Taratantsi is a mobile game with augmented reality, through which you play and learn Bulgarian folk people easily, fun and for free, wherever you are.
You choose a choro, point the phone at the floor and follow his steps.
I. What is Augmented Reality:
Augmented reality allows you to superimpose virtual (non-existent) objects on the real environment around you via a mobile device. For example, on your phone screen you see the steps of the choir you want to learn appear in your living room.
II. Which people can you study through the game Taratans*:
- Right dance
- Hand dance
- Deer dance
- Graivsko horo
*We will gradually add more people.
III. How to learn dance through the game Taratantsi:
1. Open the game;
2. Select a choir from the "CHOOSE A CHORUS" menu;
3. Press the orange "LEARN THE CHORUS" button;
4. Choose whether you will learn the choro without music (white button "LEARN THE CHORO") or dance it with music (button "PLAY WITH MUSIC");
5. Allow the game to access the camera function of your device (see item V);
6. Point the phone down so you scan the floor and the chorus steps appear. Press "PAST" button to fix the steps;
7. Take the initial steps. Press the "START" button;
8. Follow the voice instructions if you are learning the chorus, or the music if you are dancing it;
9. Have fun playing!
IV. What else can be learned through the Taratansi game:
1. In folk songs and dances there is a set of specific basic movements. We recommend that you learn them before you start learning the people, as usually every choro contains at least one basic movement. You can learn them from the BASIC MOVES menu. Select the move you want to learn, point the phone slightly down to the floor and tap the screen to bring up a virtual instructor. Repeat the movement after it.
2. There are six basic foot positions in folk dances. You can learn them by selecting the first submenu "BASIC POSITIONS" from the "BASIC MOVEMENTS" menu. Point the phone slightly downwards and "tap" to bring up a virtual instructor. Repeat the positions after it.
3. Each choro has an "INFO" button, where you can find out more about the choro - time signature, folklore area from which it originates, etc.
V. Enable the camera for the scan function:
We use this access so that you can scan the space on which the steps of the choir you will be teaching and the virtual instructor will appear. This requires you to allow the game to access your device's camera feature. You can control access to your device's camera at any time by disabling the feature in your device's settings.
VI. Give (yourself) a dance:
From the "GIVE A CHORO" menu, you can visit Taratanci's online store www.taratanci.com, where great educational games and gifts await you with figures from the footsteps of over 30 Bulgarian folk people.
VII. The cause of Taratantsi:
Taratantsi is a cultural organization with a mission to preserve and spread Bulgarian folklore in modern times. We are the authors of a method for visual depiction of the Bulgarian people through graphic figures of their steps. To date, we have saved over 100 people, creating digital figures from the authentic foot prints of choreographers from all over the country.
By buying Taratantsi products, you support the cause of preserving more and more Bulgarian people for generations.
Taratantsi is the winner of the European Cultural Heritage Award "Europa Nostra" for 2021.
The application was made possible thanks to the financial support of the National Culture Fund.