Schuhplattler Verein Alpenklang Troy, NY Schuhplattler Dancing - and - Alpine Bell Ringing

About the Dance

The Schuhplattler is a type of German folkdance that originated in Tyrol, Austria and southern Bavaria, Germany. It is danced usually in a circle with the men on the inside doing the 'shoe slapping' and the women around the outside doing various spinning combinations. Traditionally, the Schuhplattler is done by men alone, but in the last century, the ladies' part has been added to give it more color and to involve the women of the organizations.

There is plenty more to the dance than just learning the steps to dance the Schuhplattler well. The boys should be in unison in their slapping and jumping. Also their hands should return to an upright position after each hit rather than staying down around their legs. The girls should have good posture and not 'spot' like ballet dancers. This affects the 'bell' of their skirts which ideally should be level and not wobble. Also their heads should be upright enough that for the Miesbacher tracht, the hats stay level so the feather looks like it is just turning on a record player. All girls should be evenly spaced around the circle and the girls should be rotating at the same speed so that they are all facing into the circle or out of the circle at the same point in the music. Then the guys and girls need to coordinate well for a good 'pick-up' to move from separate men and women circles to couples dancing the landler. Here also all the couples should be in unison in their rates of revolution and evenly spaced around the circle.

Schuhplattler clubs, including ours, also often perform fest dances. Fest dances are a type of dance that doesn't involve the shoe slappling, but involves more complex interaction between the man and the woman. These dances usually represent some aspect of traditional life and do traditionally include the women.

We also do folkdances (volkstänze). These are traditional dances that are truly dances of the people and are usually simpler than the Schuhplattler such that all members of the community could dance them. We most often do these as audiance participation dances to let the audiance experience the dances.

Dances

Regular Schuhplattler Dances:

Allgäuer

Ambosspolka

Berglebusch (**our club dance**)

Birkenstoner Glöckrl

Fockastona

Gamssprung

Gauplattler

Haitauer

Haushammer

Kusstanz

Mariana

Rehbacher

Reit im Winkler

Schnackelwalzer

St. Johanner

Wendelstoner

Fest Dances:

Bandltanz (Maypole Dance)

Steirer Figurentanz (Courting Dance)

Mühlradl (Miller's Dance)

Kronentanz (Crown Dance)

Miner's Dance

Bankltanz (Bench Dance)

Steckentanz (Stick Dance)

Stern Polka

Volkstänze:

Siebenschritt (Seven Steps)

Hirtenmadl (Shepherd Girl)

Dätscher (a clapping dance)

Krebspolka (Crab Polka)

Woaf or Weifentanz

Böhmerwald landler (a landler from the Bohemian woods)

Kreuzpolka (Cross Polka)