GREEN BURSA SWORD-SHIELD & FOLKLORE DANCES ASSOCIATION OF BURSA

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THE SWORD AND SHIELDS DANCES
Sword-shield dances have been performed for 650 years by men. In the past swords and shields were used as weapons. Nowadays,these dances are exhibited in many national and international festivals and have earned great interest and admiration. The sword-shield dance demands great attention and skill. There is no music, and the rhythm is beaten by swords and shields, which are struck together. This is the greatest speciality of these dances.

The regional hand-made costumers are completely authentic. The sword-shield dance consists of seven figures and takes about 13 minutes The figures symbolize honesty, pride, brotherhood and peace. This group has joined a lot of folk dance festivals in Turkey and abroad so far We were invited to C.I.O.F organizations and other festivals in the U.S.A, England, Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland,Switzerland, Poland and Romania.

WOMEN’S FOLK DANCES
Women’s folk dances have been performed for about seven centuries. They usually dance for pleasure at engagements, marriages, celebrations etc. The music is played by two or three instruments (drum,clarinet and saz a string instrument). The rhythm is beaten by special wooden spoons which are hand-carved from special wood from the mountainous regions of Bursa (Keles) and they have a special desing. The women hold them in both hands and beat them rhythmically according to the music. The dancers ussually sing the songs while they dance. The national costumes are authentic. Today they are still made and worn in the mountainous regions of Bursa. The wool is spun and coloured with natural dyes extracted from plant roots and it is woven by hand. These clothes have been produced in this way for hundreds of years. A national costume consists of twelve pieces and also some accessories. Each piece has a special name. These dances have earned an international reputation. They have won many different awards from all over the world.