Country: Ringerike, Norway
Type: progressive longways set dance
Formation: longways set of couples, M to the right, L to the left, as seen from the music.
Couples numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, etc from top of the set.[Couple 1 stands closest to the music.]
When couples dance together, they hold L-in-L. Otherwise, W holds skirt with free hand, M holds free hand at waist or
lets it hang free.
Steps:
jamvektsteg,
bytomfotsteg frå galopp (change step),
sluttsteg (step-close). All steps
begin with L foot unless otherwise noted.
Sheet music: (1) Semb, Klara/ Norske folkdansar: turdansar. Oslo: Noregs Boklag/Det Norske Samlaget, 1991. pp. 227, 385.
(2) Semb, Klara/ Danse, danse dokka mi: songleikar og turdansar. Oslo: Noregs Boklag, 1958. p.143.
A variant of the same music as Danish
Bøhmerdans.
Recordings:
Christiania Thour- og Runddansensemble Norske turdansar I: kontradansar frå Austlandet tracks 19 & 20 -
on YouTube -
[part 1]
[final sequence].
| Bars | Part | Dance progression: |
| Part 1 | ||
| |:1-4:| | (a) | Promenade: Odd-numbered couples [in L-in-L hold] dance down the set, 3 change steps.
Couples turn towards each other to face up the set, without dropping hold, with an R foot step-close (1-4).
Couples dance up the set with 3 change steps. On the 3rd step, M leads his partner in front and over to [next even-numbered M] in the M line, while himself turning towards the [next even-numbered W] in the W line, and dropping hold. [odd-numbered M=M1M1 and [even-numbered W=W2]W2 approach, W1 and M2 ditto, with 2 walking steps and a curtsey/bow (1-4). |
| |:5-8:| | (b) | Balancé: Beginning with R foot, M1 and W2, and W1 and M2, take L-in-L hold, and dance
4 jamvektsteg on the spot. On the last step all drop hold, and M1 and W1 turn 1/2 turn to face partner. Meanwhile,
M2 and W2 rest in place (5-8).
M1 and W1 take L-in-L hold and. beginning with R foot, dance 4 jamvektsteg on the spot (5-8). |
| 9-12 | (c) | Clapping: Couple 1 drops hand hold, claps own hands, partner's R hand (9), own hands, partner's L hand (10), own hands, partner's two hands (11), and own hands 3 times (12). |
| 9-12 | Swing: Couple 1 L-in-L hold again, turn 1-1/2 times on the spot with 3 change steps (9-11).
Meanwhile, couple 2 steps up.
Couple 1 drops hold and dances out to original lines into couple 2's original place, [ie having progressed one place], 2 walking steps (12). When the music repeats, couple 1 dances with the next couple 2. The third time, couple 1 dances with yet a third couple 2, and the second couple 1 with couple the second couple 2, etc. |
|
| Repeat from (a) until original head couple 1 is again at top of the set. Once arrived at the top of the set, top couple 1 rests [stands over] one repeat, at the end of which top M1 claps his hands as a reminder to remaining couples that the final sequence is about to begin. | ||
| Part 2 - Slutt-tur (final sequence) | ||
| 1- | (a) | Promenade: The two lines advance, couples take L-in-L hold with partner.
All couples follow top couple 1 around CW to form an open circle. All M finish in front of partner, M facing CCW and W facing CW in the open circle. Part A of the music is repeated as long as necessary. Once all couples are in the open circle, top M1 claps to signal to the music to finish playing part A, and stop [sic]. |
| 1- (8 bars per couple) | (b) | Figuré chain: All W remain in place, holding skirt with both hands.
Meanwhile, M take low hip hold with L hand [ie L hand at top of femur, below hip bone, fingers facing forward].
All M dance diagonally forward to R, past partner, with 1 change step, then diagonally forward to L to face next oncoming W, with 2 walking steps. (2 bars) The two [M & W] give a slight curtsey/bow, take L-in-L hold and dance 2 jamvektsteg (R and L). (2 bars) Clap own hands 3 times, and then clap opposite's both hands 3 times. (2 bars) Take L-in-L hold and turn on the spot once round CW, with 2 change steps. (2 bars) All M repeat (b) with each oncoming W in turn around the set until he again faces original partner, with whom the above 8-bar figuré sequence is repeated. |
| 1- (1 bar per couple) | (c) | Chain: All dance R-hand chain around the set, M moving CCW, W moving CW, with one
change step per oncoming dancer, until 1st meeting with original partner.
M leads partner to inside of double circle, W facing out of circle and M facing in, followed by aq deep curtsey/bow while the music finishes playing the phrase. |
Provenance: In the introduction to Danse danse dokka mi [sic; but possibly another source], Klara Semb wrote "she had reconstructed Kvadriljen, Bømmeren and
Mølledansen" based on an old handwritten 'Dansebog frå Romerike', from the 1820s".
An envelope in the Semb archives is labelled '2 gamle dansebøker' (trans: 2 old dance books).
One of these is a small handwritten manuscript which Semb called 'Kvadrilje og mølledansen'.
The second is a published title: Isachsen, Janny/ Lommebog for dansende. On page 48 of the
latter is a description of 'Bøhmerdands' which is assumed to be Semb's souce for this reconstruction; her
description follows in the main this source, although some details are open to more than one interpretation.
Similar descriptions are to be found in a pamphlet (by A. Hald [sic] or E. Hall) printed in Trondhjem in 1831, and in a
Danish collection by Paul Petersen. The final sequence (above) is not present in either of these two latter sources. The
clapping sequence has been added by the editorial team in order to
facilitate transition [unclear whether (1 (c)) or (2 (b)) - both are present in Semb 1958].
Semb found the music, entitled "Bömisk dans", in an ms notebook by Anders Olsen Liverud from Modum, the
cover of which has the inscribed date 1828. The same tune occurs in several handwritten Norwegian tune/dance books under
similar titles.
Source: Semb, Klara/ Norske folkdansar: turdansar. Oslo: Noregs Boklag/Det Norske Samlaget, 1991. pp. 227-230.
See also:
-- Semb, Klara/ Danse danse dokka mi: songleikar og turdansar for born og ungdom. Oslo: Noregs Boklag, 1958. pp. 119-120, 143.
-- Isachsen, Janny/ Lommebog for dansende. Til støtte for erindringen ved menuet, francaise, lanciers,
fandango med flere af de mest brugelige nutidsdanse…udgivet af Janny Isachsen, dandselærerinde. Kristiania, 1886.
Translation: L. Ruus, Oakville, 2022-08-18.
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