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 polska is almost always seen as a couple dance in 3/4 time, although variants in 2/4 time and for two or more couples exist. Political map of the Nordic countries and associated territories. ...

Evolution

As implied by the name, (polska also means Polish in Swedish) the roots of the polska are often traced back to the influence of the Polish court throughout the northern countries during the early 1600s. This view is sometimes challenged by those who see earlier evidence of the musical tradition in Nordic visor or songs, that may have become grafted onto the newer foreign influences when the court dances began to filter out into the middle class and rural communities. Here and there also, a dance or a few dance melodies in triple meter have been found that may or may not be remnants of dances that the polka could have swallowed up. This article is about the country in Europe. ...

The polka dances likely evolved from court dances such as the polonaise or the 2/4 time minuet involving larger sets of people. Some see traces of the evolution from set dances to couples dances and from duple time to triple time in the minuets, still danced in some communities of Finland and Denmark. In these, the dance starts with a large set of dancers dancing a slower formal section and ends with couples or foursomes dancing a faster, more energetic polska section. Typical rhythm of a Polonaise For a robe à la polonaise, see Polonaise (clothing). ... A minuet, sometimes spelled menuet, is a social dance of French origin for two persons, usually in 3/4 time. ... Triple metre (or triple meter, also known as triple time) is a musical metre characterised by a primary division of 3 beats to the bar, usually indicated by 3 (simple) or 9 (compound) in the upper figure of the time signature, with 3/4 and 9/8 being the most...

In the prevalent 3/4 time form, polska dances were most common in Norway, Sweden and Swedish-speaking Finland, but with versions seen in Finnish-speaking Finland and in Denmark. It is best to discuss these dances by country as their regional histories, while contemporaneous, were quite varied and the dances known today differ significantly from one country to the next.

Character by country

Norway

Norway’s dances show the most consistent living tradition, with unique local dances still danced socially today within specific regions or communities. There are two predominant broad types, each characterized by its own music, instrumentation, and dance tradition.

• Dances referred to as pols are commonly danced to music played on standard fiddles (violins) and largely adhere to a conventional structure composed of two eight-bar phrases, each phrase repeated, and then the whole structure repeated (a total of 64 three-beat measures). The dances typically have a structure that matches the phrasing, with a section in which the couple walks an elaborated promenade, a section in which they dance bakmes turn (upper body facing as a couple, bodies rotating counter-clockwise at a rate of one revolution per two measures), a section in escort position, and concluding with a section dancing the pols turn (bodies facing with the couple rotating clockwise at the rate of one turn per measure). Dances in this style were and are danced widely in Norway and predominate in eastern Norway and the mountainous spine bordering Sweden in commuities such as the mining town of Røros, and others in the provinces of Trøndelag, Østerdal and in Gudbrandsdalen where the dance in this style is called springleik.

• The other strong tradition in Norway is the springdans (running dance) or springar, danced primarily in communities in western Norway and the fjord areas of west central Norway. Here, the music is played largely on the hardingfele (or Hardanger fiddle; a specially constructed fiddle fitted with four conventionally fingered and bowed strings but also resonating strings (usually five) that produce a distinctive droning sound). The music is also distinct in that tunes are built through the repetition and elaboration of short two- or four-measure motifs. The dance is similarly freer in form, led by the male through a spontaneous sequencing of standard movements as the couple moves through a large variety of holds and underarm turns (these movements appearing similar to modern swing and salsa although in a much slower style). In some traditions much of the dance may be danced with the couple near a single spot (e.g., springar danced in Telemark) while in others they may continue moving counterclockwise around the dance floor (e.g., those danced in Valdres and Hallingdal). The music and dance is still in triple time, but often with very asymmetrical measures – for example, having a short first and attendant longer second beat and in which the dancers’ steps show adaptation to the unique rhythm.

“Fiddler” redirects here. ... County Sør-Trøndelag District Municipality NO-1640 Administrative centre Røros Mayor (2003) John Helge Andersen (Ap) Official language form Neutral Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 32 1,956 km² 1,758 km² 0. ... Trøndelag is the name of a geographical region in the middle of Norway, consisting of the two counties Nord-Trøndelag and Sør-Trøndelag. ... The upper river valleys of Norwegian rivers have distinctive names which are vestiges of earlier cultural distinctions such as building styles, traditional clothing or bunad and domestic crafts. ... The Gudbrandsdal valley is a valley in the Norwegian fylke of Oppland. ... Fjord in Sunnmøre, Norway Geirangerfjord, Norway A fjord (or fiord) is a long, narrow estuary with steep sides, made when a glacial valley is filled by rising sea water levels. ... A hardingfele A Hardanger fiddle or hardingfele (Norwegian) is a traditional stringed instrument from Norway. ... For other uses, see Telemark (disambiguation). ... View over Begnadalen from Lærskogen, with the large woodland ranging all over to Randsfjorden on the left and Hedalsfjella in the right background Valdres is a landscape in central, southern Norway, situated between Gudbrandsdal and Hallingdal. ... Hallingdal is a valley and landscape in central, southern Norway, consisting of the municipalities Flå, Nes, Gol, Hemsedal, Ål and Hol. ...

Sweden

In Sweden, the polska music tradition is continuous, with tunes and styles passed down through families, relatives and neighbors. While styles have certainly evolved over time, the traditions and the roots can be traced back hundreds of years. In addition, through the 1800s a series of professional and semi-professional archivists travelled the land transcribing and annotating tunes. In contrast, however, polska dance traditions came under severe pressure during the industrialization of Sweden and with very few exceptions, succumbed entirely during the early 1900s. Most of what is known about Swedish polska dance comes from research conducted during the 1950s and 1960s and involved the recreation of dances from the recollections of older people and the occasional early film.

On the other hand, what is known about Swedish polska dancing indicates a rich tradition with perhaps several hundred unique variations of the triple time dances and, frequently, a parallel music tradition of uniquely styled tunes. Broadly, there are three styles of music for Swedish polska:

• The semiquaver or sixteenth-note polska, typically played and danced in a smooth character and even rhythm. This style was characteristic of the music and dance in southern Sweden^[1] and up the eastern Baltic coast. Dances in Småland and other provinces of southern Sweden were typically slängpolskas with the couple dancing on a spot, often involving intricate patterns of holds and underarm turns similar to those seen in Norwegian springar. Farther up the coast the dances tended to become danced with couples moving counterclockwise around the periphery of the room (perhaps influenced by the introduction of the waltz) and devoting most of the dance to the clockwise couple turn where the couples face each other and make a full rotation with each measure (e.g., the village of Bingsjö in Dalarna and villages in the provinces of Hälsingland and Medelpad).

• The quaver or eighth-note polska. This pervasive style may be found throughout Sweden, but perhaps reaching its apotheosis in the folk district of Dalarna, where uniquely styled versions can be distinguished in communities only a few kilometers separated from one another (e.g., Boda, Rättvik, Orsa). The accompanying dance styles tend to emphasize a clockwise couple turn altenating with a resting step in which couples walk – typically stepping on only the first and third beat – in escort position. Rhythms can also become asymmetrical, as for example, the early two seen in polska dances from western Dalarna danced in Älvdalen and Transtrand or the late third in the south of Dalarna. The wide variation in the placement of the second beat perhaps explains why Swedish fiddlers typically tap their feet on only the first and third beat.

• The triplet polska. This style is most commonly seen in the mountainous western sections of the provinces bordering Norway: Värmland, western Dalarna, Jämtland and Härjedalen. The dance traditions show strong cross-border influences with many dances that combine phrase-matching sequences of elaborated promenading, bakmes (slower counterclockwise turning) and polska (faster clockwise turning) that are similar to those seen with Norwegian pols. This dance style is also seen with eighth note polska in the border areas.

A typical tune in the Swedish polska tradition shows a common structure, with two related eight-measure phrases, each repeated (a total of 32 bars constituting a single complete rendition of the tune) and the whole structure repeated two or more times. However, there are longer tunes (a storpolska or big polska has three or occasionally even four phrases) and there exist many tunes with odd numbers of measures per phrase and phrases that vary in length between parts. is a historical province (landskap) in southern Sweden. ... There is also Norwegian region called Dalane. ...   Hälsingland?, is a historical province or landskap in the north of Sweden. ...   is a historical province or landskap in the north of Sweden. ... There is also Norwegian region called Dalane. ... Boda is a town located in the Central African Republic prefecture of Lobaye. ... Rättvik Municipality is a Municipality in Dalarna County, in central Sweden. ... ORSA is an acronym for Oxacillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. ... Älvdalen can mean: Älvdalen Municipality - a municipality of Dalarna County in Sweden Älvdalen Court District - a district of Dalecarlia in Sweden See also Dalecarlian language - a language spoken in Älvdalen Älvdal Hundred - a district of Wermelandia in Sweden This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages... Transtrand is a village in the Swedish municipality of Malung, Dalarna province. ... â–¶(?) is a historical province or landskap in the west of middle Sweden. ... (help· info), is a historical province or landskap in the center of Sweden. ... â–¶ (help· info), is a historical province or landskap in the north of Sweden. ...

It is important that sharp lines and distinctions not be drawn. For example, all three styles of polska music form the historical traditions of Jämtland; sixteenth note polskas can also be found in virtually all areas of Sweden; and the placement of the second beat can be controversial even among fiddlers from the same community. Moreover, interesting counter-examples may be found for virtually any statement made in this article.

Finland

Denmark

Sources

• Authors (see below). (1989). Polska i Norden. Svea fonogram: Stockholm.

A 56 page booklet and accompanying audio tape with 40 tunes. Cooperative venture of four Nordic institutes. Provides separate descriptions of music and dance traditions in the four Nordic countries in the local language, followed by complete translation in English. Nyberg, B. (Swedish contributor); Aksdal, B. (Norwegian contributor); Koiranen, A. (Finnish contributor); Koudal, H.K. & Nielsen, S. (Danish contributors); Nyhus, S., Ramsten, M., & Häggman, A. (contributors, origin not specified).

• Swedish dance videos, including but not limited to polska. [1]

• Three Fiddlers [2]

• Videos of traditional folk music by fiddlers and folk musicians of the Nordic countries. Examples of the styles mentioned in this article and more. tvfolk.net [3]

See also

• Bygdedans - "Village dance", with further discussion of Norwegian Springar traditions
• Danish folk music
• Finnish folk music
• Folk dance
• Gammaldans - "Oldtime dance" in Nordic folk dance traditions
• Gangar
• Halling
• Hambo - 3/4-beat "national dance of Sweden", derived from the polska tradition
• Hardingfele
• Mazurka
• Minuet
• Music of Sweden
• Norwegian folk music
• Nyckelharpa
• Polka - 2/4-beat dance of Czech origin
• Polonaise - 3/4-beat slow dance of Polish origin
• Polka-mazurka - 3/4-beat dance, musically similar to the mazurka
• Swedish folk music
• Traditional Nordic dance music