| Polska: Dances from across Sweden belong to the polska family and each village or parish developed its own variant. These dances are done to music in 3/4 time, where the relative length of the beats to each other varies from region to region. The basic step completes one full revolution in one measure of music (3 beats - compare with waltz, which takes 6 beats for a full turn). The men and women usually have different footwork and either one might be taking three, two or sometimes only one step per measure, with pivots making up the rest of the turn. Most polskas have a clockwise turn that is completed in one measure, but some regions add an alternate slow (6-beat) counterclockwise or clockwise turn or even a fast (3-beat) counterclockwise polska turn. In some dances the men may show off their athletic prowess with squats, leaps or cartwheels. The dances from different areas may be slow or fast, smooth or bouncy, level, with a noticable svikt or characteristic svikt pattern, or even have the woman floating in the air for brief moments. Even among dances with seemingly similar music or steps, the feel of the dances can vary dramatically: the turns can feel evenly round or oval or whip you around gently or quite forcefully. The music for polska is most commonly played on violin, either solo, or more recently, in groups called spelmanslag, but is also played on 3-hole pipe, zither, bagpipe, clarinet, and, more recently, accordion. Hambo: This well-known polska is sometimes referred to as the national dance of Sweden. This dance is a choreographed 8-measure pattern that includes a polska turn. It is often done in competition on an outdoor course! |