Dancers Appear To Levitate Above The Stage In Intriguing Folk Dance Performance

Feb 10, 2021 by apost team

Although all forms of art might be considered amazing in their own right, there is something majestic about the art of dancing.

Dancers push the envelope when it comes to what human bodies can do, and sometimes they do it in ways that are so incredible that you can hardly believe your own eyes. This particular routine features 16 dancers coming together in perfect harmony, a feat that surely isn’t easy to accomplish. The dancers, part of the Ensemble Folklorique Russe or Russian Folklore Company, performed at the Théâtre du Léman in Geneva, Switzerland, on Dec. 4, 2012.

The only thing that makes dancing even more exciting is when dancers put their skills together and synchronize them in such a way that it seems like they’ve been practicing for an eternity.

Oftentimes many dancers will come together to perform a haunting routine that is just magical and exciting to watch. Although you may think you’ve seen it all by now when it comes to types of dancing, it’s almost a sure thing that you’ve never seen anything like this!

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In this specific routine, the type of dance that they practice is known as traditional Russian folk dancing. Although it may look like these dancers are gracefully floating around the stage, they only use their feet and don’t have the use of roller-skates or another device that would make it easier for them.

In fact, these dancers spend the entirety of their routine up on their tip-toes, which cannot be a simple and painless process. Anyone who has ever tried to practice ballet would know just how hard this is to accomplish.

Even their costumes are exquisite, even though they are actually traditional costumes for this type of dance. The long dresses bring even more mystery to the performance, and something about not being able to see their feet glide around the stage makes the dance even more magical.

The dancers perform their art, known as a circle dance, with the grace and elegance that all dancers strive to have.

But what, you might ask, is the history of this sort of Russian folk dancing? According to the Russian National Tourist Office, Russian folk dance has a long lineage that traces back to the 10th century. At that time, Russian folk dance and music emerged when Slavic tribes first entered into Russia. As more ethnic groups traveled to Russia, their cultures intermixed, leading to a richer and more diverse dance tradition. 

Russia’s Tourist Office continues by pointing out that most of the dancers during this early period came from the lower classes while the upper-class citizens would watch these performances. Despite their working-class backgrounds, early Russian dancers wore elaborate costumes, including “holiday headdresses, embroidered blouses, belts and ornamented aprons” for women, and “shirts, a belt, narrow trousers and high boots” for men. Furthermore, many of these costumes had red accents, given that the color holds an important place in Russian culture as a symbol of beauty.

With that said, those unfamiliar with Russia might think that the country’s traditional dance boils down to “Cossack Dancing” or “Ukrainian Hopak stage dancing,” which dominates the Western imagery when it comes to Russian culture. In this well-known dance, dancers get low to the ground, squat, fold their arms and kick their legs out, as the Tourist Office explains. Although this remains many Westerners' dominant understanding of Russian dance, there are many forms of Russian dance, including Khorovod, Barynya, Kamarinskaya, Chechotka, Karelian Dance, Ingush Dance and Tatar Dance.

Out of all these dance traditions, it seems that the performance below most resembles the Khorovod form of Slavic dance. A mix of circle dancing and chorus singing characterizes this East Slavic dance, which boasts a more than 1,000-year history. The circular Khorovod dance, which has Pagan origins and is influenced by Greek culture, represents the movement around the sun while also symbolizing the meaning of friendship and togetherness. Traditionally, this symbolic dance was organized by older women who were called khorovodnitsa.

Viewers of the original video, most of whom commented in Russian, seemed to resonate with the 1,000-year-old dance.

“It is reminiscent of swans swimming on a lake,” William E. Lanning Jr. wrote. “They appear tranquil to watch but under the water they are paddling their feet like crazy. These very attractive dancers make it seem effortless.”

“I am an Uzbek, but I respect Russians, their culture, their songs and dances,” another viewer wrote in Russia. “Bravissimo to the girls! They dance like swans swimming!!! Such a technique, such a talent!!!”

One of the most famous and important modern choreographers of Russian folk dance, who likely influenced this 2012 performance, was Igor Moiseyev. Moiseyev was famous for establishing a dance company in 1937, the Moiseyev Dance Company, that was entirely dedicated to traditional Russian dance. Trained at Russia’s prestigious Bolshoi Theater dance school, Moiseyev went on to choreograph over 300 original works, traveling around the world for performances.

Moisezev died on Nov. 2, 2007, at the age of 101, leaving behind a towering artistic legacy that critics called “stupendous.”

“The Moiseyev Dance Company’s energy, virtuosity, precision and ingenious distillation of folk styles from many lands set audiences cheering worldwide,” Jack Anderson writes in Moiseyev’s New York Times 2007 obituary. “When the troupe made its New York debut in 1958, presented by the impresario Sol Hurok at the Metropolitan Opera House, it became the first major Soviet dance group to perform in the United States. The visit helped usher in a new era of cultural exchange, formalized that year by an agreement signed by the United States and the Soviet Union.”

Unfortunately, Moisezev died before the below performance, though there’s little doubt that he has left his mark on the Russian folk dance scene.

Furthermore, thanks to the internet and websites like YouTube, his legacy will live on in perpetuity. Viewers from across the planet can now enjoy cultural events like the one below without paying hundreds of dollars and traveling thousands of miles. And with more than 5 million views, it’s safe to say that this fascinating slice of Russian has touched millions of people from Russia to the United States.

You can watch the exciting routine for yourself in the video above. What do you think about this Russian folk dancing? Have you ever seen anything like it? Let us know in the comments and pass this along to your friends and family members!