The Society of Folk Dance Historians (SFDH)

The Society of Folk Dance Historians (SFDH)

Beraçe
By Ron Houston

BACKGROUND

Information: A family of dances.

Translation: From the city of Berat, Albania

Pronunciation: beh-RHA-cheh

Other names:

Beranche, Bairatse (the Greek pronunciation for Berançe).
Beratis, Beratiko (could also refer to other dances). Beratis = from Epiros, described in q-S-S by Rickey Holden and Wouter Swets.
Pušteno = a Slavic name, not to be confused with Pushteno dances in northern Albania.
Levendiko = a Greek name.
Gerondikos / Gerontikos = Old men's dance (in Greek, from Florina), similar to Levendiko.
Starkoto = Old men's dance (Slavic).

Region: On the Balkan Peninsula: Tosk regions of south and west Albania, west Aegean and Bitola, Macedonian, Lerin/Florina, northern Greece. The dance seems to have originated in the Kostur/Kastoria region of Macedonia.

Rhythm: Five beats thus: long-short-short-long-short. First and third (long) beats usually subdivided into 4 equal or unequal counts, resulting in 4 against 3 when played in 12 or 13. Third beat is commonly lengthened, but not as long as the first and shortened as tempo increases. Fifth beat is commonly shortened:
     12/8: 3+2+2+3+2 – most common
     13/8: 3+2+3+3+2 – most common
     14/8: 4+2+3+3+2
     11/8: 3+2+2+3+1
     11/8: 3+2+2+2+2

VERSIONS

As performed by Žota ensemble from Kosovo.
As performed by Pirin ensemble of Bulgaria.
Bufsko Oro or Bufskoto (from the town of Buf) among Aegean Slav Macedonians in America.
Berače (Slav Macedonia) = Beratis, Lotzia, Simbethiariko (Greek & Vlach) from Kastoria, starts onto left.
Žensko Beranče / Bajrače (Kostur). A stage choreography from Macedonian teachers of steps performed by the first two women leading a line of Albanian Sta Dhio-like 12/8 dance as spread by the community of folklore groups from ethnic dance groups who immigrated from Greek Macedonia to Skopje after the 1947 Greek Civil War (when the Communists, on whom the immigrants had pinned their hopes, lost). Their villages, D'mbeni, Sm'rdes, V'mbel, etc. were destroyed and they cannot even visit Greece now, so their dances exist only elsewhere. Called Beratiko (Greek), Berače (Kostur Slavs), Bajrače (Skopje), Beraçe (Prespa, Albania). Timing of weight shifts differentiate the versions:

Žensko Beranche / Bajrache (Kostur) - Pece Atanasovski, 10th International Folk Festival, Chicago, November 1972, and 1982 and 1992.
Žensko Beranče / Bajrače (Kostur) - Stanimir Višinski 1986 Struga Seminar.
Žensko Berancče / Bajrače (Kostur) - Kosturčanki ensemble, women from villages around Kostur/Kastoria, in Aegean/Greek Macedonia.
Berançe = Pusçeno = Bufskoto / Armenskoto (Slavic Aegeans in Skopje) = 3-bar variants from Buf and Armensko Aegean musicians used the Pushteno (Mala Prespa, Aegean Greece) = slightly different dance in 11/8 (32222) = similar dance from near Prilep. In the 3 Florina Albanian villages the tune Berače = Startsko, Yerondikos, and Tečko. The 2-bar dance is Beraće. The 3-bar dance is Pušteno (Slavic Macedonia) = Levendikos danced to Lytos (Greek).
Berançe = Gerontikos (Edessa, Aegean Macedonia), (Florina) = Starkoto (Slavic).
Berati (Greece) = Beranče (Macedonia) = Beratçe (Albania) – Woulter Swets.
Beratis = Beratiko (Epirus) = 8/8 S-q-S or q-S-S.
Beratis in slow 8 (3-2-3) (Epirus). Beratis / Beratiko (Flambouro/Florina) = 7/8 Goranxe (Albania) to which Albanians do an incredible dance where the men to the floor like dominoes and up again.
Beratis / Beratiko (Flambouro/Negovan and Flamburo community in Rochester, New York) = 12/8 Levendiko tune. Dance = Sta Dio-type dance = Berache (Prespa Albanians in Chicago), 2-meas Beraçe of Florina and Prespa starts both measures with a touch or lift.
Bufsko / Armensko (American-Macedonian) = Pushteno = Lytos / Levendikos (Greek).
Levendikos (a name coined by Greek musicologist, Simon Kara) = Pushteno (Florina) = 17/16 (2+2, 3, 3, 2+2, 3). 5 major pulses which may vary, = Dafino, Vino in 12/16 in northernly areas. SqqSq: in the north S = 3 and Q = 2, in Florina Q = 4 and S = 3, or q-q-S-S-q-q-S. Florina 17 "Pushes" while northern 12 is heavier with heavy down beat on 1st and 3rd pulses. Florina natives will push and stretch the first and especially the third dance bars.

But Pushteno now appears in Greece beside Levendikos/ Lytos: e.g., Dora Stratou CD 20 Macedonian Dances, LP "Florina" co-produced by Yanni Constandinou, himself a native of Armensko/Alona.
V. Papachristou in a recent book on the dances of Florina uses Pushteno in parenthesis. He previously claimed in his book on Greek dances that the term Pushteno was an ugly and offensive invention of the younger generation and that the oldest inhabitants of the village had always called it by the Greek name Lytos.
Pušteno (Macedonia<) a specialty of the Bufçani who are numerous in upstate New York (and Detroit and Toronto). The melody most associated with the Beratis / Berače is also known and played as such by the surrounding Macedonians but is danced as a 3-bar slow Pušteno.

REFERENCE

Wouter Swets, Chalgija #2 CD (PAN 2007, 1992), sound recording.

DOCUMENTS

Albania, a country.
Beraçe Timings, an article.

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