Bulgarian folk dance regions: Severnjaško

Courtesy of www.eliznik.co.uk

Dances from the North of Bulgaria are mainly mixed, with similar styles for men and women. They are danced with an upright body carriage, with weight over the balls of the feet which allows the dancer to perform fast footwork with high knee lifts and various crossing steps similar to those found in dances from southern Romania. The impetus is upwards, hops are further off the ground than in the Šop region and knee lifts are less sharp.

A variety of hand "positions" and movements are common in this Region. These include hands joined in low hold and swung backwards and forwards, joined in "W" hold in which case the arms "jig" up and down in time with the music making small circular movements, joined crossed behind backs (na lesa) or placed on hips, thumbs back.