Faroese dance
Encyclopedia
Round dance
There are two distinct dance categories called round dance. The specific dances belonging to the first of these categories are often considered to be ethnic, folk or country dances...
of the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands
The Faroe Islands are an island group situated between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately halfway between Scotland and Iceland. The Faroe Islands are a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, along with Denmark proper and Greenland...
, accompanied by kvæði
Kvæði
Kvæði are the old ballads of the Faroe Islands, accompanied by the Faroese dance....
, the Faroese ballads.
The dance is a mediaeval ring dance
Medieval dance
Sources for an understanding of dance in Europe in the Middle Ages are limited and fragmentary, being composed of some depictions in paintings and illuminations, a few musical examples of what may be dances, and scattered allusions in literary texts...
, which only survived in the Faroe Islands, while in other European countries it was banned by the church, due to its pagan origin. The dance is danced traditionally in a circle, but when a lot of people take part in the dance they usually let it swing around in various wobbles within the circle.
Dance rules
When dancing there are a few rulesNorm (sociology)
Social norms are the accepted behaviors within a society or group. This sociological and social psychological term has been defined as "the rules that a group uses for appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors. These rules may be explicit or implicit...
. One is that your right hand must overlap the left hand of the one next to you while moving your feet two paces to a side and one pace back. The side is chosen by the skiparin, captain. The skiparin is the one who sings and must know all the verses, while the people who are dancing with him in the circle join in at the chorus.
The following description is by V. U. Hammershaimb, Færøsk Anthologi, 1891:
The dance in itself only consists in holding each others' hands, while the dancers form a circle. When more and more dancers join the dance ring, the circle starts to bend and forms a new one within itself, and if the number of dancers is high enough and the space in the room allows it, a new one will form within that one too – but of course still in one unbroken circle or chain. This means that every dancer has to follow these curves of the chain, and soon is in the outer circle, then in the middle of the chain. The dancers thereby pass each other face to face twice in each round.
Stígingarstev - The Common Dance
The tunes of the ballads are in sixth bars and accompanied by a rhythmical, monotonous stamping of the feet. The most common version of the dance is the “stígingarstev” [stamping dance step].This consists of the dancers slowly moving to their left, with six dance steps between the bars:
- Left foot makes a step forward (to the left)
- The right foot steps towards the left
- Left foot makes another step forward
- The right foot steps again towards the left
- The right foot steps to the side or one step backwards
- The left foot steps towards the right,
and then all over again, between the bars, until the ballad is over. If it is a solemn ballad, which is sung in a slow tempo, then the dance goes at a leisurely pace.
Trokingarstev - The Crowding Dance
Another variation of the dance is the “trokingarstev” (from: “at troka” – to crowd). Here people hold hands in the usual circle, but stand still or go a bit backwards while making the usual dance steps while the stanzas are sung, and then suddenly move forwards when the refrain starts.For this dance, the more quick and lively ballads are used. This dance is less practiced in the northern Faroe Islands, than in the southern Faroe Islands, especially in the southernmost villages. The people from Suðuroy do, all things considered, use more expression in the dance than people on the northern islands, where the emphasis is put on the monotonous stamping of the feet.
Bandadansur - The Ribbon Dance
A third variant of the dance, where quick folksongs and ballads are used as well, is “bandadansur” (The Ribbons Dance).The dancers stand in two rows, two to four feet apart – men on one side, women on the other, holding a ribbon between each couple. While the stanzas are sung, they stand still, while making the common rhythmical stamps with the feet. When the refrain starts, they raise the ribbons, and the people from the end of the row, bend over two by two and move under the raised ribbons, until they get out of the tunnel, where they turn around and raise their ribbons over the following couples. When the refrain ends, the dancers stop and lower their ribbons, and then go on like this, until the ballad ends. This is a very lively, yet rather tiring dance.
Dance Games
Besides the common dances, there are different dance games, some of which are accompanied by special songs. Some of these games are of Faroese origin, while others originate from other countries. In SvaboJens Christian Svabo
Jens Christian Svabo was a pioneering Faroese linguist, scholar, and ethnographer. Svabo was born in Miðvágur, Vágar, the Faroe Islands to a minister and his wife. Svabo studied history, music, and theology in Miðvágur and later in Tórshavn. Between 1765 and 1800 he lived in Denmark and studied...
's fifth travel book in the Royal Library, he has described several of these dance games, which were played at gatherings indoors as well as outdoors.
Faroese Chain Dance Associations
The Faroese chain dance is a living tradition. There are several Faroese Dance Associations in the Faroe Islands and a few in DenmarkDenmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
too. These associations arrange for evenings with Faroese chain dance, mostly in wintertime. It is an old tradition, that people don't dance during Lent, it is believed to date back to catholic Medieval Ages. The dance starts normally sometime in September or October and ends at the beginning of the Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
period, which starts at Carnival in February. Most of the associations meet again after Lent, which is just after Easter and continue to meet according to their tradition, which could be once a week or once every fortnight until sometime in May or June. Normally people don't feel like dancing inside during the light summer nights. The Faroese chain dance traditionally belongs to the dark winter nights. Because of a growing number of tourists who wish to experience the Faroese chain dance, the associations sometimes perform either for or with the tourists. One big dancing event has taken place every summer over the last years. It happens at Ólavsøka
Ólavsøka
Ólavsøka is a national holiday of the Faroe Islands, celebrated on July 29. It is the day when Løgting, the Faroese Parliament, opens its session....
, which is the national holiday of the Faroe Islands. After the midnight singing at midnight on 29 July the people start to dance the traditional Faroese chain dance. They also meet in Sjónleikarhúsið in Tórshavn in the evenings around Ólavsøka to dance together. No instruments are used to the Faroese chain dancing; the only music available is the song or the so-called Kvæði
Kvæði
Kvæði are the old ballads of the Faroe Islands, accompanied by the Faroese dance....
, which are longer or shorter texts in Faroese or in Danish, the folksongs. The associations which are members in Sláið Ring are these:
From Suðuroy
- Sumbiar Dansifelag from Sumba, Faroe IslandsSumba, Faroe IslandsSumba is the southernmost place of the Faroe Islands on the island of Suðuroy. It is located in the Sumbiar municipality.The municipality has 385 inhabitants. 258 of these people are living in Sumba. The other villages in the Municipality of Sumba are: Lopra , Akrar , Víkarbyrgi .Sumba is known for...
, founded in 1966. - Jómsvíkingar from VágurVágurVágur meaning Bay is a town on the Faroe Islands of Suðuroy, it is situated on the east coast of the island on the Vágsfjørður fjord, and dates from the fourteenth century. Expansion has meant that the nearby town of Nes is now a suburb of Vágur...
and other villages, founded in 1976. - Tvøroyrar Dansifelag from TvøroyriTvøroyriTvøroyri lies picturesquely on the north side of the Trongisvágsfjørður on the east coast of Suðuroy, Faroe Islands....
, founded in 1983 (first time in 1958). - Dansifelagið í Suðuroyar norðaru helvt (The Dancing Association in the Northern part of Suðuroy. Founded in 1974.
From Sandoy
- Leikum Fagurt from SandurSandurA sandur is a glacial outwash plain formed of sediments deposited by meltwater at the terminus of a glacier.- Formation :Sandar are found in glaciated areas, such as Svalbard, Kerguelen Islands, and Iceland...
and other villages, founded in 1980 - Stígum Fast from DalurDalurDalur is a village in the Faroe Islands. Dalur is located on the east-side of Sandoy.The village lies in the bottom of a relatively large valley. Dalur means valley in Faroese.A little road leads from Dalur to the south-tip of the island...
, founded in 1971.
From Tórshavn
- Dansifelagið í Havn, founded in 1952.
- Dansifelag Kaggans, founded in 1980.
- Tøkum Lætt, founded in 1993.
From Eysturoy
- Dansifelagið á Látrinum from EiðiEiðiEiði is a large village located on the north-west tip of Eysturoy, Faroe Islands Its name means isthmus in the Faroese language. The town has a population of 669In the center of the village there is a large stone church from 1881...
, founded in 2001. - Eysturoyar Dansifelag, founded in 1969.
Source
- Føroyskur dansur from heimskringla.no
- Tjatsi.fo (Public domain, translation from Danish by Anker Eli PetersenAnker Eli PetersenAnker Eli Petersen is a Faroese writer and artist.He is most known for his many Faroe Islands postage stamp designs under the name Anker Eli. Many of his stamps depict scenes from Norse mythology, Christianity, or interpretations of other Faroese authors or poets...
)
Extern Links
- SR.fo, Sláið Ring, The Association for Faroese Chain Dance