Arkan (dance)

The word literally means lasso, borrowed from the Romanian language, derived from the Turkic word Arkan[1], meaning rope, lasso.

The word Arkan also refers to the step that the men perform while dancing around the fire.

In professional Ukrainian dances, however, many variations may accompany this root step.

[2] An element of the rite of initiation of a 20-year-old Hutsul youth into a lehin (after passing the rite, he was given the right to dance, carry a shepherd's axe, kill enemies and gird himself with a wide belt, i.e., he became a potential opryshok).

British folk-punk band The Ukrainians have a track called Arkan on their Respublika album.