The art of expressive movement has its roots in ancient times. All peoples had song-games in which the movements of the participants illustrated the words of the songs. In different countries, there are many song-games related to everyday work. For example, agricultural peoples have games depicting the work of the farmer: sowing or harvesting bread, threshing, etc.
It is the national dance of the Ukrainian people hopak is a kind of competition between dancers. Hopak was repeatedly used in opera and symphonic music, not only Ukrainian, but also Russian.
The dances of many nations have become part of the professional art: the Belarusian "Lyavonykha", the Georgian "Lekuri" (widely known as Lezginka) and other dances.
Each nation has a dance that is most characteristic for it, in which the most important aspects of the people's life are expressed. Polka is a dance of Czech origin, the rhythm of the polka can be found in Czech and Slovak folk songs. Many Polish folk songs, lyrical and humorous, cheerful and sad, are performed in the rhythm of the mazurka.
The Polish polonaise dance has a different character. It ceremonial dance-move, which became widespread in court and aristocratic life. Many polonaises were written by Chopin. In his interpretation, it is most often a musical picture of the knightly life of old Poland, a picture full of grandeur and solemnity.
Therefore, melodies and rhythms of national dances belong to the most diverse musical genres, enriching the music not only of his native region, but also of other countries. They are included in the daily life of other peoples, and sometimes one even forgets where this or that dance comes from.
Yes, polka is considered by many to be a Polish dance because of its name, although it comes from the Czech word "half" (in this case, "half step"). Not everyone knows that the waltz, widely known in many countries, traces its origins to the folk dances of Austria, Germany, and the Czech Republic.
Waltz is the king of dances
Probably, there was no other dance that would have spread so much and acquired such an individual look in different composers, like the waltz. The waltz became very popular at the beginning of the 19th century. - even then it sounded not only to accompany dances, but also on the concert stage.
Waltz was born on a certain national soil, but gradually became a dance of almost all peoples of the world. He arose on a city street and a village square and became an extremely popular dance.
First he intended only to be danced, and soon literally flooded all branches of music without exception. This dance has existed for three centuries and has not aged at all. He was born somewhere at the junction of three countries: Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic.
First this was a simple folk dance and felt very well at the sound of several instruments, which were played by two or three musicians of the people in winged hats and rough wooden shoes.
And then, thanks to his extraordinary attractiveness, he in the 18th century. penetrated into the aristocratic salon, where I felt good about myself in the sound of an elegant harpsichord played by professional musicians in silk camisoles and powdered wigs.
Expanding the role of the waltz
Waltz music gradually ceased to be only music to which they dance - they began to listen to it. She joined all kinds of ensembles, even a symphony orchestra, and felt no worse on the concert stage than in the dance hall.
The waltz rhythm (movement "in the spirit of the waltz") became one of the favorite forms of song and romance, and together with them passed to the opera. It seems that there is not a single form of music left in which the waltz has not penetrated, it was sung to the accompaniment of the guitar, accordion and accordion, and today he has mastered it perfectly both in a variety ensemble and in a jazz orchestra.
Of course, during his long life, he waltzed changed his character, but this is interesting: during these three centuries, many other dances appeared. Each era gave not only new songs, but also new dances. Some stayed, others died. But these new dances did not interfere with the waltz - he lived, enriching himself with what each nation, each new epoch, each new time gave him.
And even today, when the so-called modern Western dances have become widespread, everywhere they dance - from a simple school evening to a formal diplomatic reception - along with all modern ones dancing definitely dance and waltz.
