This contributes to the peculiar style and character of the ring dances. In Eastern Thrace the dances are smooth and slow. But here, the clasping of hands and clatter prevail. Many of the ring dances are accompanied by a song. As we move to the West diversity in attire and rhythm increase.
Musical accompaniment consists of the instruments caval, gadulka and gaida.
The Macedonian folk dances are in the majority performed in a morderate or rather slow tempo. Movements are characterized by dragging, scurrying, springy, light steps, broken by a lot of pauses, sudden transactions and again scurrying, frisky movements, all this performed by the dancer with intense feeling and strength. Women's dance is more reserved. Their dances wind to form circles, semicircles and lines, or sometimes they dance single. The most common joining of hands is that when dancers hold each other with hands, bent at the elbows, or freely hanging by the side and seldom put around the waist.