Folk dance classics and popular songs
When you think of folk dancing, many schools probably include it as one of the events at their sports days or athletic festivals, right?
I’m sure many of you actually danced folk dances during your school days.
Folk dance, to begin with, refers to dances set to traditional songs from various countries, and there are a lot of pieces used for folk dancing.
In this article, we’ll introduce a wide range of folk dance songs from around the world—from standard classics to lesser-known, niche tracks.
If you’re a school teacher, a member of a PE committee, or anyone looking to choose music for a folk dance, please use this as a reference.
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Folk Dance Classics and Popular Songs (11–20)
Elizabeth Quadrille
Here is a piece used for a somewhat advanced folk dance where eight people face inward in a square to dance.
This dance, called the quadrille, is said to have originated in France, and it originally involved not person-to-person dancing but four pairs of people and horses forming various figures via reins.
The music is in triple meter, giving it a more elegant feel.
The choreography was created in the 1950s by the couple Marian and Ned Gault.
It’s interesting that we can clearly identify who devised the choreography.
Mexican Hat Dance
The Mexican Hat Dance is a traditional Mexican dance song, originally based on the piece Jarabe Tapatío.
It’s danced by a man and a woman, with the woman fluttering a beautiful skirt from traditional Mexican attire.
The music is beautiful, lively, and quintessentially Mexican—perfect for fun events.
A gentle folk dance is nice too, but thanks to its bright tone and guitar timbre, this energetic song is also recommended for anyone looking to liven things up.
It could be fun to think about costumes as well!
Sicilian Tarantella
This piece is a dance from the Italian island of Sicily.
Across Italy, there are intense dances said to be performed to drive out the poison after being bitten by the tarantula, and they are all called “tarantella,” but the music and choreography differ.
The Sicilian Tarantella in this video is quite unique: it’s danced while playing a tambourine and even includes a game of rock-paper-scissors.
After the game, the choreography where the woman rejoices when the man loses is also amusing, and unlike folk dances that simply repeat the same steps, it has a storyline.
Tango mixer
Here is a dance choreographed by Olga Kurbytsky from America to a tango melody.
The song is called “Adiós Muchachos,” which means “Farewell, friends” in Japanese.
Tango is said to have its roots in West African rhythms, and today there are two main styles: Argentine Tango, which developed mainly in Argentina, and Continental Tango, which developed mainly in Spain.
Dancing to the passionate strains of the tango could make folk dance feel quite passionate, too.
Shoemaker Dance
When I hear “Shoemaker Dance,” nothing immediately comes to mind, but once you listen to the music—surprise! It’s a tune everyone has probably heard at least once since childhood.
It’s very similar to the Japanese children’s song “Ito Maki no Uta” (“The Spool-Winding Song”), isn’t it? It’s actually a children’s dance song from Scandinavia.
I’ve heard that some of the choreography resembles “Ito Maki no Uta” as well.
It would feel refreshing to hear this song during a folk dance.
Since it’s a dance tune for children, one of its charms is how quickly you can learn the moves and start dancing.
Jibidi Jibida
This is a folk dance of French origin in which participants form a circle, clap their hands, and begin with the first person.
If you are pointed at by that first person and end up dancing face-to-face, you join that line, and at the same time the head of the line reverses direction.
In this way, the line grows longer, making it a fun dance.
Until you are pointed at, you stay in the circle and keep clapping to the beat.
The title “Jibidi Jibida” has a playful ring to it, and the game-like nature of the dance makes it enjoyable even for small children.
Folk Dance Classics and Popular Tunes (21–30)
Rek Rek Ramit BarSasha Arugofu
Its origins are said to lie with Nahal, the Israeli pioneer combat youth corps, who danced it; the title means “Let’s go to the desert.” The lyrics say, “Boys, let’s go to the desert and pioneer.” It features a distinctive opening choreography in which dancers join hands and walk in a circle facing sideways.