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folk dancing

folk dancing

3.1
Dances that people in a region pass down over time
  • noun
  • /foʊk ˈdænsɪŋ/
translation icon : danza folclórica
  • At the summer fair, traditional folk dancing was performed, showcasing the heritage of the town.

Examples

  • The local community center offers classes for anyone interested in learning folk dancing from various cultures.

  • During the festival, everyone enjoyed watching the lively folk dancing that celebrated the region's traditions.

  • At the Coral Beach Hotel, we watched several Malaysian games in progress as well as a mock Malaysian wedding ceremony with graceful Oriental folk dancing.

    Academic text (1995)

Synonyms

traditional dance
vsfolk dancing
1 2.8

A dance from a community that people learn from their grandparents

is rooted specifically among ordinary community members and regions
folk dance
vsfolk dancing
1 2.7

A traditional dance from a region that tells local stories

refers to the practice of that same traditional local form

How Traditional

folk dancing
3.1
dancing
758 1.0

Surface Forms

folk dancing singular
folk dancings plural

Morphology

folk + dancing

The meaning 'a style of dancing traditional to a community' is directly derivable from combining 'folk' (people of a community/traditional) with 'dancing' (rhythmic movement to music). This compositional noun–noun phrase follows a transparent, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words would readily understand the MWE.

Etymology

The noun folk dancing comes from ordinary people dancing together at local events: folk means common people and dancing is moving to music. These simple community dances were passed down in families and villages, so today folk dancing means 'traditional dances' of a region or community.