Bygdedans
Encyclopedia
Bygdedans or village dance is the term most commonly used for a variety of regional, traditional dances of Norway
. Bygdedans are the oldest and most distinctive among Norwegian folk dances.
The music accompanying bygdedans is normally seen as the oldest living musical traditions in the country. These traditions have mainly survived in the more isolated farming communities of the country. In the urban areas and along the coastline where the interaction with other cultural expressions was more intense, these dances have been left behind in favour of new popular dances such as the gammeldans which became popular with the arrival of new instruments like the Accordion
.
The basic form of the bygdedans is the gangar (walking dance in 2/4 or 3/8) and the springar (running dance in even rhythm or 3/4) distinguished from each other mainly by tempo and intensity of the music and the dance. Both dances were characterised by a sequence of three parts: the figuring part; the free dancing part (lausdans) and the closed hold part (samdans).
Through time a lot of regional variation has developed and most springar dances today have a clear ¾ pulse, which character varies considerably regionally. For instance in Telemark
the pulse is best characterised as longer – long – short, whereas in Valdres
it is short – longer – long. The gangar today is only a living tradition in Telemark
and Setesdal
. In the western part of Norway the gangar and its traditional tunes have been taken over by rull or rudl, a dance with a more modern waltzing style. The more athletic Halling
or Lausdans can also be seen as an heir of gangar but is mostly danced by men.
The areas of bygdedans correlate mainly with the regions where the hardanger fiddle is used as the main folk music instrument. In the parts of Norway where the violin is more common, the traditional dances like, pols
and springleik, have taken up more modern traits associated with the gammaldans
.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Bygdedans are the oldest and most distinctive among Norwegian folk dances.
The music accompanying bygdedans is normally seen as the oldest living musical traditions in the country. These traditions have mainly survived in the more isolated farming communities of the country. In the urban areas and along the coastline where the interaction with other cultural expressions was more intense, these dances have been left behind in favour of new popular dances such as the gammeldans which became popular with the arrival of new instruments like the Accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
.
The basic form of the bygdedans is the gangar (walking dance in 2/4 or 3/8) and the springar (running dance in even rhythm or 3/4) distinguished from each other mainly by tempo and intensity of the music and the dance. Both dances were characterised by a sequence of three parts: the figuring part; the free dancing part (lausdans) and the closed hold part (samdans).
Through time a lot of regional variation has developed and most springar dances today have a clear ¾ pulse, which character varies considerably regionally. For instance in Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
the pulse is best characterised as longer – long – short, whereas in Valdres
Valdres
Valdres is a traditional district in central, southern Norway, situated between Gudbrandsdal and Hallingdal.Administratively, Valdres belongs to Oppland. It consists of the municipalities Nord-Aurdal, Sør-Aurdal, Øystre Slidre, Vestre Slidre, Vang and Etnedal. The main town in the region is...
it is short – longer – long. The gangar today is only a living tradition in Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-Location:...
and Setesdal
Setesdal
Setesdal is a valley and a traditional district in Aust-Agder County in southern Norway. It consists of the municipalities of Bykle, Valle, Bygland, Iveland, and Evje og Hornnes....
. In the western part of Norway the gangar and its traditional tunes have been taken over by rull or rudl, a dance with a more modern waltzing style. The more athletic Halling
Halling (dance)
The Halling is a folk dance traditionally performed in rural Norway, although versions of the halling can also be found in parts of Sweden. It is the most ancient documented dance of North Europe, and its roots go back to 2500 years old cave paintings.The dance is traditionally performed by...
or Lausdans can also be seen as an heir of gangar but is mostly danced by men.
The areas of bygdedans correlate mainly with the regions where the hardanger fiddle is used as the main folk music instrument. In the parts of Norway where the violin is more common, the traditional dances like, pols
Pols
The pols is a Norwegian folk dance, a fast version of the Nordic polska....
and springleik, have taken up more modern traits associated with the gammaldans
Gammaldans
Gammaldans is a small set of Nordic dances that became broadly popular in the late 19th century. These were also the dances of the Nordic immigrant communities in the United States....
.