ÃÂoÃÂek (; Serbian and , ÃÂoÃÂek; ; Romanian: sistemul; Greek: Tsifteteli) is a musical genre and dance that emerged in the Balkans during the early 19th century. It features prominently in the repertoire of many Romani brass bands.
ÃÂoÃÂek originated from Ottoman military bands, which at that time were scattered across the region, mostly throughout Serbia, Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Romania. That led to the eventual segmentation and wide range of ethnic sub-styles in ÃÂoÃÂek. ÃÂoÃÂek was handed down through the generations, preserved mostly by Roma minorities, and was largely practiced at village weddings and banquets.
ÃÂoÃÂek is especially popular among the Muslim Roma and Albanian populations of Kosovo, South Serbia and Macedonia. When Tanec first came to America in 1956, they performed ÃÂoÃÂek as a Muslim woman's dance, "Kjupurlika" from Titov Veles.
The kyuchek, as a common musical form in the Balkans (primarily Bulgaria and North Macedonia), is typically a dance with a time signature; two variant forms have the beats divided 2-2-2-3 and 2-2-3-2. (This latter meter is sometimes referred to as "gypsy 9".) Roma musicians living in areas of the former Yugoslavia have broadened the form to include variations in and .
In the international folk dance community, ÃÂoÃÂek is danced to many melodies. Dances in the ÃÂoÃÂek genre include Jeni Jol and Sa Sa.
Jazz composer and musician Dave Brubeck was influenced by ÃÂoÃÂek-type tempos. For example, "Blue Rondo ÃÂ la Turk", from the Time Out album, was written following a and pattern.