Horon

Horon is danced around Trabzon, Rize, Artvin, Giresun and Ordu. Dancers stand shoulder to shoulder in a tight line or circle and make sharp, shivering movements of the knees and shoulders.

The horonbaşı leads, changing the tempo with cries of "Hey, hey!". The music is in asymmetric metres such as 7/16 and 5/8, and the horon speeds up until only experienced dancers can keep pace.

Legend says its shivers depict the waves of the Black Sea and the anchovy thrashing in the net. At highland festivals hundreds dance the horon together.