Čoček Roma Dances from Macedonia
Čoček can be danced as a line dance or as a solo improvisation. The word čoček comes from the Turkish Köçek (dancing boy). Čoček is danced by Turks, Albanian and especially Roma in Macedonia and Southern Serbia. The movements are small, fine and reserved, as if one were dancing "inside of her clothing." Čoček music today is one of the most vibrant music styles of the Balkans, as we can see by the success in the world music scene of the Roma musician Ferus Mustafov and the singer Esma Redžepova. Besides the traditional Turkish and Balkan roots of the music, we can discover elements from Hindi film music or Mariachi music. Popular instruments today are the accordion, saxophone, clarinet, and even entire brass bands, which became popular in the folk music of this region after the First World War.