Kolomyika

Its simple 2/4 rhythm and structures make the kolomyika very adaptable, and the text and melodies of thousands of different versions have been annotated.

It has a dance character and a free combination of stanzas of common or related content, sometimes based only on a closer or further association of thoughts and poetic images.

"[8]Its name indicates the place of fixation: the city of Kolomyia, Stanisławów, now Ivano-Frankivsk region in the vicinity of Hutsul-populated areas of the Carpathians.

The first known records of kolomyika specimens date back to the 17th century, but there is documentary evidence of their existence in ancient times.

Beginning in the first third of the 19th century, translations of kolomyikas and scientific investigations into them appeared in the Ukrainian, Russian, and Polish press.

Hungarian composer Bela Bartok's first concerto for piano and orchestra incorporates a rhythmic and melodic scheme that has a symmetrical structure, combining two measure units, that move typically in a narrow stepwise motion and often use scalar patterns and note repetitions.

In Hungary, this rhythmic type is associated with the swineherd dance that Bartok believed was derived from the Ukrainian kolomyika.

(Bela Bartok)[10] According to Andriy Nahachewsky, a former professional stage dancer, Director of the Kule Centre for Ukrainian and Canadian Folklore, and Huculak Chair of Ukrainian Culture and Ethnography at the University of Alberta, kolomyiky as practised in Canada are a separate genre of dance from what is known in Ukraine.

It is a chance for individuals and groups to "show off" their most impressive or dangerous moves so as to entertain the audience and win approval.