Hora de Munte (HOH-rah deh MOON-the) was introduced to North America by Cristian Florescu and Sonia Dion at Stockton Folk Dance Camp 2007.

The Hora is danced by both men and women of all ages, at Sunday dances and weddings and is used as an introductory dance: There are various regional variants of the Hora and some have specific names, such as Hora mare (large hora), the most common version, or Hora lente (slow hora). Hora de munte (mountain hora) comes from the Semenic Mountain. This dance is an open Hora and progresses to the right and to the left. The Semenic Mountains are a part of the southern group of the Occidental Carpathians, culminating with the Piatra Goznei Peak (1447 m) and the Semenic Peak (1445 m) and representing an important hydrographic knot; “the water castle of Banat.”

Located in the southwest corner of Romania, Banat is a distinct entity in terms of its folklore. The style there is characterized by elegant movements, a nice and proud attitude. The name Banat comes from ban, the Romanian word for the military leader of a region.

There is another dance by this name to different music which was taught by Nico Hilferink. Dance notes…