Trepak (Russian: Трепак) (Ukrainian: Трoпак, Трiпак) refers to one of the most distinguished and celebrated dances in Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's ballet The Nutcracker. One of several consecutive ethnic dances in the ballet, it is based on the traditional Ukrainian folk dance known in Ukrainian as the Tropak or Tripak.[1]
The "Trepak" often also goes under the name "Russian Dance" (the other ethnic dances of the ballet have dual names as well, e.g. "Tea" is also "Chinese Dance"). The "Trepak" is arguably the most popular dance of the ballet (although a case could be made for both the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" and the "Waltz of the Flowers", which are actually heard more often than the "Trepak"). The dance makes common use of ethnic Ukrainian folk melodies.
Tchaikovsky's "Trepak" is written in AABA form. It is played in a presto tempo. It has a time signature of 2/4 and is in the key of G major.
Trepak is used in the Disney film Fantasia. In the sequence, flowers take the place of the Cossack dancers, with thistles resembling men in fur hats and orchids as women with bonnets.