Niederbayerischer Landler

Niederbayerischer Landler

This handout was prepared by Karin Dean-Kraft and Morry Gelman  for use at the Music and Dance Workshops at the St. Paul Gaufest, 1999

Also called Niederbayerischer Landler or Niederboarischer Landler

Source:  In villages in the Lower Bavarian Forest (Bayerischer Wald) area (along the Czech border) the "dishrag-turn" (walgen) figures take many different forms.  This sequence is from the village of Nottau as recorded in 1930.  Morry Gelman learned it from folk dance groups in München who in turn learned it from the Passau folk dance group.  (Note: as with any Volkstanz, regional variations exist.)

Timing:   ¾ time, metronome setting: about 108.

Directions for Dance

Beginning Formation: Couples line up facing line of dance (circle moves counter clockwise).  Men are on the inside of the circle, woman on the outside.  Inside hands are joined and held down by their sides for the introduction.  For Figure 1, the man bends his right arm and hooks his elbow over the woman's bent left arm, pressing it gently to his side; the hands are now held forward.  (This is called "unterhaken.")

Measures

1-4       Introduction

·        Couple takes 4 strolling/walking steps forward in line of dance, both start left foot, inside hands held, one step per measure.

1-8       Figure 1: Couple walking and singing

·        Take 8 strolling/walking steps forward (one step for each measure), starting left foot, and sing a two-line verse (see lyrics below).  Let go hands.

(Repeat of music played in 1-8.)

1-8       Figure 2: Women turn, men walk and clap

·        Woman turns (dreher or pivot steps) clockwise, both hands on hips, moving in line of dance.  Man follows close to woman taking one step at the beginning of each measure (free foot is raised on counts 2 and 3, parallel to floor).  (The man's step is called "nachsteigen", similar to the stepping in Schuhplatteln but without the high knee lift.) 

·        Men clap as they follow women, some on count 1, others on counts 2 & 3.

9-16     Figure 3: Couple rotates

·        Measure 9-14:  Woman stops turning and couple faces each other quickly, man with short jump on both feet.  Join hands with arms down to sides but slightly stretched.  Couple stands left hip to left hip (not face to face), left shoulders slightly touch.   Rotating counter clockwise, take one step per beat, for a total of 18 steps (woman's step is smaller than man's).

·        Measure 15: Woman is on outside of circle.  Release forward hands (man's left, woman's right) and man turns quickly clockwise under his own right arm and ends up facing partner joining both hands again.  He stamps on measure 16.

17-24      Figure 4: Walgen ("dishrag") turns

            Couple does a series of "dishrag" turns - both hands are still joined

·        Measure 17: woman turns clockwise, arms raised over her head (man stands still).

·        Measure 18: man turns counter clockwise, arms raised over his head (woman stands still).

·        Measure 19: woman turns clockwise, arms raised over her head (man stands still).

·        Measure 20: couple swings crossed, joined hands forward.

·        This sequence is done with very little movement in line of dance.

·        Measure 21: Couple swings joined hands backward, at the same time releasing forward hands (man's left, woman's right)

·        Measures 22-24: Woman three times counterclockwise, the first two under man's raised right arm, on the third turn the man lowers his right arm as the woman turns toward him and then rests his arm on the woman's right shoulder. Man stamps.

25-32    Figure 5: More walgen (dishrag) turns

·        Measure 25: Woman turns one turn clockwise away from hold, ends facing man, partners join both hands again and swing them forward.

·        Measure 26: Swing joined hands backward.

·        Measure 27: Woman turns clockwise, arms raised over her head (man stands still).

·        Measure 28: couple swings joined hands forward.

·        Measure 29: Couple swings joined hands backward, at the same time releasing forward hands (man's left, woman's right)

·        Measures 30-32: Woman turns three times counterclockwise, the first two under man's raised right arm, on the third turn the man lowers his right arm as the woman turns toward him and then rests his arm on the woman's right shoulder.  Then the dance begins again from the introduction/interlude.

1-4 Interlude/introduction

·        Woman turns clockwise away from hold to face forward in line of dance for repeat of dance as couple takes four walking steps (as in intro) in line of dance.

·        Begin again from singing part (Figure 1).

Dance is done a total of three times.

Remember to acknowledge your partner at the end of the dance with a smile and a nod.

Lyrics

The lyrics and dance are from the book Spinnradl Unser Tanzbuch by Erna Schützenberger and Hermann Derschmidt, published by Heinrich Hohler Verlag, 1959.

Des landlerisch tanz'n kan net a niada

I kanns selba net recht aber meine Bruada.

Landlerisch tanzen kann nicht ein jeder

Ich kann es selbst nicht, aber meine Brüder.

Not everyone can dance the landler

I can't dance it right but my brothers can

Vom Woid san ma aussa, san lustige Buam

aber herg'wachsen san ma als wia die Gelbn Ruabm.

Vom Wald sind wir gekommen, sind lustige Buam

Wir sind hier aufgewachsen, wie die gelben Rüben (yellow beets = carrots)

We are from the woods, we are hearty boys

We grew up around here just like the carrots

Zwisch'n Nottau und Rackling da wachst da rot' Loahm

So lang ma a Zwanzigerl ham, gehn ma net Hoam.

Zwischen Nottau und Rackling wachst rottes Loam

So lange wir 20 pfennig haben, gehen wir nicht Heim.

Between Nottau and Rackling there is red earth

as long as we have some money (20 Pfennig) we won't go home.

Note: the translation and "Hochdeutsch" are provided only as information.  They are NOT meant to be sung.  The Bavarian words are meant to be sung in Mundart (dialect), not "Hochdeutsch."  A region's Mundart is inseparable from the music itself.

Sources of information for this handout: Gretel & Paul Dunsing's "Folk Dances from Bavaria and Austria"; Spinnradl Unser Tanzbuch by Erna Schützenberger (Passau, Bavaria) and Hermann Derschmidt (Wels, Austria); Instructions accompanying the 45 rpm record by Schallplattenverlag Walter Kögler, and Personal Experience of Morry and Nancy Gelman.

Sheet music will be published at a later date.