Slängpolska
Encyclopedia
The Slängpolska is a Swedish
folk dance
and sometimes also the description of certain folk music
tunes. The dances bearing the name slängpolska can be divided into two major types.
The first type is for two or four people, and is one of the sixteenth-note versions of the polska
. The dances of this type usually have in common that they are danced on the spot, either during parts of the dance or during the entire dance. Focus is on different holds and on the divisions between them, and these divisions could be responsible for the name slängpolska. A typical slängpolska of this type could consist of two basic set positions: one in which the couple is spinning around one another while holding crossed hands outstretched with centrifugal force, the other in which the couple is spinning around one another in a closer position while holding the partner's shoulders and arms. The division between the two parts of the dance is then made by e.g. both dancers spinning out from their hold and then spinning once on their own with a clap of hands, followed by a returning to the hold. A common dance step consists of four steps distributed in the following way over three beats: one long, two short, one long ("one...-two-and-three..."). Beat 1, 2 and 3 have almost equal stress and length, which also is reflected in the corresponding music. A very free variant of this slängpolska type, consisting of walking through the room with different holds and turning on the spot with different holds and the same walking steps, could just as well be danced to 2/4 or 4/4 time music, as do the related norwegian dances gangar
and bonde, but in Sweden it is most commonly danced to 3/4 time music.
The second type of slängpolska is more related to other polskas
than to the above slängpolska type, in that the couples move counterclockwise around the periphery of the room, and choose to do so with or without rotation clockwise around an internal axis, one full rotation for each measure. The music and dances in this category share a high tempo, givin a "tossing" feeling, which is often reflected in the rotation part of the dance in the form of a jump or a lift as part of the step recurring in every measure until the couple decides to dance without rotation for a while. The name has been used from midwest Sweden (Värmland) to the north of Sweden, and there is a large diversity in music and dance character, since the name mainly refers to the tempo. Both in midwest and north Sweden there are examples of dances which can both be danced as a slower "polska" and as a faster "slängpolska" with retention of the basic steps.
Other common dance styles and/or music terms in Swedish traditional folk:
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
folk dance
Folk dance
The term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music....
and sometimes also the description of certain folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
tunes. The dances bearing the name slängpolska can be divided into two major types.
The first type is for two or four people, and is one of the sixteenth-note versions of the polska
Polska (dance)
The polska is a family of music and dance forms shared by the Nordic countries: called polsk in Denmark, polska in Sweden and Finland and by several names in Norway in different regions and/or for different variants - including pols, rundom, springleik, and springar...
. The dances of this type usually have in common that they are danced on the spot, either during parts of the dance or during the entire dance. Focus is on different holds and on the divisions between them, and these divisions could be responsible for the name slängpolska. A typical slängpolska of this type could consist of two basic set positions: one in which the couple is spinning around one another while holding crossed hands outstretched with centrifugal force, the other in which the couple is spinning around one another in a closer position while holding the partner's shoulders and arms. The division between the two parts of the dance is then made by e.g. both dancers spinning out from their hold and then spinning once on their own with a clap of hands, followed by a returning to the hold. A common dance step consists of four steps distributed in the following way over three beats: one long, two short, one long ("one...-two-and-three..."). Beat 1, 2 and 3 have almost equal stress and length, which also is reflected in the corresponding music. A very free variant of this slängpolska type, consisting of walking through the room with different holds and turning on the spot with different holds and the same walking steps, could just as well be danced to 2/4 or 4/4 time music, as do the related norwegian dances gangar
Bygdedans
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....
and bonde, but in Sweden it is most commonly danced to 3/4 time music.
The second type of slängpolska is more related to other polskas
Polska (dance)
The polska is a family of music and dance forms shared by the Nordic countries: called polsk in Denmark, polska in Sweden and Finland and by several names in Norway in different regions and/or for different variants - including pols, rundom, springleik, and springar...
than to the above slängpolska type, in that the couples move counterclockwise around the periphery of the room, and choose to do so with or without rotation clockwise around an internal axis, one full rotation for each measure. The music and dances in this category share a high tempo, givin a "tossing" feeling, which is often reflected in the rotation part of the dance in the form of a jump or a lift as part of the step recurring in every measure until the couple decides to dance without rotation for a while. The name has been used from midwest Sweden (Värmland) to the north of Sweden, and there is a large diversity in music and dance character, since the name mainly refers to the tempo. Both in midwest and north Sweden there are examples of dances which can both be danced as a slower "polska" and as a faster "slängpolska" with retention of the basic steps.
Other common dance styles and/or music terms in Swedish traditional folk:
- polskaPolska (dance)The polska is a family of music and dance forms shared by the Nordic countries: called polsk in Denmark, polska in Sweden and Finland and by several names in Norway in different regions and/or for different variants - including pols, rundom, springleik, and springar...
- hamboHamboThe hambo is a traditional dance that originated in Sweden in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is a couple dance in ¾ time, danced to music played with a strong accent on the first beat and a tempo that varies from moderate to fast...
- snoaSnoaSnoa may refer to:*Curaçao synagogue or Mikvé Israel-Emanuel Synagogue*snoa , Nordic dance...
- schottis
- waltzWaltzThe waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
- polkett
- gånglåtGånglåtA gånglåt is a category of Swedish traditional folk music; a fiddle-tune in an easy, 4/4 or 2/4 march meter. The name in Swedish means "walking tune", and the traditional tempo is that of a stately walk. Not to be referred to/or confused with a march when this is spoken of in Swedish in the...
- wedding march