![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/2000._Stamp_of_Belarus._Kryzhachok_crop.svg/640px-2000._Stamp_of_Belarus._Kryzhachok_crop.svg.png&w=640&q=50)
Belarusian folk dance
Ethnic dance of the Belarusian people / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Belarusian folk dance?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
Belarusian folk dance (Belarusian: Беларускі народны танец) is a Belarusian folk dance art, presented in the form of folk domestic or staged scenic dance.[1][2] The history of Belarus and efforts to preserve Belarusian traditions have shaped the dances in use today, which have many ancient and archaic elements.[3] These dances started to form in the 14th century, and originated in East Slavic rites. In the middle of the 19th century, traditional folk dancing began to merge with quadrilles and polkas from Western Europe.
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/2000._Stamp_of_Belarus._Kryzhachok_crop.svg/320px-2000._Stamp_of_Belarus._Kryzhachok_crop.svg.png)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/2001._Stamp_of_Belarus._Lyavonikha.svg/640px-2001._Stamp_of_Belarus._Lyavonikha.svg.png)
The Belarusian folk dances are divided into three groups: illustrative, playful, and ornamental. Belarusian choreographer Larisa Aleksyutovich further subdivides Belarusian dances into the following genres:
- "actual" dances (traditional dances, quadrilles, polkas)
- folk dances
- circle dances
- games in the form of a dance[3]
The concept of a "Belarusian folk dance" includes three components:
- authentic dance performed in everyday life
- staged folk dance
- ethnic dance[4]