Country: Sweden
Type: set dance
Formation: 4 couple quadrille, couple 1 with back to music, couple 2 to R of couple 1, couple 3 faces couple 1, couple 4 faces couple 2.
Steps: hurrasteg (buzz step or reverse buzz step), step-hop, walk
Music: "Soldier's joy" or any engelska with AABB or other appropriate structure.
Bars | Part | Dance progression |
1-8 | 1 (a) | In closed circle, all dance CW, 16 walking steps. |
1-8 | (b) | In closed circle, all dance CCW, 16 walking steps. |
9-16 | 2 (a) | M1 leads W1 into centre of set, facing out (9-10), W1 taking 4 walking steps. Repeated by couple 2 (11-12), couple 3 (13-14), and couple 4 (15-16). Finish with all 4 women in centre back to back, facing out. |
9-16 | (b) | All M shout 'Hej', clap on 1st beat, and dance CW twice round circle of women, 16 step-hops. |
1-8 | (c) | All take waltz hold with partner and dance on the spot, turning CW, 16 buzz steps. |
1-8 | 3 (a) | All M form L-hand star and dance CCW, 16 walking steps. |
9-16 | (b) | All M change to R-hand star and dance CW, 16 walking steps. |
9-16 | (c) | Repeat (2 (c)). |
1-8 | 4 (a) | W1 leads M1 into centre of set, facing out (1-2), M1 taking 4 walking steps. Repeated by couple 4 (3-4), couple 3 (5-6), and couple 2 (7-8). Finish with all 4 men in centre back to back, facing out. |
1-8 | (b) | All W clap on 1st beat, and dance CW twice round circle of men, 16 step-hops. |
9-16 | (c) | Repeat (2 (c)). |
9-16 | 5 (a) | All W form R-hand star and circle twice round CW, 16 walking steps. |
1-8 | (b) | All W form L-hand star and circle twice round CCW, 16 walking steps. |
1-8 | (c) | Repeat (2 (c)). |
9-16 | 6 (a) | All dance R-hand chain with elbow-hook hold, once round the set, W moving CW and M moving CCW, one change per bar. 16 walking steps. |
9-16 | (b) | All take waltz hold with partner and dance on the spot, turning CW, 16 buzz steps. |
Provenance: Reconstructed at a workshop in Ramnäs in 1968, based on notes by Henry Sjöberg. Description by Erik Bihrling 1969.
Note accompanying the description: 'Engelska' dances were named after the number of dancers, ie tretur, fyrtur, sextur, and åttetur [sic].
'Engelska' dances appear to have reached Sweden during the 1700s, and became popular especially in coastal areas, such as the provinces of Bohuslän,
Halland, Skåne, Småland, Öland, Östergötland, Sörmland and Norrbotten.
Musically, the engelskor are unique [at least in Sweden] in that the musicians in Sweden only adopted one tune, the English folk melody
"Soldier's joy". That melody became the basis of innumerable variations.
Note: this was one of the dances for the Swedish program at Nordlek 1985.
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