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Folk dance classics and popular songs

When you think of folk dancing, many schools probably include it as one of the events at their sports days or athletic festivals, right?

I’m sure many of you actually danced folk dances during your school days.

Folk dance, to begin with, refers to dances set to traditional songs from various countries, and there are a lot of pieces used for folk dancing.

In this article, we’ll introduce a wide range of folk dance songs from around the world—from standard classics to lesser-known, niche tracks.

If you’re a school teacher, a member of a PE committee, or anyone looking to choose music for a folk dance, please use this as a reference.

Playlist

Folk dance classics and popular songs
show_chartTitlePlaylistOne point
1eastTatarochkaThis song might not be very well known, but...
2eastChe Che KuleThis one, also known as a children's playground song…
3eastKinderpolkaThis piece is also known as the Polka of the Little Goat...
4eastKorobushkaThis song dates from the late 1980s to the 1990s...
5eastMayim MayimThe most memorable among the folk dances we danced at school…
6eastLa BambaThis song is the theme song for the movie “La Bamba,” and...
7eastJenkaJenka is a folk da...
8eastharmonicaThe “ha…” that means accordion in Israel…
9eastTurkey in the strawThe most well-known folk s...
10eastDoudlebská PolkaThis dance is performed by a male-female pair, but...
11north_eastPresca Patch KoroPerfect for folk dancing: “Preskap…”
12south_eastOslo Waltz"Oslo Waltz" is the United Kingdom, Norway...
13eastAce of DiamondIt began as a dance of Danish farmers…
14eastElizabeth QuadrilleA folk danc… where eight people face each other in a square and dance
15eastSicilian TarantellaThis song is a dance from Italy’s Sicilian peninsula…
16eastMexican Hat DanceThe “Mexican Hat Dance” is Mexico…
17eastwooden shoesLithuania’s “Wooden Shoes,” just as the title suggests, i...
18north_eastShoemaker DanceWhen I hear 'Shoemaker Dance,' I kind of get the feeling that...
19north_eastJibidi JibidaA French-origin folk dance in which people form a circle and…
20south_eastTango mixerTo the melody of a tango, in America...
21north_eastTroika“Troika” is a Russian folk song about a three-horse-drawn...
22north_eastHinematovMoshe JacobsonThe Miami Boys Choir with their innocent yet beautiful voices…
23south_eastHab lanu yainIn an Israeli dance, the title “Hava Na…”
24eastBamboo DanceThis dance has been passed down in countries such as the Philippines and Thailand…
25north_eastGrand SquareAmerica's Old Time Square Da...
26south_eastRek Rek Ramit BarSasha ArgovIts roots lie in Israel’s pioneering youth combat brigades...
27north_eastLa Mazurka AntiguaIt's music from Puerto Rico. 'Antigua (…
28south_eastKurunpakoisIn Lithuanian music, a close man and woman get into a quarrel…
29north_eastMinuet in G majorJ.S.BachIt is one of the European dance tunes and is in 3/4 time…
30north_eastTen Pretty GirlsIt's an American folk dance. Several people stand side by side...
31south_eastYaburochikoRussian folk songIn the Russian folk song that means “Little Apple,” ...
32north_eastHava NagilaThis song straddles Ukraine and Romania...
33south_eastShibboleth BasadaIt’s an Israeli dance. It is danced during the harvest festival…
34south_eastZorbaMios DeochilatosThe famous Greek film “Zorba the Greek…”
35eastSagapoA very fast-tempo dance performed in Israel…
36eastThe railroad tracks go on forever.American folk songThe original song is said to have been related to the construction work of the transcontinental railroad...
37north_eastAirscuo CoroThis piece is a folk dance tune from the Republic of Serbia…
38north_eastGolden SlippersGolden Slippers Golden…
39south_eastTen Little IndiansSeptimus WinnerIn the original song’s lyrics, the ten boys had an accid...
40north_eastBo’itiy el-HagalilYair RozenblumIt's an Israeli dance, and the title is in Hebrew...
41north_eastAll-American PromenadeThis piece is not as a folk dance tune, but rather…
42north_eastRosalia of the MountainThe original song is called Aleksandrovski, and it...
43south_eastcorridosA corrido is a Spanish term meaning “a song in the style of a narrative”...
44south_eastTango IrishmanIt's a British folk dance. As for the tango…
45south_eastCamdance ClaradineIt’s a Belgian dance. The title is “Clara, …”
46north_eastTzadik KatamarIn an Israeli dance, the title means “Righteous…”
47south_eastOh, Dem Golden SlippersJames BrandA song famous as an American popular song...
48south_eastCossack danceSpeaking of folk dancing, men and women pair up...
49south_eastChimes of DunkirkFolklore handed down in Belgium and the Flanders region...
50south_eastPolyankaPolyanka is Ukraine’s representative pho...
51eastGavotteGossecTo begin with, a gavotte is a traditional dance from a region of France...
52eastKohanochikaIt's a Russian folk dance. Khorovod and...
53eastMa-Na-buYosi SpivakThe lyrics are taken from the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament, chapter 57, verse 7...
54eastKiss, kiss, kiss.Osbaldo FaresThe title means “Maybe, maybe, maybe…”
55eastLauterbachThe way something is called can change depending on the region.
56eastAshleigh AishUri ShevachIt is a folk dance originating in Israel. It is mainly performed by men and women...
57eastKalinkaIvan LarionovA beloved Russian song, with music by Larionov…
58eastHora MedraJoel WalbeThe meaning of the title is the ‘ho…’ of a campfire.
59eastRakukaraMexican folk songThe title is Viktori..., who was Villa’s archrival.
60eastKorobeinikiNikolay NekrasovA dance with an easy-to-follow structure, and the tempo gradually...
61eastLet KissRauno LehtinenA staple in Japan, also affectionately known as Jenka...
62eastGustavs SkorThis song depicts Sweden at its peak in the 17th century...
63eastLet’s dance, fun Polechke!Often sung in Japanese as well, this song is Po...
64eastCuckoo WaltzJohan Emanuel JonassonA light, lively ri-… as if a cuckoo were calling.
65eastPatty Cake PolkaThis dance is a clappy move like kneading cake...