The most difficult dance in the world (tradition, America)

[Djamila]

Kyiv, Ukraine, was the first Slavic capital in Europe and all Slavs, whether Northern (Russian, Ukrainian, Czech, etc.) or Southern (Bosnian, Croatian, Slovenian, etc.) owe a great deal of their culture to that which was established in Kyiv.

Nothing moreso than the signature Slavic folk dance, the Hopak. Although it has long since faded from the cultural repetoire of most Slavic countries, it remains alive and well in Ukraine and among the Ukrainian diaspora around the world.

It is known as the most difficult dance in the world, closely linked with traditional Slavic martial arts - also exemplified today by Ukraine. What makes the Hopak especially unique is the level of participation it affords women, who traditionally play minor roles in Slavic folk dances.

So, if you've never seen a Hopak, brace yourself...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_9hwBLwqW8

[Djamila]

A better video. That first group were amateurs, they didn't even do a single lift or circle, women-throw. Or any of the fancy footwork the men do...

http://sjl-static7.sjl.youtube.com/vi/qIFXFvVpPos/2.jpg

[Djamila]

Still didn't have my favorite move, though.

There's two varieties of it - the northern Slav, and southern Slav version.

In Bosnia how it works is the men hold hands and form a circle, facing inside the circle. The women then stand in between the men, facing outside the circle, and hook their arms around the men's shoulders and chests like they've got them back on a couch relaxing. The men then spin in the circles and the women lift off the ground and kick one heel on the ground, then swing up and click the other heel together all the othe women's heels in the centre of the circle above their heads.

In the northern version, the men put one arm in the centre of the circle, and face a common direction. Like they're doing a "GO TEAM!" hustle before a sports thing, or something. Their other hand they wrap around the woman's waist, each man has a woman, and then they spin and the woman lifts off the ground.

[Djamila]

HEY! Some spins from... can you guess? An AMERICAN Ukrainian dance group!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1EM428yNN0

[Djamila]

Ahhh! The Texans in that video do the EXACT MOVE I described, my FAVORITE one!

[Hope]

Wow....that was pretty impressive! Though, it looks as if the men do most of the hard stuff.