Kopačka (folk dance)

In today's world, Kopačka (folk dance) is a topic that has become increasingly relevant and has captured the attention of a wide spectrum of audiences. Since its emergence, Kopačka (folk dance) has generated endless debates, research and reflections in different areas. Its impact has come to influence people's daily lives, as well as the development of various industries and sectors. In this article, we will explore the many facets of Kopačka (folk dance), from its origins to its current implications, with the goal of better understanding its meaning and importance in contemporary society.

Kopačka
GenreFolk dance
Time signature2
4
OriginPijanec, North Macedonia

Kopačka (Macedonian: Копачка; English: The farmers dance) is a traditional Macedonian oro, folk dance, from the region of Pijanec, a range of mountains in the eastern part of North Macedonia.

Kopačka is traditionally performed by male dancers. It is a fast-paced dance with fast movements on half feet, featuring extensive jumping, side movements and scissors movements. The dancers hold their belts with their left hand over the right one and begin their dance in a position of a half circle. The dance rhythm is 2
4
.

The dance was first introduced to Tanec (the national folklore performance group in North Macedonia) by the village dancers. The original name for the dance was Sitnata (Macedonian: Ситната; English: The small/fine one). Tanec changed the name to Kopačka and the dance subsequently became so famous that the villagers adopted this name of Kopačka for both the dance and the name of their group, to remind everyone whence this dance originally came.

The dance is based on a combination of two songs: Dimna Juda for the slow, walking part of the dance, and Derviško Dušo (Viško) for the fast part of the dance.

See also

Further reading

  • Dimovski, Mihailo. (1977:80-6). Macedonian folk dances (Original in Macedonian: Македонски народни ора). Skopje: Naša kniga & Institut za folklor