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Sung dance called “Beraçe”
  1. Home
  2. Korça Region
  3. Korçe Municipality
  4. Sung dance called...
Sung dance called “Beraçe”

By the end of the 19th century, musical instruments were sparsely found, hence musical communication was orally expressed through ballads, funny songs, weddings, laments, and so on.

This is how this material was produced, which is a sung wedding dance. The beraçe sung dance comes in three parts, namely: marrësi (the first soloist who starts the song or taker), prerësi (the soloist who cuts it or cutter), and the one who holds the voice, i.e., iso sound.

Marrësi leads and sings the basic song text and prerësi accompanies the lead voice. This duo comes to a climax in the dance. The dance consists of “moderato” and “cutting”, which make the song and dance spectacular. People practiced and interpreted this genre to revive the element of continuity. This material is performed at 2/4 or 7/8 rhythmic measure.

In terms of choreography, the dance starts in a linked circle. It keeps repeating the same step with korife (the lead dancer) starting the song accompanied by prerësi and the others holding the iso. The move is very intricately merged with the varying rhythm of the song.

“Hajde moj atje ne çezmë e madhe,

Beraçe moj, beraçe moj,

Moj nënë të keqen po na lajnë ca çobanka,

Beraçe moj, beraçe moj,

Po na lajnë ca shajake,

Le ti lajnë, ti zbardhojnë, me sapun le ti fërkojnë,

Prerja – Dhentë muarë pllajënë, lot çupa me djalën-ë,

Dhentë morën fushën e lot djali me çupën.”

(Come, to the water spring,

Hey beraçe beraçe,

Hey mother, look what herds girls are doing,

Hey, beraçe, beraçe,

They are washing some felt clothing,

Let them wash, have it as white as snow,

Prerja/cutting – Cattle got up the hill and the girl chats the boy up,

Cattle across the field and the boy chats the girl up.)

This sung dance takes up an important place in the fund of folkloric source materials of Korça District.