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round dance

round dance

3.3
People move together in a circle following set steps, often with partners
  • noun
  • /raʊnd dæns/
translation icon : danza en círculo
  • In the daily work of elementary music teachers, it is not unusual anymore for children to play a Peruvian melody on recorders, sing a song from Vietnam, dance a traditional Polish round dance, or perform Shona cross-rhythms from Zimbabwe on xylophones.
  • round dance song
  • traditional round dance

Examples

  • An oboe was included so the children could see the instrument that plays the theme of the Princesses' Round Dance.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The scene then cuts to a quick shot of the Bradys and the Natives holding hands in a round dance, symbolizing a temporary multicultural mosaic of the "Indian" adoptees and the Native characters before the latter disappear from view.

    Academic text (2008)
  • "One-Eyed Ford," a popular intertribal round dance song, is a good example of how songs have changed as they have passed from generation to generation.

    Academic text (2003)
  • During their presentation of drumming and songs, the Native American students explained many of their traditions to the university students, who were encouraged to ask questions as well as participate in a traditional round dance.

    Academic text (2006)
  • White professors and students are excluded from some activities, but often the events are inclusive, such as Navajo taco sales at the Native American Center and friendship or round dances that we can all join.

    Academic text (2004)
  • The Tootsoosis Family, Drums of Poundmaker B Cree Powwow Songs, Northern Plains-style singing with higher pitch, includes Round Dance songs.

    Academic text (2003)
  • Based on their memories of the festival in the 1970s and the stories told by their parents about earlier versions, they chose to include many of the old gaming events and the public round dances that had lately been abandoned for newer diversions, such as treasure hunts and disco nights.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Danbury, CT: World Music Press, 1993. Includes scores of songs with vocal sounds underneath (including intertribal and Round Dance songs), along with descriptions of cultural context.

    Academic text (2003)
  • At the festival, we all joined hands and danced in a joyful round dance around the maypole.

  • During the celebration, the villagers performed a traditional round dance under the stars.

Synonyms

ring dance
vsround dance
4.5

A group of people who form a circle and dance together, often holding hands

is used for both ballroom couples and general circle movements not only folk
round dancing
vsround dance
  • US
5.4

Couples perform planned steps while moving in a circle to music guided by a leader

is broader covering any circular group movement not only ballroom couples

How Lively

reel
6 6.1
hora
  • Literature
1 7.5
round dance
3.3
folk dance
1 2.7
processional march
  • Formal
6.3

Surface Forms

round dance singular
round dances plural

Morphology

round + dance

The meaning is directly compositional: 'round' (circular) modifies 'dance' (a dance), yielding a dance performed in a circle. This simple modifier+noun structure is transparent and common cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

The noun round dance may come from old village dances where people held hands and moved together in a circle. The words round and dance give a simple picture of people turning together, so the phrase now means 'a dance in which people move in a circle'.