Änkevals

Country: Jokkmokk, Sweden
Type: mixer
Formation: any number of couples in open circle facing in RLOD, arm in arm. One or more W ("widows", without partners) stand in the circle between the couples.
Steps: walk, waltz
Sheet music: Martinsson, Bengt Danser från Norr- och Västerbotten samt Finland. reviderad o utökad uppl. Luleå: Svenska Undomsringen för Bygdekultur. Övre Norrlands Distrikt, Feb. 1978. p. 35. [or any tune with march and waltz phrases]
Recordings: Svenska Undomsringen för Bygdekultur. Övre Norrlands Distrikt Musik till danser i Norrbotten track 14.

	Part	Dance progression:
	(a)	March: During march phrases, all promenade in RLOD, walking steps. At will "widow(s)" stop, forcing the W behind to relinquish her partner, as the M continues walking with the new partner. The new "widow" stops in her turn, etc. until the musicians finish playing the march phrase.
	(b)	Waltz: All couples dance turning waltz moving in LOD. The "widows" go to the centre of the circle awaiting the next march. Note: the waltz phrase was alway played twice, in full. When the march begins again, the "widows" re-enter the circle, and stop as above.
		Repeat from (a) as desired. The musicians may switch from march tempo to waltz tempo as they please, and were wont to make a point of making the same W a "widow" several times. It was said in Jokkmokk that if a W ended up being a widow 3 times, she would be lifted up in the air on a chair. Note: If there were more M than W, it was dances as a "widowers" waltz, in which case both march and waltz were danced in LOD.

Provenance: the dance has been described as traditional by several older informants in Jokkmokk 1968-1975, especially in conjunction with playing by Hilding Ek. Similar dances have been described as occuring in the Lule, Pite, and Skellefte river valleys. In the Lule and Pite river valleys it was called "änkevals" or "änkedans" etc., in the Skellefte river valley as "Skojarn". Variants occur in Västerbotten which switch between polkett and waltz, schottis and polkett.

Source: Martinsson, Bengt Danser från Norr- och Västerbotten samt Finland. reviderad o utökad uppl. Luleå: Svenska Undomsringen för Bygdekultur. Övre Norrlands Distrikt, Feb. 1978. PP. 10, 35.
Translation: Laine Ruus, Oakville, 2021-11-05.

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