In Hungarian folklore, dances imitating animals can be classified here, among others. These were mostly children’s dances and dances for entertainment at weddings and social occasions. With the exception of the fox dance, which contains some magical elements, we are talking about dances that playfully imitate the behaviour of certain animals and show the similarity of movement in a group. Among the squatting and jumping dances, the frog dance and the sarcadic dance were widespread. The frog dance was performed with squatting and hopping movements, sometimes in groups, and even with chants imitating the frog’s voice. In contrast, the magpie dance was danced by the girls and was a Galgavidék pastime. They stood in pairs, held each other’s hands in front of them, perhaps on their hips, and danced in squats and jumps, spinning round and round in little leaps.
They also performed chain dances imitating animals, of which the most common were the snake dance, the duck dance and the crane dance, which imitated the movement of animals. The snake dance was a group dance of ducks, performed by men and boys after midnight, which was common at weddings. They would hold each other’s waists or hands, and the leader would try to hit his partner at the end of the line with the braided shawl he was carrying. The duck dance was also a wedding dance, in which the lead dancer had to imitate the other participants: they had to follow him everywhere, like ducks do for the gibbet. They imitated his every move, if he hid behind the furniture he did so, if he jumped or ran he did so, and if he was inaccurate the leader would whip him with a handkerchief or a whip made from a leather strap. The darutan dance was similar to the snake dance: the leader would be followed by the line, and the leader would try to hit the person dancing at the end of the line with the scarf he was carrying.
Finally, a word about the fox dance mentioned at the beginning of this article. This is the male solo dance of the gypsy settlements in the lowlands. There is no typical animal imitation part, it consists of foot strokes repeated by the man who is dancing, accompanied by rhythmic, indecent lyrics. After the lyrics were finished, they threw themselves on the floor in a gesture imitating intercourse. Its spread throughout the country was facilitated by the fact that gypsy children used to reward the donation they received by performing it when begging.
Although animal imitation dances were also known throughout the country, they were not actively incorporated into local dance systems, but rather danced occasionally, compared to the couples’ dances.
Dóra Horváth
Source:
https://mek.oszk.hu/02100/02115/html/1-189.html
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https://mek.oszk.hu/02100/02115/html/2-1747.html
https://mek.oszk.hu/02100/02115/html/3-462.html
Source of imagine: mtabtk.videotorium.hu, pinterest.com
Main photo: Magpie dance