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Ardeleana dance form

The couple dances of west Romania are dominated by the Ardeleana family of column dances. These dances are found in the Crisana area (Bihor, Arad and Banat). These dances are also found among Romanians living within adjacent parts of modern Hungary, in the villages of Mecherechi and Aletea (Elek).

They are performed by couples facing their partners, arranged in a column, in a compact formation. Most basic figures involve the dancer moving to the side and back, either in the same or opposite direction as their partner.

 The name Ardeleana suggests a Transylvanian origin, which could suggest an origin pre-dating the scattered Învârtita couple dance. It may be that the Haţegana has a similar origin with its formation in an arc rather than a straight column.

More recently men's slapping sequences have been added and in some places the column structure has been replaced by scattered couples.

Ardeleana couple dance types

There are basic variants of the Ardeleana, each of which are represented by different types in Bihor and Banat;

• slow Ardeleana
  • Polca, Poarga, Luncanul (Bihor), Ţarina (Ţara Moţilor)
  • Ardeleana, Lenţa, Duba, (Banat)
• fast Ardeleana
  • Mânântel (Bihor, Arad)
  • De Doi (Banat) is related to the Brâul bătrân in terms of the step sequences
• syncopated Ardeleana
  • Pe Picior (Bihor, Arad) is related to the Bărbătesc and Roata in terms of the step patterns, particularly the men's stamping motifs
  • Sorocul (couple dance type) is particular to Banat and appears to be a slow syncopated Ardeleana to slightly asymmetric music

 

Choreographic form, motifs, & music

Dance rhythms explained:

• Straight - a basic 2/4.
• Asymmetric - where the beats of each measure are of different lengths, but not exact multiples. This is common in all families of Romanian dances from Transylvania and Banat.
• Syncopated - the step is shifted by less than a beat after the expected timing. This is used throughout Romanian dance, including asymmetric rhythm couple dances.

type	names	form	structure	motifs	music
slow Ardeleana	Polca, Poarga, Luncanul (Bihor) Ţarina (Ţara Moţilor)	couples arranged in a column	dancer moving to the side and back, either in the same or opposite direction as their partner	men have stamping steps, and leg slapping sequences	2/4
	Ardeleana, Lenţa, Duba (Banat)	couples arranged in a column	dancer moving to the side and back, either in the same or opposite direction as their partner	interweaving and encircling arm patterns with the women performing rapid turns	2/4
fast Ardeleana	Mânântel (Bihor, Arad)	couples arranged in a column	dancer moving to the side and back, either in the same or opposite direction as their partner	men have stamping steps, and leg slapping sequences	fast 2/4
	De Doi (Banat)	couples arranged in a column	dancer moving to the side and back, either in the same or opposite direction as their partner	interweaving and encircling arm patterns with the women performing rapid turns, step pattern is related to the Brâul bătrân	fast 2/4
syncopated Ardeleana	Pe Picior (Bihor, Arad)	couples arranged in a column	dancer moving to the side and back, either in the same or opposite direction as their partner	men's step patterns are related to the Maramureş Bărbătesc and Roata in terms of the stamping step patterns to a fast tempo	2/4 (split 3+3+2)
	Sorocul is particular to Banat and appears to be a slow syncopated Ardeleana to slightly asymmetric music.	couples arranged in a column	dancer moving to the side and back, either in the same or opposite direction as their partner	many gentle and almost stately steps	2/4 slightly asymmetric