Each country has its own traditional dances with fancy outfits, jewelry, and its own special traditions. From Germany, for example, many of those that are now considered quite familiar have come. Some of them date back to the Neolithic era, when Germany was not yet Germany. Many of the traditional dances that are known today began as simple peasant dances, the main task of which was to diversify and decorate everyday life. Over time, they were adapted to high society. The music of German folk dances is as diverse as their elements.
Zwiefacher
This dance is mostly known in Bavaria. Its name can be freely translated as something like “twice” or “twice”. The dance is considered a kind of polka, and the size alternates between 3/4 and 2/4. The translation actually has nothing to do with the dance itself, its melody or rhythm. It is more likely that the name refers to the fact that the couple is dancing close to each other, which was quite unusual until then. This is a very old German dance, there are at least one hundred different tunes to which you can dance.
Schuhplattler
If you have ever seen a dance where male dancers in line or in a circle repeatedly tapped the soles of their shoes, beat their hands on their hips and knees, then you saw the Schuhplattler (German: Schuhplattler). This dance is one of the oldest dance customs in the world. It is believed that he appeared back in 3000 BC, but was first recorded in 1030 by a monk from Bavaria. This dance was mainly danced in the Bavarian and Tyrolean Alps by farmers, hunters and foresters. Often it was performed in traditional costumes. Male dancers wore a headdress and suspenders with gray-green or white socks to the knee, and women wore dirndli (Dirndl is the national Bavarian and Tyrolean women's outfit). Initially, this dance was used to call women married.
Der Deutsche (German)
This is a traditional German folk dance of the mid-18th century. It is danced by couples in a circle. The birthplace of dance is also Bavaria. Despite the fact that it seems simple, it has a lot of rotations and transitions, the implementation of which is brought to perfection. The musical size of the dance is 3/4 or 3/8. Some consider him the ancestor of the waltz.
Landler
Its name can be translated from German as "rustic". This is a pair of circular German folk dance, which was popular in the XVIII century. It has a lot of spins, tributaries, jumps, claps. Sometimes girls circled at the hand of a partner, and couples swapped or danced back to back. According to some researchers, this dance influenced the appearance of the waltz. Landler had a very strong influence on German music and dance traditions. For example, composers such as Beethoven and Schubert claimed to have included it in their compositions, which influenced many other well-known composers. The musical size of the dance is 3/4 or 3/8. Initially, he was a peasant, and then became popular in high society. There are a lot of examples of this type of dance. For example, the technique of performance and music of the German folk dance “Flower Girl” also allows it to be classified as peasant dances.
Waltz
The waltz comes from the German verb walzer, which means "spin, rotate or spin." It is known that the waltz came from Austria and Bavaria, arose as a peasant dance and quickly made its way into high society. Many criticized the dance, because it was considered indecent to dance so close, and many churchmen called the dance vulgar and sinful. He appeared more than 200 years ago. The musical size is 3/4. During the dance, the couple smoothly, continuously spinning, moving around the hall.
Dancing around the May Pole (Maypole dances)
Although these dances are most often associated with May holidays around the world, they are also danced during other celebrations. Originally in honor of the arrival of spring, May Day was a great fun holiday. The young girl was chosen by the Queen of May. Often, the May King was chosen along with her. They were crowned, and they led the holidays, which included feasting, singing, music and dancing.
On the first day of May, people cut down young trees and inserted them into the ground in the village to mark the arrival of summer. People danced around the wooden pillars decorated with ribbons in honor of the end of winter and the start of beautiful weather, which would allow the landing to begin. These dances are still part of village life, and on the first day of May, villagers dance around the May pole.
This dance does not have any strictly defined movements or rhythm. Many believe that he goes back to German paganism, which seems most likely.
Although dances around the May pole are known not only in Germany, they still dance here every year. Most small villages take pride in their dances around the May Pole and their traditions. Variations of dance vary from region to region. The most common form of dance in Germany is Bandltanz (dance tapes). During this dance, men and women dance around the pole and in the process tie the ribbons that hang from above.