line up in a circle and, bending their knees, jump up as high as possible to the beat of the chant. This is a kind of demonstration of strength and endurance. Whoever is taller gets the most respect in the tribe and an enviable bride.
The dance impresses with its energy and deceptively simple movements. The Massai jump with such ease and a smile on their faces that you can’t help but think, I can do it too. But it was not there. On the first try everything goes back to normal. By the way, only a fragment of Adumu is shown to tourists. In general, dance is part of large celebrations of initiation, dedication, and weddings.
Whirling Sufi Dervishes (Turkey)
The dance of Sufi dervishes is not just spinning around its axis. It carries a deep sacred meaning. The action begins with the reading of Rumi's poems in praise of the Prophet Muhammad. Then dancers in wide skirts come out to the music and begin to spin from right to left, also moving in a circle.
Their arms are initially crossed on their chest, and as the music speeds up, the right one goes up – towards God, the left one goes down – towards the earth, people. This symbolizes the passage of divine energy through the dervishes. The dance lasts for an hour. During this time they stop four times. These pauses are called greetings. The first symbolizes the knowledge of the existence of the creator. The second is a sign of admiration for the Universe. The third is performed in honor of love for everything created by God. The fourth is sent to the soul. Having reached the climax of the rotation, the dervishes slow down the pace. At the end they kneel, showing the return to people and the transfer of God's love to them.
Tsam (Tibet, Mongolia)
The most spectacular of the dances presented is Tsam (translated as “Dance of the Gods”). This is a whole theatrical art that reflects the essence of Buddhism. Today, any tourist can see the mystery of Tsam. And initially this religious action was only for initiates and exclusively within the walls of monasteries. The fact is that the dance contained complex mystical meanings that not everyone understood. Over time, Tsam became accessible to the eyes of ordinary people – the action was moved to the square in front of the monastery. And the formidable mystery was reborn into a bright, elegant and rare theatrical spectacle in its impressive emotional power.
It is worth clarifying that Tsam is a multi-hour ceremony. It consists of pantomime dances of monks and lamas in special ritual masks depicting various deities, spirits and heroes. All vestments of Tsam participants are consecrated immediately before the action. But the energy emitted by the dancers is so strong that it simply permeates all the masks and costumes and is transmitted to the audience. To see a direct religious ceremony, it is recommended to come to mountain monasteries on holidays.
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Sirtaki, Greece
Next on the list we have one of the youngest dances that has become almost folk. In 1964, director Michalis Kakoyannis made the film “Zorba the Greek.” The script requires a dance performance. The choreographer comes up with a combination of slow and fast versions of the hasapiko (ancient warrior dance). The main role in the film is played by American Anthony Quinn. It was he who gave the name to the dance. After filming the final dance, where the invented choreography was used, the director asked what the name of this dance was. Quinn replied: “It’s sirtaki. Folk dance. One of the locals taught it to me.” And so it went into the world.
Sirtaki is not officially recognized as a Greek folk dance, but it has undoubtedly become an integral symbol of Greece.
Hula, Hawaii
The Hawaiian Islands' storytelling dance is the Hula. It brings to life history, genealogy, prophecies and stories of those who came before this earth. Even today it is danced with deep meanings and meanings. As the native Hawaiians say, when performing Hula, the connection between the Earth and man is facilitated. It's something like a spiritual practice. Dance has a huge history. For a long time it was traditional, folk, unifying. Missionaries who arrived on the island declared it pagan and banned it. The indigenous population then brought Hula back from secrecy to public life.
With the beginning of the development of the tourism business, the dance has again undergone changes. Usually in films, Hula is depicted as girls swaying rhythmically to gentle music, which is very different from real dance. Many wonderful songs have been written for the “tourist” format, many beautiful and fascinating costumes have been sewn for sale. But if you really want to, today tourists can see the original version of the dance. You just need to leave the hotel.