Ringländer frå Oviken

Country: Oviken, Jämtland, Sweden
Type: couple dance
Formation: any number of couples in open circle facing partner, M facing out of circle, W facing in. Waltz hold with palms together.
Steps: schottis (ie chassé), sidsteg (sidesteps), pivot, walk. NB: all steps with svikt (lift).
Music: ringländer frå Oviken; Svenska Ungdomsringen för Bygdekultur Musik till svenska folkdanser Stockholm: SUB, 1964. p. 58-59 [contains 2 tunes].
Recordings: Finlands svenska folkdansring Årsprogram 2005-2006 track 08 or any gammal schottis, preferably from Jämtland, with appropriate length and tempo.

Bars Sequence Dance progression
|:1-8:| (1) Starting with outside (ML/WR) foot, dance 8 schottis turning steps, turning CW and moving in LOD (1-8). Ditto turning CCW (1-8).
9-12 (2) M leads his partner in front, finishing with M facing in LOD, W in RLOD. Starting with outside (ML/WR) foot, couples dance one schottis introductory step moving diagonally forward to ML (toward centre of circle), followed by one moving diagonally forward to MR (away from centre of circle) (9-10).
Beginning with Ms back in LOD, couples turn with 4 pivot steps (11-12).
13-16   Repeat (2).
9-12 (3) M leads his partner in front, finishing with M facing in LOD, W in RLOD. Starting with outside (ML/WR) foot, couples dance one schottis introductory step moving diagonally forward to ML (toward centre of circle), followed by one moving diagonally forward to MR (away from centre of circle) (9-10).
Moving in RLOD, M dances 4 walking steps with svikt backwards, W forwards (11-12).
13-16   Repeat (3).
1-4 (4) Starting with outside (ML/WR) foot, couples danc 4 sidesteps [moving in LOD] (1-2). Dropping hold and free hands hanging, M turns twice CCW, W CW, with 4 pivot steps (3-4).
5-8   Repeat (4).
1-4 (5) Holding inside (MR/WL) hands with free arms hanging and facing in LOD, couples dance 2 chassé steps forward in LOD (1-2).
M dances forward in LOD with 4 walking steps with svikt (lift), while W, slightly ahead of her parner, turns CCW under the joined hands with 4 pivot steps (3-4).
5-8   Repeat (5).
9-12 (6) In waltz hold and M with back in LOD, couples dance 2 schottis turning steps (9-10).
Couples dance 4 sidesteps forward in LOD (11-12).
13-16   Repeat (6).
9-12 (7) M leads his partner in front, finishing with M facing in LOD, W in RLOD. Starting with outside (ML/WR) foot, couples dance one schottis introductory step moving diagonally forward to ML (toward centre of circle), followed by one moving diagonally forward to MR (away from centre of circle) (9-10).
Dropping hold with R hand or with waltz hold, M takes a firm hold around partner's waist with R hand and lifts her CW, 1/2 turn, while turning backwards and stepping L R (11).
Beginning with outside (ML/WR) foot and hanging outside arms or free hands at waist, couple walks forward with 2 walking steps.
13-16   Repeat (7).

See Dancilla video from Svenska Ungdomsringen för Bygdekultur. [Danced in RLOD].

Provenance: One informant was Salomon (Salmen) Eliasson (1865-1961) from Kövra in Myssjö parish demonstrated sequence (6). Another informant, Lisa Jonsson (1878-1962), said that the first couple on the dance floor determined whether the dance was done in LOD or RLOD, ie CCW or CW around the dance floor - all subsequent couples followed their lead.

This was one of the combined dances for Nordlek 2006 in Göteborg.
Printed source: revised Swedish description prepared for Nordlek 2006.
See also the original descrition in: Svenska Ungdomsringen för Bygdekultur/ Beskrivning av svenska folkdanser 2001 ed. pp. 86, 87, 88 or [pdf format].
Translation: Laine Ruus, Oakville, 2021-06-11.


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