Folklore dancers know this: there is a ‘Paidushka’ – or is it perhaps called ‘Paidushko’? – in different countries with similar-sounding dance names, similar steps and melodies. On top of that, one (Bulgarian, Macedonian) pajduško melody appears in a rhythmically altered form (and under a ‘pseudonym’!) in a neighbouring country. How can we understand this? Let’s do a little research …
Pajduško (bg., mak.)
The Bulgarian Pajduško horo (Пайдушко хоро) and the Macedonian Pajduško oro (Пајдушко оро) with its numerous melodies, but always the same basic form (1), are probably well known. We have written about it in detail elsewhere. In addition to the basic form, the RIFD (Recreational International Folk Dancing) has also introduced extended variants – including more recent choreographic works – mostly under the same name, or almost: Pajduškata, sometimes with additions such as ‘Strandžansko’, ‘Severnjaško’ and the like (e.g. Yves Moreau 1998, B. Stanev 1998, idem ‘Čestata’ 2001, Loneux 2005, Jaap Leegwater 2007). Which of these are ‘choreographed’ and which are ‘authentic’ is not for us to decide here. Apart from the questionable nature of the concept of ‘authenticity’, variants with different numbers of bars can also be found in the relevant collections (e.g. Ilieva, see below).
Etymology
The dance name is often explained as meaning ‘limping’. We have tried to verify this and find out more about the etymology of ‘Pajduško/пайдушко’.
We cannot find an entry ‘Пайдушко’ (or similar) in any of the internet dictionaries known to us (2). The Bulgarian Wikipedia has an entry ‘Пайдушко хоро’, but without etymology, with the scarce information we already know. (3)
In Najden Gerov’s Dictionary of the Bulgarian Language from 1895, we do find the dance: пайдушкa (Pajduška, sic! ) – ‘a kind of round dance (един вид игра хоро)’, without etymological derivation, but two entries that lead on: пайтак (pajtak) – horse with hind legs in a close position, beating against each other (cf. Gaberov) and пайка (pajka) – duck (waddles!). The dictionary of foreign words in Bulgarian by Ivan Gaberov (1998) also mentions пайтак – horse with crooked hind legs, crooked-legged person.
This much remains to be said: The dance name possibly goes back to an expression for an inelegant, uneven gait. (4) This is particularly noticeable in the part of the dance where the right foot crosses to the left before the left foot several times on ‘short’ and the left foot continues to the left on ‘long’. There are other examples of limping in folklore dance, such as the Serbian Krecavi ketuš, the Bulgarian Kucata, or the Moldovan Coragheasca.
For more detailed informations about Pajduško variants and history see the Eliznik page „Dance: Paydushka (Пайдушка)“.
Paidușca (rum.)
Even if we only rarely come across a Romanian Paidușca, with Anca Giurchescu we must broaden our view to the larger group of odd (‘aksak’) rhythms (5). One often reads about a Bulgarian influence that is evident in these rhythms, as Vasilescu does (see below); Giurchescu expresses herself more cautiously here, however, by speaking of ‘related’ ‘counterparts’. According to her, the aksak rhythms that are omnipresent in the Balkans can apparently also originate from an older common cultural layer. (6)
The author names three odd rhythm types in Romanian dance folklore (alongside well over a hundred even ‘rhythmic formulas’): the Rustem type with two unequal beats (short-long), the Geampara type with three (short-short-long), and the Șchioapa type with four (short-short-short-long). The Paidușca, together with many variants such as Rustemul, Mîndrele, Bugeacul, Murgulețul, Ghimpele etc., belongs to the Rustem type.
We know a Paidușca de la Stejaru in 6/8 from the Dobrudja from Vasilescu’s program No. 9 and a Paidușca from South Muntenia in 3/8 (♪ = 195 BPM) from Loneux‘ „Hai veniți la Joc 6“. Here we see already a development away from the odd 5/16 rhythm towards ternary (triple) structures that A. Giurchescu describes:
‘Sometimes the musicians convert the odd rhythms into a simple ternary or – more often – into a binary’. (loc. cit. p. 111) The inequality of the two elements of the odd rhythm does not change in 3/8 or 6/8 time: here the ratio is 1:2, while in 5/16 time it is 2:3 – but it always remains ‘short-long’.
Lia Vasilescu adds a further, very interesting remark to these observations. In her introduction to Paidușca de la Stejaru, she refers to regional peculiarities, stating that this type of rhythm is called Rustemul in Oltenia, Bugeacul in Muntenia and Paidușca in Dobruja.
For more detailed informations about Paidușca variants and history see the Eliznik page „Dance: Paidușca (Paydushka in the Romanian context)“.
The choreological molecules
Whether Rustemul, Mîndrele, Bugeacul or Paidușca, the basic dance elements are always two: 1. step-step and 2. hop-step, in the ratio short-long, either linked: R-L, R-L, R-L, R-L, or h-R, h-L, h-R, h-L or combined: h-R, L-R, h-L, R-L or h-R, L-R, L-R, L-R and the like. … (Here we can recognise the ‚small key’ and the ‘large key’ of the Rustemul). Variations arise from the directions in which the steps are placed and in which the dancers move in space: forwards, backwards, in the direction of the dance (right, CCW, LOD), against the direction of the dance (left, CW, RLOD), in place, etc.. Changes of direction are added, as well as shorter and longer variations. (7) This applies to all Pajduško relatives mentioned here.
Païdouska (gr.) / Παϊντούσκα (also Baïdouska / Μπαϊντούσκα);
From Greece we know hardly a handful of dances of this name, which differ only slightly, e.g. in the direction of the spatial movements with the same steps, the same figures as those of the Bulgarian Pajduško, such as the Païdouska by Kyriakos Chamalidis 1989 and that by Dimitris Barbaroussis 1989. They are in 5/16 time (2-3) like the Bulgarian Pajduško. K. Chamalidis begins with bar 5 and ends with bars 1 to 4.
In Greece there is also a similar Baïduskino / Μπαϊντούσκινο in 7/16 (3-2-2) (8). Its origin is given as ‘Anatolikí Romilía’, i.e. Thrace, as is the case with the Baïdouska. This is significant insofar as Greek Thrace only became Greek after 1920. As we can see, the relationships between the dances do not care about today’s political borders.
Djurdjevka (srb.)
We can report an even more interesting phenomenon from Serbia. A Bulgarian (and Macedonian) Pajduško melody appears again in the Serbian Djurdjevka in 3/4 (or 3/8) time. Our surprise would not be nearly as great if the dance were called ‘Pajduško’. But even then, the rhythmic alienation due to the leisurely 3/4 time would remain. What’s more, several Djurdjevka recordings used in RIFD are in a fairly brisk 2/4 time signature.
Audio sample: Pajduško (5/16) – Gega GD 106, Hristo Radanov & Orch.
Audio sample: Djurdjevka (3/8) – Folkraft CD 2904 (o. Orch.)
Audio sample: Djurdjevka (2/4) – XOPO X-315 (o. Orch.)
So if certain melodies and dances are found in different guises in different regions and cultural milieus, it does not automatically follow that they have ‘migrated’ from ’A’ to ‘B’. We can only conclude that a dance family such as Pajduško / Paidușca / Païdouska – including its closer and more distant relatives under other names – is a ‘pan-Balkan’ phenomenon, a very colourful one, by the way, as is so characteristic for this European region.
(1) Dance description „basic Paidushko“: https://www.folkdance.com/LDNotations/paidushko_horo.pdf
(2) Neither in the Bulgarian dictionary Речник на българския език (http://ibl.bas.bg/rbe/), nor in the Bulgarian etymological dictionary Български етимологичен речник (https://ibl.bas.bg/en/? S=пайдушко), nor in the Digital Dictionary of the Macedonian language Дигиталниот речник на македонскиот јазик (http://drmj.eu/), nor in the Bulgarian Slovored.com).
(3) „Пайдушко хоро (на македонска литературна норма: Пајдушко оро; на гръцки: Μπαϊντούσκα, Байдуска) е българско народно хоро в ритъм 5/8. Метрумът е двуделен, като съществуват различни местни варианти. Освен в България е разпространено и в Северна Македония, както и в съседните на България части на Румъния и Гърция.“ (https://bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/Пайдушко_хоро)
(4) We are not claiming a direct etymological derivation. Other theories refer to the meaning ‘to return’, ‘to turn round’.
(5) Giurchescu, Anca, Sunni Bloland: Romanian Traditional Dance, a contextual and structural approach (Bukarest 1992), p. 213 ff
(6) „… patterns common to the Balkans which seem to have originated from an old, common cultural stratum or they may have been assimilated into the Romanian dance culture.“ loc. cit. p. 110
(7) cf. Anna Ilieva: Narodni tanci ot Srednogorieto (Sofia, 1978). The author describes 11 different variants of the Pajduško alone from Srednogorie with 6 to 12 bars.
(8) https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Μπαϊντούσκα