Revisiting Teshkoto Again. The Process of Signifying the Folk Dance Teshkoto with its Artistic Reflections

Abstract

The folk dance called Teshkoto has a special meaning for the Macedonians. It does not only belong to the traditional sequence of folk dances, but it is also a form which has accumulated a plethora of meanings. With the aim to research the associations related to this topic, I have included participants who helped me as a researcher to form a full picture about the perception of the dance. The survey results served as a basis to analyze Teshkoto not only through its original form but through its art replicas as well. The responses to the question on generated meanings are a result of many decades of “signifying” this folk dance. I have researched the transfer of those signified elements in current art works, but also the expansion of the same and the additional meanings they acquire. In this paper, the focus is on one ballet and one contemporary dance. The phenomenon of the general perception and interpretation of Teshkoto folk dance and its popularity not only of its traditional folk dance form, but also because of its specificity regarding esthetics and expression, tells us about its unique value.