According to unofficial estimates, there are more than 500 traditional Bulgarian folk horo dances, many of which are danced only by elderly people in small, remote villages across the country. To keep them from disappearing, between 2020 and 2025 the Taratanci team began travelling around Bulgaria, working with choreographers, ethnologists, folklorists and tradition bearers of Bulgarian folklore. As a result, we have so far collected the footprints of more than 100 Bulgarian folk horo dances, which we are gradually processing and digitising as visual graphic figures.

In the catalogue of Bulgarian folk horo dances below, you will find a list of the dances we have recorded to date. The names highlighted in orange are dances we have already processed. Clicking on one will take you to our YouTube channel, where you can see how the horo is danced, where it comes from, who showed it to us and how we collected the footprint of its steps.

In recognition of this contribution to safeguarding Bulgaria’s intangible cultural heritage, Taratanci received the European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award in 2021.

Origin of the word “horo”

The word horo comes from the Latin chorus, a gathering of dancers and musicians, and also from the Greek choros, a round dance, which was performed in Ancient Greece in honour of Terpsichore, the muse of choral dance and song, “she who delights in the dance”. The muse’s name comes from two words: terpo (to delight, to rejoice) and choros (dance).

The origins of Bulgarian folk horo dances

The origins of Bulgarian folk horo dances lie in our distant past, in every aspect of our people’s life: in their communal labour, their pagan beliefs and customs, and their traditions.

As a Slavic people, our ancestors were engaged mainly in farming, animal husbandry and hunting. And when a tribe reached the seashore or the course of a great river, we also proved to be skilled sailors and fishermen. The level of economic development has always been reflected in our way of life, customs and traditions. Our folk horo dances, and the songs they are danced to, clearly reflect the everyday work of the people: reaping, mowing, hoeing and more.

As the fruit of our people’s collective wisdom and experience, Bulgarian folk horo dances have followed the course of history. They grew richer in theme, rhythm and variety of steps and movements, gradually moving from simpler to more complex and refined forms, variations and combinations.

The type, form, rhythm and combination of steps in Bulgarian folk horo dances inevitably illustrate every side of folk life: various stages of the people’s work, moments of domestic life, certain superstitions, rituals and celebrations.

Style and character of the dances in Bulgaria’s ethnographic regions

Bulgarian folk dances are grouped into folklore regions according to their distinct manner of performance. Each region has its own style and character of dance, but no sharp boundaries can be drawn, as the regions have influenced one another over the years. Style refers to the outward expression of the body’s movements, while character is the sum of the dancers’ inner feelings and state of mind.

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