Balfolk
Bal Folk is a dance event for folk dance and folk music in a number of European countries, mainly in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. It is also known as folk bal.
History
Dancing to folk music has been gaining popularity since the 1970s. The traditional dances come primarily from the French tradition, with additions from all parts of Europe.
There are numerous organisations that organize such dance events monthly and at a lot of folk festivals there are both concerts and dances.
In France some villages have their own annual folk festival.
In Flanders, Boombal is the biggest organisation for the popularization of bal folk. Their influence is so great that the term Boombal is more known than the term bal folk.
Although there are similarities, the dances of bal folk are not the same as dances danced by traditional folkdance groups.
Traditional folk dances have more extensive choreographies and may be danced with traditional clothing. The preservation and/or presentation of a tradition is important here. Music is sometimes played live, sometimes pre-recorded. The audience sits down and watches the dancers perform their choreographies.
