The “căluşari” is the Romanian word for the participants in a traditional folk dance, the căluş, nowadays mainly found in Southern Romania. The dance closely resembles the

other European dances and it is thought to be derived from a pre-Christian fertility ritual and

spring rite, and is said to bring luck, health and happiness to the villages in which it is danced. Others maintain that it is rooted in the ancient

Indo-European worship of horse. It is quite possible that various traditions became mixed in the course of history. For example, they are

also supposed to have healing powers.The “căluş” is a male group dance, although there are records of traditions from Oltenia region that included 1-2 young girls, now

obsolete. Dancers wear white trousers and white tunics with brightly coloured ribbons

streaming from their hats. Bells are attached

CĂLUŞARI

to their ankles, and dances include the use of sticks held upright whilst dancing, or pointing at the ground as a prop. Like many similar dances, in many traditions these dancers include a fool or a mute.

The dance includes the following elements:

- the starting figure of walking, or a basic step, in a circle moving counter clockwise;

- more complex figures performed in place between walking steps;

- figures are formed from combinations of elements, often have a beginning-middle-end structure.

Other male group dances originating from ritual dances are found along the Carpathians and in Transylvania.

Claudia Lupu – VI E, “Liviu Rebreanu” School,

Mioveni town, Arges county, Romania