Country: Sjælland, Denmark
Type: couple dance
Formation: any number of couples either in longways non-progressive set, M to the R and W to the left (as seen from the front).
Or open circle of couples, M with back to centre of circle.
Steps: (1) pas de menuet à deux mouvements,
(2) polsk (over 2 bars of 2/4 time music: couples face, R sides together and turn CW on the spot: beginning with L foot, dance one polka step (1:1-1:2), leap
onto R foot while kicking L foot back with somewhat bent knee (2:1), hop again on R foot while kicking L foot forward (2:2).
On the last bar, turn to stand with L sides together. When turning CCW, couples have L sides together and begin with R foot.)
(3) gangtrin (walk),
(4) appel (stamp),
Sheet music:
(1) Sørensen, Pia & Per/ VII: 28 gamle folkedanse fra Sjælland, Lolland, Fyn og Øerne.
[Kolding]: Eget forlag, [2000] p. 22.
(2) Grüner Nielsen, H./ nr 16 in: Vore ældste folkedanse: langdans og polskdans - musikbilag. København: Det Schønbergske
Forlag, 1917.
(3) menuet med polsk eller Radsted Degn after Anders Rasmussens notbok på Dansk Folkmindessamling, fra
Toreby, Radsted amt.
[Or other menuet in 3/4 time followed by 'polsk' in 2/4 time]
Recordings:
Gorset, Hans Olav & Ånon Egeland 'contiliong menue', fra Peter Bangs nodebog' For borgere og bønder track 16;
Spillemandslauget Tramp 3 (Sonet (SKA 1732) 1977) track B3.
| Bars | Part | Dance progression: |
| 1-2 | (a) | Menuet: Couples singly dance 1 menuet step, beginning with R foot, stepping backwards and turning 1/4 turn to R [ie CW, moving parallel to but in opposite direction from partner]. |
| 3-4 | Couples singly dance 1 menuet step, beginning with R foot, stepping backwards and turning 1/2 turn to L [ie CCW]. | |
| 5-6 | Couples singly dance 1 menuet step forward. | |
| 7-8 | Couples singly dance 1 menuet step while turning almost 1/2 turn to R to face partner. | |
| 9-10 | Couples singly dance 1 menuet step changing places with partner, passing on the L [ie moving into opposite line/circle] | |
| 11-12 | Couples singly dance 1 menuet step turning L [ie CCW] and finishing very close to partner.
[Each menuet step is danced over 2 bars of music: (1:1) step R, (1:2) pause, (1:3) step L, (2:1) step R, (2:2) step L, (2:3) pause. All turns are facing opposite line/circle of dancers. The menuet portion is danced like the basic menuet sequence in menuet from Randers. Depending on the music, eg the Gorset & Egeland recording above, the 2nd vesion of 'pas de menuet en fleuret' may be more suitable.] |
|
| 13-24 | Repeat above 6 menuet steps, now in opposite line, ie from partner's former place. Finnish in original place. | |
| 25-32 | (b) | Polsk: Partners take closed shoulder hold, or closed waist-shoulder hold, and turn CW on the spot, 4 polsk steps.
On the last bar, with either 2 walking steps or 2 stamps, turn to stand with L sides together. |
| 25-32 | Still in closed shoulder/waist-shoulder hold with partner, turn CCW on the spot, beginning with R foot, 4 polsk steps.
Repeat from (a) as desired. |
Provenance: An attempt at a reconstruction of polsk menuet, by Per Sørensen and Ole Skov, Herlev, in conjunction with a seminar on polsk-dances by
Landsforeningen Danske Folkedansere in February 1999. There are no known extant descriptions of the dance, although there are 2 general references from
1795 and 1798, as well as instances of sheet music in manuscript musicians' notebooks. The 1798 source notes that the repetition of
menuet-polsk-menuet-polsk-etc is
in some places called "ost og brød" [trans: 'cheese and bread'].
The music in the source [below] is from the Brothers Bast notebook
from the 1760s, as reproduced in Grüner Nielsen Vore ældste folkedanse, although without the repetition of bars 9-24.
Polsk menuets have also occured in Norway and
Sweden.
Source: Sørensen, Pia & Per/ VII: 28 gamle folkedanse fra Sjælland, Lolland, Fyn og Øerne.
[Kolding]: Eget forlag, [2000] pp. 22-23.
See also:
-- Bast, Christian Frederik & Poul Danchel/ Brøderne Bast's violinbog (ms) 1763-82.
-- Grüner Nielsen, H./ Vore ældste folkedanse: langdans og polskdans. København: Det Schønbergske
Forlag, 1917.
-- Blicher, Niels/ Topographie over Vium Præstekald. 1795.
-- Junge, Joachim/ Den nordsiellandske landalmues character, skikke, meeninger og sprog. 1798.
Description: Laine Ruus, Oakville, 2023-04-11, rev. 2023-08-01.
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