I. Jocul cu bata
II. Brâul
III. Pe loc
IV. Buciumeana
V. Poarga româneasca
VI. Maruntelul

The Transylvanian dances were composed for piano in 1915. The orchestral version dates from 1917. Zoltán Székely's version for violin and piano also became popular.
In his Bartók guide, György Kroó characterised the dances thus: “The opening movement is a stick dance. A young lad dances it solo with great gusto and at its conclusion – as Bartók notes – he jumps up high so as to be able to kick the low ceiling of his intended! Two gypsies, a true band, played this to Bartók, one on a familiar violin, the other on a three string instrument, the low bridge of which enabled the player to execute three string chords. The second piece is a circle dance, the very well known Brâul; Bartók notated it from a 30 year old flute player. In the orchestral version, this melody is allotted to the clarinet, the character of which Bartók describes as “gracioso”. In all likelihood, the third dance (the virtual slow movement or first episode of the movement) was played by the very same flautist; its title, Pe Loc (tapping) refers to the choreography. It is danced on the spot by a pair, with the boy placing his hand on his own hip, while the girl places her hand on his shoulder. Bartók heard the wonderfully beautiful 3/4 Andante melody played by a gypsy violinist. The third and fourth melodies, which is to say the two dance melodies of the Lassu (Slow) is linked by an Eastern melodic turn of phrase. The dances of the finale is launched by an Allegro Romanian polka (Poarga româneasca), which with its alternation of metres is the most rhythmically interesting piece of the set. Bartók first heard this in Belényes performed by a village violinist. This is where János Busitia lived, Bartók's Romanian friend and his principal aid during his collecting trips and also the dedicatee of this work. The cycle closes with two quick dances, the so-called Maruntelul. In the piano version, Bartók only gave the first dance a name, but in its orchestral version, he indicates that the faster continuation (Piů allegro) as a separate dance. The Matuntelul is a dance melody which also had words and those looking on would accompany the performance rhythmically singing and shouting so-called dance words. It would be danced by a group of couples, accompanied by Belényes and Nyág melodies on violin. As Bartók recalled, only the men move, performing solos with one kind of step, and the task of the women in the dance is not to heed them and stand motionless as if they had not noticed their partner's “display”. Only those who have been lucky enough to enjoy Romanian village dances in Transylvanian villages can truly know just how well Bartók's setting of this music evokes the richness and completeness of peasant life in the concert hall.”