folk dance

noun

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

2. a piece of music for such a dance.

folk dance

noun

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

2. a piece of music composed for such a dance

verb

1. to perform a folk dance

Other Word Forms

• folk dancing noun
• folk dancer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of folk dance¹

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

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.

Read more on BBC

Morris dancing is a form of traditional English folk dance that takes a variety of styles depending on where the group has come from.

Read more on BBC

That impulse led to Akin’s second feature, 2019 “And Then We Danced,” a much-lauded gay romance set in the world of traditional Georgian folk dance.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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.

Read more on New York Times

The art form of dabke, which means “stamping of the feet” in Arabic, is a popular folk dance with roots in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.

Read more on Seattle Times