Gypsy dance
Sofia Folklore Region
Gypsy dance is a Bulgarian dance from the Sofia folklore region of Bulgaria and has a time signature of 4/8. The Sofian folklore region is situated in Southwestern Bulgaria and stretches from Bulgaria's border with Serbia in the West all the way down to Rila in the South and to the Iskar river in the East. The people from this region are generally known to be innovative, hard-working and with a sharp sense of humour. To a great extent these traits can be seen in the music and dances too. Even the typical folklore clothing and attire from this region is markedly different to many of the other regions. The female tends to wear a dark blue or black woolen dress interlaced with white and red whereas the male is typically with a blue jacket or white and red costume with a white cotton emroidered shirt. The Sofian dances are often very dynamic and quick and require the dancer to be light of foot and to incorporate little jumps into the routine. Lots of different time signatures can be heard in the dances from 2/4, 7/16, 9/16, 11/16, 12/16 among others. In some dances the dancers can be heard to shout and 'natrisane' is characteristic where the dancers 'wind-up' or oscillate the upper body from the waist to the shoulders.