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At parties and
festivals Russian folk singing often goes hand in hand with
traditional dances. Every Russian region has its own form of
folkdance with its own name and distinctive dance patterns. But some
features are common for most folkdances: women traditionally dance
waving their handkerchiefs, whereas men display various dancing
stunts to parade their daring, strength, and agility. Some of the
better-known songs for dancing are the Kalinka, the
Tsyganochka (a Gypsy-style dance), the Yablochko, and the
Kamarinskaya. |
Traditional
dances and songs are often performed to the accompaniment of the
balalaika - a three-stringed instrument with a triangular-shape
body that first appeared at the beginning of the 18th century, or
the bayan – a Russian version of the accordion, which was
brought to Russia from Vienna in the 1830s. In more recent times,
the guitar became common in Russian towns, and today is, perhaps,
the most popular musical instrument among various groups of
Russians, such as students, hikers, soldiers, and gypsies.
Russian
folklore, with its images, stories, characters, and melodies, has
been a major source of inspiration for Russian writers, composers,
and painters, including the poet Pushkin, the composers Glinka and
Tchaikovsky, the painter Vasnetsov, and many others.
Copyrighted material
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