Shota (dance)

Albanian traditional dance

Not to be confused with Shota Galica.

Shota (indefinite Albanian form: Shotë), Vallja e Shotës or K'cimi i Shotës is an Albanian dance originating in northern Albania and Kosovo. It is an important symbol of Albanian sentiment and patriotism.[1][2]

A professional ensemble from Pristina was established in 1950 by ethnic Albanians of Kosovo as one of the ensembles of Yugoslavia, and was named 'Shota' after the Albanian traditional dance.[3] The Albanian traditional dance was originally choreographed by the Shota ensemble. Along with the Rugova sword dance, Shota is among the Albanian traditional dances that were adopted and performed by other ensembles of Yugoslavia, such as Kolo from Serbia and Tanec from Macedonia.[2][4] It acquired popularity and was also adopted by many amateur groups within Yugoslavia, also spreading in other regions of Southeast Europe.[4]

The dance involves synchronised steps and a strong rhythm. It is commonly played at weddings, folk festivals and other events.[5]

## History

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Shota originated as a traditional Albanian dance from Kosovo. It was originally choreographed in Yugoslavia by the Shota professional ensemble from Pristina, named after the dance.[4] The Albanian traditional dance of Shota was choreographed by Olga Skovran for the Serbian Ensemble "Kolo" in 1952, and a song based on its melody became widely popular in the 1970s in Yugoslavia. The popularization of the dance in Yugoslavia helped the dance spread to the southern Danube Gorge in the 1970s, reach the northern side in the 1990s after borders opened, and more recently gain popularity at Romanian events in Banat.[5][6][7]

In March 2013, the Assembly of Republic of Kosovo approved a law which makes the Shota ensemble a part of the cultural activities of the National Ensemble of Songs and Dances.[3]

Since the time of its inception the community keeps organising events that replicates the dance form Shota and are socially very active in areas of cleanliness, awareness about the dance form and the dress codes related to it.[4]

## References

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1. ^ Sugarman 2003, p. 107.
2. ^ a b UCLA 1989, pp. 34–35.
3. ^ a b "National Ensemble of Songs and Dance "SHOTA"". Republic of Kosovo – Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. Retrieved 6 December 2024.
4. ^ a b c d "Shota". albanian-folklore.com. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
5. ^ a b Annuaire de la ville de Beograd. Beogradske novine. 1965. p. 458\. "Шота, кореографија Олге Сковран, музичка обрада Милана Тодоровића"
6. ^ Historical review. 1987. p. 352\. "... folklornega ansambla »•Sota«<, ki bo izvajal pesmi in plese narodov in narodnosti Kosova"
7. ^ Green, Nick (2023). "Dance practices in the Danube Gorge region" (PDF). "Shota (Šota) has its origin as a popular dance of the Albanians from Kosovo. This dance was popularised in a choreography of the Serbian national ensemble "Kolo" by Olga Skovran in 1952 and a resulting song to the same melody in the 1970s became very popular at events."

## Bibliography

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* Sugarman, Jane C. (2003). "Those "Other Women": Dance and Femininity among Prespa Albanians". In Magrini, Tullia (ed.). Music and Gender: Perspectives from the Mediterranean. Chicago Studies in Ethnomusicology. University of Chicago Press. pp. 87–118\. ISBN 9780226501659. ISSN 1543-5512.
* UCLA (1989). "UCLA Journal of Dance Ethnology". UCLA Journal of Dance Ethnology. 13. UCLA Department of Dance.