*a Living dance is a 1st Generation dance that is still performed in the country of origin (or immigrant communities) as part of a social event like a wedding where others can participate (not for an audience) by people who learned the dance informally (from friends and relatives by observation and imitation, not in a classroom situation). For more information, click here and here.
One of the most popular dances in Bulgaria today is Chichovo horo (CHEE-choh-voh) – chicho means ‘uncle’. It’s said to be from the North Bulgaria cultural region, which borders Romania. A Romanian influence is apparent, what with the grapevines and ‘stamps’. I’m told the ‘stamps’ aren’t necessarily hard, more like touches. Chichovo horo is yet another variation on the Taproot Dance. Take away side-behinds 1, 3, & 5, and you have __ ,__, R step, L cross, __, __, R step, touch L, __, __, L step, touch R.
Dance notes below from this site: http://www.tomdeering.com/dancenotes/Chichovo.htm Note – the Variation Step, though an option, is not commonly used, at least in the 40 or so YouTubes I’ve seen.
