Term

• The official term "folk dance" was introduced in Europe during the 1800s to distinguish between ballroom dancing as performed by aristocracy and the dances of peasants. However, folk dance was also a part of court life. "Carolers" engaged in folk dancing in the medieval times and roamed throughout the United Kingdom and other European nations. In other cultures, the terms "traditional" or "ethnic" are applied to ceremonial dances.
  
  

Characteristics

• Many types of folk dance fall under the term folk dance; however they exhibit a handful of commonalities. Most dances evolved spontaneously before or during the 19th century. They reflect and uphold tradition rather than prize innovation in the art form. No authority has established formal rules, teaching methods or competitive arenas. Folk dances were created for common people whose participation is not restricted by age or class.
  
  

Types

• Varieties of folk dance include: English country dance, Scottish country dance, Nordic polska dance, Irish dance, Morris dance, Maypole dance, square dance, sword dance, Ball de bastons, contra dance and clogging, to name a few. Irish step dancing features the rhythmic stomping of the feet and was made popular by the performance "Riverdance." In the Maypole dance performed on May Day, ribbons are attached to a tall pole covered with garlands. Dancers clutch a ribbon and circle the pole. Reminiscent of tap dancing, clogging is performed by twice tapping the ball and heel of the foot on the ground. The German schuhplattling dance involves smacking the body and feet in a synchronized pattern. Many American square dances---e.g., the Virginia reel---are based on European folk dances.
  
  

Scholarship

• Three scholars---Cecil J. Sharp, Maud Karpeles and Violet Alford---from England engaged in folk dance study. After attending a Morris dance in 1899, Cecil J. Sharp was inspired to explore the origins of the dance, and then launched the English Folk Dance Society in 1911. Sharp and his assistant, Maud Karpeles, traveled to America in 1917 and spotted the Kentucky "Running Set," a country dance where couples move in smooth glides. Violet Alford edited a series of handbooks that described various folk dances as well as listed festivals.
  
  

Character Dance

• Folk dances have been stylized and incorporated into classical ballet. Several 19th century ballets---e.g. "Swan Lake," "Don Quixote" and "Raymonda"---feature court gatherings in which different types of folk dances are performed for entertainment, thus providing variation from the ballet sequences.