Country: Lappfjärd/Lapväärtti, Finland
Type: longways non-progressive set dance
Formation: any number of couples. When the music starts, men line up
side by side, each with his partner almost right behind him, holding partner's R hand in own R hand, with the man's hand reaching back. Line stands facing away from the front (ie in front of the (bridal) head table, but with backs to it). Couple 1 is the couple farthest to the right as seen from the front.
Steps:
menuet à deux mouvements. On-the-spot and cross-over steps
described below.
Each step is danced over 2 bars of music (3/4-time). Count to '6' for each complete step. Numbers in parenthesis below refer to the step count rather
than the bar or beat counts.
Sheet music:
(1) Heikel, Yngvar/ nr 20 'after Otto Lillhannus, Lappfjärd' in: Folkdans: B. dansbeskrivningar sammanställda av
Yngvar Heikel (Skrifter utgivna av Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland, 268; Finlands Svenska folkdiktning, VI)
Faksimiliutgåva 1982. s.l.: Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland, 1938. p.17.
(2) Andersson, Otto/ nr. 171 in:
Folkdans: A1. äldre dansmelodier.
(Skrifter utgivna av Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland, 400; Finlands Svenska folkdiktning, VI)
Åbo: Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland, 1963. pp.68-69.
[Minuets known to be from Lappfjärd include: 82, 93, 101-102, 106, 115, 125, 147-148, 153-156, 165, 171, 173-174, 177-178,
180, 191, 195, 213, 224, 236, 241, 245, 252, 255-258, 260-262, 265, 268]
(3) Andersson, Otto/ nrs 357-359 in: Folkdans: A3. bröllopsmusik.
(Skrifter utgivna av Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland, 402; Finlands Svenska folkdiktning, VI)
Åbo: Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland, 1964.
Recordings:
Granfors, Mats & Kenneth Nordman 'Lappfjärds menuett' [YouTube];
Järvelä, Arto Arto Järvelä plays fiddle vol. 3 - On the coast track 10;
Järvelä, Arto & Sibelius Academy Baroque Orchestra 'The Lappfjärd set after Valter Enlund & Torsten Pärus' [YouTube];
Järvelän Pikkupelimannit 'menuetti ja polska Lapväärtistä' New Finnish folk fiddling track 01;
[Peter ?] 'Farfars menuett (after O. Lillhannus, Lappfjärd)' [YouTube];
Nordik Tree Nordik tree track 10.
| Bar | Beat | Menuet steps: |
| Basic step (1 basic step = 2 bars of music) | ||
| 1 | :1 | Step forward with R foot (1), which has in the previous step been dragged past L foot. Step is toward partner, with toes pointed forward, and almost no swinging of the body. |
| :2 | Move L foot lightly to heel of R foot (2), ie with no body weight. Note: in the video prepared for Nordlek 2012, dancers do a small lift. | |
| :3 | Step back with L foot (3) to original place. | |
| 2 | :1 | Step back with R foot (1), with almost no body swing. |
| :2 | Lift L foot, and return to floor on the same spot (5) | |
| :3 | Drag R foot past L foot (6), ready to step onto it on the next beat. | |
| Cross-over step (2 cross-over steps = 4 bars of music) | ||
| 1 | :1 | Step forward toward partner with R foot (1), with a light stamp. The right foot has in the previous step been dragged past L foot. Note: in the video prepared for Nordlek 2012, dancers turn body 1/4 turn CCW 'around' partner. |
| :2 | Drag L foot past R (2). | |
| :3 | Step diagonally left-forward on L foot (3). Note: in the video prepared for Nordlek 2012, dancers turn back almost 1/2 turn CW 'around' partner on this beat and the following 2 beats. | |
| 2 | :1-2 | Take 2 short steps, with L shoulder leading. R foot closes to L (4) and L foot a short step forward (5). |
| :3 | Drag R foot past L (6). | |
| 3 | :1 | Step forward on R (1), with toes turned half way to the left. Body is also turned to the left. |
| :2 | Continuing the turn to the left on R sole, bring L foot to close to R (2) | |
| :3 | To complete turn to the left, step forward on L foot toward partner (3) | |
| 4 | :1 | Close R foot to L (4) |
| :2 | Step forward onto L (5) | |
| :3 | Drag R foot past L (6), ready to step onto it on the following beat for the beginning of the next menuet step. | |
| See YouTube teaching video with Virriga instruktören | ||
| Bar | Beat | Dance progression: |
| Traditionally, this menuet was danced without a specified number of menuet and cross-over steps. M1 would signal the start of the middain and kveeldin. In order to standardize it for performance purposes, and for purposes of recording the music, what follows is a suggested progression for this menuet. | ||
| Introduction | ||
| 1-3 | :1 | All stamp R foot on the first beat of the 3 bars, ie on 1:1, 2:1 and 3:1. On the second beat of each of these bars, lift L foot and replace it on the third beat of each bar. |
| 3 | :2 | Lift L foot (2) |
| :3 | Women step forward with L foot (3) | |
| 4 | :1-2 | Women continue forward turning to the L with R foot (4) and L foot (5) so that they finish facing partner |
| :3 | Women close R to L foot (6). | |
| 5-7 | :1 | All stamp R foot on the first beat of the 3 bars, ie on 5:1, 6:1 and 7:1. On the second beat of each of these bars, lift L foot, and replace on the third beat. |
| 7 | :2 | Lift L foot (2). While maintaining the hand hold, all couples turn 1/2 turn CW as follows: |
| :3 | step L (3) | |
| 8 | step onto R foot (4) with toes pointing R, and continue turning to the R on R foot, close L foot to R (5), and touch R foot to L (6). | |
| 9 | :1 | Stamp R foot toward each other (1) |
| :2 | Lift L foot (2), and simultaneously drop handhold | |
| :3 | Step back on L (3) | |
| 10 | :1 | Step back on R (4) and lift L |
| :2 | Replace L foot (5) | |
| :3 | Drag R foot past L (6), ready to step forward on the next menuet step | |
| Basic sequence | ||
| 11-18 | 2 menuet steps and 2 cross-over steps passing partner on the left, to original place | |
| 19-2 | 2 menuet steps and 2 cross-over steps passing partner on the left, to opposite place | |
| 3-10 | 2 menuet steps and 2 cross-over steps passing partner on the left, to original place.
Men give signal for the middain by clapping hands on 9:1 (step (1) in the second cross-over step) |
|
| Middain: | ||
| 11-14 | 2 menuet steps | |
| 15 | :1-2 | All stamp R foot (1) and lift L (2), while taking R hand in R with partner |
| :3 | All turn 1/2 turn CW as in 7:3 above, stepping L foot (3) | |
| 16 | Step R foot (4), L foot (5) and close R to L foot (6) | |
| 17-18 | All stamp R foot (1-2) and continue to turn 1/2 turn CW as above (3-6) | |
| 19 | :1-2 | All stamp R foot (1), lift L (2), drop right-hand hold, and take partner's L hand in L |
| :3 | All turn 1/2 turn CCW, stepping forward L (3) | |
| 20 | Step forward R (4), diagonally forward and to the left with L foot (5) with toes pointing to the left, and continue the turn on the left foot, touching R to L (6) | |
| 21-22 | All stamp R foot (1-2) and continue turning 1/2 turn CCW to original place as above (3-6) | |
| 23 | :1 | All stamp R foot toward each other (1) |
| :2 | lift L foot (2), and drop hand hold while | |
| :3 | stepping back L (3) | |
| 24 | :1 | Step back R (4), lifting L foot |
| :2 | Replace L foot (5) | |
| :3 | and drag R foot past L (6), ready to step forward in the next menuet step | |
| Basic sequence | ||
| 1-8 | 2 menuet steps and 2 cross-over steps to opposite place | |
| 9-16 | 2 menuet steps and 2 cross-over steps to original place | |
| 17-24 | 2 menuet steps and 2 cross-over steps to opposite place.
Men give signal for kveeldin by clapping hands on beat 23:1 (step (1) in the second cross-over step) |
|
| Kveeldin: | ||
| 1-4 | 2 menuet steps | |
| 5 | :1-2 | All stamp R foot (1) and lift L foot (2), while taking partners R hand in R |
| :3 | step L (3), turning 1/2 turn CW as above when changing places at the brginning of the dance | |
| 6 | step R (4), step L (5) and close R to L foot (6) | |
| 7-9 | All stamp R foot on first beat of each bar, ie 7:1, 8:1, and 9:1. On each stamp joined hands are lowered with a jerk,
and the hand-hold is dropped after the last jerk, at which the menuet is finished. Dancers wait in place until the music stops.
Traditionally followed immediately by polska från Lappfjärd |
|
See videos from/with Maunon Makasiini Kaustinen 2022, Kompasskonsert i Karis 2019, Dansfest i Jakobstad 2019, Juupelit, Konserthuset i Åbo 2016, Östra Nylands folkdansdistrikt 2013, Östra Nylands folkdansdistrikt 2012, Haga ungdomsförening at Folklandia 2010 [choreographed), Virriga instruktören 2020,
Provenance: This was one of the combined dances at Nordlek 2012 in Steinkjer.
Source: Finlands Svenska Folkdansring rf/ Årsprogramhäfte 1996-1997. [Helsingfors]: Finlands Svenska Folkdansring rf, 1996.
See also:
-- Andersson, Otto/ nr. 171 'comp. G. Bärlund, transcribed by Fridolf Andersson, 1911' in:
Folkdans: A1. äldre dansmelodier.
(Skrifter utgivna av Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland, 400; Finlands Svenska folkdiktning, VI)
Åbo: Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland, 1963. pp.68-69.
-- Heikel, Yngvar/ nrs 20-21 in: Folkdans: B. dansbeskrivningar sammanställda av
Yngvar Heikel (Skrifter utgivna av Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland, 268; Finlands Svenska folkdiktning, VI)
Faksimiliutgåva 1982. s.l.: Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland, 1938. pp. 16-18. [in Swedish]
-- Heikel, Yngvar/ nrs 20-21 in: Folkdans: B. dansbeskrivningar sammanställda av
Yngvar Heikel trans. by L. Ruus. rev. 2019-05-14.
Faksimiliutgåva 1982. s.l.: Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland, 1938. [in English]
-- Blomberg, Marcus
for Nordlek 2012 2009, [in Swedish]
Translation: L. Ruus, Oakville, 2012-01-08, rev. 2023-08-02.
Tillbaka till innehållsförteckningen/Back to table of contents