Horon

For other uses, see Horon (disambiguation).

Horon (Pontic: χορόν, romanized: khorón) is a group of traditional folk dances from the Eastern Black Sea Region in Turkey.

Horon with kemenche

Children from Turkey perform folk dance

Name

Etymology

The term horon derives from Greek choros (Greek: χορός, romanized: khorós, see chorus), which means "dance." The earliest instance of its usage in a Turkic language is in Codex Cumanicus from 1303.^[1]

In the provinces of Ordu and Giresun, the term horan is used instead of horon.^[2]

Variants

Over 50 variations of horon have been identified in a single region.^[3]

Origin

Horon or horonu is the Turkish equivalent of the serra war dance of the Pontian Greeks, resembling the ancient Greek Pyrrhic armed dance.^[4]

Dance

The horon is typically performed by a group of men or women in a line or semicircle. This dance form involves fast shoulder shimmy (Greek: Τρέμουλο, tremoulo), trembling of the entire body, and sudden squats.^[5] Horon dances require speed and agility in a dancer.^[3]

See also

Associated category

• Pontic Greek folk dance
• Laz folk music

Similar dances

• Dabke, Levantine folk dance
• Khigga, Assyrian folk dance
• Tamzara, folk dance from the Armenian Highlands