Introduction

There are thousands of folk dances found throughout Turkey.  Each region has its own dances and each dance has its own steps, music, and costumes.  Dances are performed by men alone, women alone, partners of the same or different sex, and by groups.  They are performed at festivals, weddings, ceremonies, and on holidays.  Each dance expresses a theme of courage, national character, and communicates from one generation to another the stories and traditions of the past.  Four popular dances are the Horon, Kasik Oyuna, Kilic Kalkan, and Zeybek.  

The Horon

The horon is an Anatolian folk dance from the Black Sea region.  There are over 50 variations on this dance alone!  It is usually danced by a chain of men or women who form a line or semi-circle.  Combinations represent the work of the fishermen and the movements of the fish from this ancient fishing area.  Movements include a shivering or quivering which suggests the motion of the fish, the hamsi, sudden squats, sharp turns, stamps, kicks from the knee, high thrusts from the thigh, walking while squatting, hopping forward on the left leg while pawing like a horse on the right, and sudden outward arm thrusts.  The dance is done at an increasing tempo set by the kemence, a primitive stringed instrument.  The cura zurna (a Turkish oboe), cura davul (drum), tulum (like a bagpipe), and, more recently, the accordion are instruments which also perform the music for the horon.  The male dancers are dressed in black costumes with silver trimming while the female dancers wear colorful dress.

The Kasik Oyuna

The Kasik Oyuna, or Spoon Dance, is performed from Konya to Silifke by colorfully dressed men and women.  The dancers click out lively rhythms on the spoons and make quick and sprightly movements with their feet and arms.  This dance is done in the formation of a line, semi-circle, or circle and the lyrics tell the story of the nomadic Turks or their daily routines once settled.

The Kilic Kalkan

The Kilic Kalkan, or Sword and Shield Dance (kalkan=shield, kilic=sword), is a dance performed without music and by men only.  It is a dance that expresses the story of the Ottoman’s conquest of the city of Bursa.  Bursa, located on the northwestern part of the Turkish Mediterranean coast, became the capital of the Ottoman Empire.  The men wear early Ottoman dress for this dance.

Zeybek

There are about 150 types of zeybek (zeibek) dances.  The zeybek were  mountain warriors living in Asia Minor along the Aegean Sea.  The leader of a zeybek gang was called an “efe”.  The zeybek dance is a slow, graceful dance done by men.  One man usually begins by strutting to the strains of the clarinet and drum music.

 HOME