Polska (dance)

The “polska” is a family of music and dance forms shared by the Nordic countries: called “polska” in Sweden and Finland, “pols” in Norway, and “polsk” in Denmark. As implied by the name (polska means Polish in Swedish) its roots are most often traced back to the influence of the Polish court throughout the northern countries during the early 1600s. This view is sometimes challenged by those who see earlier evidence of the musical tradition in Nordic “visor” or songs, that may have become grafted onto the newer foreign influences when the court dances began to filter out into the middle class and rural communities.

The polska is almost always seen as a couple dance in triple (3/4) time, although it likely evolved from court dances such as the polonaise or the duple time (2/4) minuet involving larger sets of people. Some see traces of the evolution from set dances to couples dances and from duple time to triple time in the minuets, still danced in some communities of Finland and Denmark. In these, the dance starts with a large set of dancers dancing a slower formal section and ends with couples or foursomes dancing a faster, more energetic polska section.

In the prevalent triple time form (although some duple time variants exist), the polska was danced most widely in Sweden and Norway, but with versions also seen in Finland and Denmark. It is best to consider the dances by country as their histories, while contemporaneous, were quite varied and the dances known today differ quite significantly from one country to the next. [This original version of this article limits subsequent discussion to Norway and Sweden.]

Norway’s dances show the most consistent living tradition, with uniquely styled dances still danced socially today within distinct communities. There are two predominant broad types, each characterized by its own music, instrumentation, and dance tradition. Dances referred to as “pols” are commonly danced to music played on standard fiddles (violins) and largely adhere to a conventional structure with two eight-bar phrases, each phrase repeated, and then the whole structure repeated (a total of 64 three-beat measures). The dances typically have a structure that matches the phrasing, with a section where the couple walks forward executing a series of changes of orientation and hand holds, a section where they dance bakmes (upper body facing as a couple, bodies rotating counter-clockwise at a rate of one revolution per two measures), a phrase in escort position, and concluding with a phrase dancing the pols (bodies again facing but with the couple rotating clockwise at the rate of one turn per measure). Dances in this style were and are danced widely in Norway and predominate in eastern Norway and the mountainous spine bordering Sweden in commuities such as the mining town of Røros, and others in the provinces of Trøndelag, Østerdal and Gubrandsdal (where the dance in this style is called “springleik”).

The other strong tradition in Norway is the “springdans” (running dance) or “springar,” danced primarily in communities in western Norway and the fjord areas of west central Norway. Here the music is played largely on the “hardingfele” (or hardanger fiddle; a slightly smaller fiddle fitted with four conventional strings but also 5 resonating strings that produce a distinctive droning sound). The music is also distinct in that tunes are built through the repetition and elaboration of short two- or three-measure motifs. The dance is also freer in form, created by the male though the spontaneous sequencing of standard movements as the couple turns and moves through a large variety of underarm turns and holds (these movements appearing similar to modern swing and salsa although in a much slower style). In some traditions much of the dance may be danced with the couple near a single spot (e.g., Telespringar) while in others they may continue moving around the floor (e.g., Valdresspringar, Hallingspringar). The music and dance is still in triple time, but often with very assymetrical measures—for example, having a short first and attendant longer second beat and where the dancers’ steps show adaptation to the unique rhythm.

In Sweden, the polska music tradition is continuous, with tunes and styles passed down through families, relatives and neighbors. While styles have most certainly evolved over time, the traditions and the roots can be traced back hundreds of years. In addition, through the 1800s a series of professional and semiprofessional archivists traveled the land transcribing and annotating tunes. In contrast, however, polska dance traditions came under severe pressure during the industrialization of Sweden and with very few exceptions, succumbed entirely during the early 1900s. Most of what is known about Swedish polska dance comes from research conducted during the 1960s and 1970s and involved the recreation of dances from the recollections of older people and the occasional early film.

On the other hand, what is known about Swedish polska dancing indicates a rich tradition with perhaps several hundred unique variations of the triple time dances and, frequently, a parallel music tradition of uniquely styled tunes. Broadly, there are three styles of music for Swedish polskas:

• The semiquaver or sixteenth-note polska, typically played and danced in a smooth, regular rhythm. This style was characteristic of the music and dance in southern Sweden and up the eastern Baltic coast. Dances in Småland and other provinces of Southern Sweden were typically “slängpolskas” with the couple dancing on a spot, often involving intricate patterns of underarm turns and holds similar to those seen in Norwegian springar. Farther up the coast the dances tended to become danced with couples moving counterclockwise around the periphery of the room (perhaps influenced by the introduction of the waltz) and devoting most of the dance to the clockwise couple turn where the couples face each other and make a full rotation with each measure (e.g., the village of Bingsjö in Dalarna and villages of Hälsingland and Medelpad).

• The quaver or eighth-note polska. This pervasive style may be found throughout Sweden, but perhaps reaching its apotheosis in the folk district of Dalarna, where uniquely styled versions can be distinguished in communities only a few kilometers separated from one another (e.g., Boda, Rättvik, Orsa). Again the accompanying dance style tends to focus on the couple turn portion of the dance with occasional resting phases where couples walk—typically stepping on only the first and third beat—in escort position. Rhythms can also become asymetrical, as for example, the “early two” seen in polskas from Western Dalarna danced in Älvdalen and Transtrand. The wide variation in the placement of the second beat perhaps explains why Swedish fiddlers typically beat only the first and third beat with their feet.

• The triplet polska. This style is most commonly seen in the mountainous western sections of the provinces bordering Norway: Värmland, Western Dalarna, Jämtland and Härjedalen. The dance traditions show strong cross-border influences with many dances that combine phrase-matching sequences of elaborated promenading, bakmes (slower counterclockwise turning) and polska (faster clockwise turning) that are similar to those seen with Norwegian pols. [Note, this dance style is also seen with eighth note polskas in the border areas.]

The typical tune in the Swedish polska tradition shows a fairly common structure, with two related 8 measure phrases, each repeated (a total of 32 bars constituting a single complete rendition of the tune) and the whole structure repeated two or more times. However, there are longer tunes (a “storpolska” or “big polska” has three or occasionally even four phrases) and—to the dismay of the inexperienced and the delight of the experienced—there are also tunes with odd numbers of measures per phrase and phrases that vary in length between parts.

It is important that sharp lines and distinctions not be drawn. For example, all three styles of polska music form the historical traditions of Jämtland; sixteenth note polskas can also be found in virtually all areas of Sweden and heaven help the poor soul who tries to define “how early is the second beat” of any given community or conversely whether the polska of a given community does or does not have an “early second beat.” And interesting counter-examples may be found for virtually any statement made in this article. Yet in broad outline, as befits a brief overview, the characteristics discussed here reflect useful and commonly credited distinctions.

See also:

• gammaldans "old-time dance" in Nordic folk dance tradtions
• Bygdedans village dance, further discussion of Norwegian springar traditions
• polka 2/4-beat dance of Czech origin
• polonaise - 3/4-beat slow dance of Polish origin
• polka-mazurka - 3/4-beat dance, musically similar to the mazurka