folk dance

American  

noun

1. a dance that originated among, and has been transmitted through, the common people.

2. a piece of music for such a dance.

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folk dance British  

noun

1. any of various traditional rustic dances often originating from festivals or rituals

2. a piece of music composed for such a dance

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verb

1. to perform a folk dance

Other Word Forms

• folk dancer noun
• folk dancing noun

Etymology

Origin of folk dance

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

This 1898 divertissement by Marius Petipa, to the melodious music of Alexander Glazunov, is accented with moves shaped by Hungarian folk dance and has long been a staple of various classical ballet companies.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Arm in arm, young people of different faiths perform the dabke, an Arabic folk dance, in the Italian port of Ostia, elated by a visit from Pope Leo XIV.

From Barron's • Oct. 18, 2025

It has no single origin, but draws on folk dance traditions across Europe and Africa and was consolidated as a dance style within the US country music scene in the 20th Century.

From BBC • Sep. 12, 2025

The dynamic Mohammed Smahneh, for one, moves fluidly between styles, his dancing a through line that links dabke, a traditional Palestinian folk dance, and breaking.

From New York Times • Jun. 19, 2024

This is the first time I get to dance Tinikling, a folk dance that mimics a tikling bird hopping between stems of grass and running over tree branches.

From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio