Polska #306 efter Petter Dufva, played by Sarah Kirton and Anne Kanerva

Polska #306 efter Petter Dufva, found in Svenska Låtar, Östergötland (Sweden). It's known under a variety of names and places. Sarah learned in at Mendocino Scandia Camp in 2000 from Jeanett Walerholt.

All of these tunes are of a type called "Slängpolska." It's a version of Polska found in southern Sweden. Polskas are 3/4 dances found all over Sweden, in eastern Norway (where they're called "Pols"), and in parts of Finnland. Slängpolskas have beats that are almost the same length, and use 16th notes as a basis for the melody and rhythm. Other types of polskas may use 8th notes or triplets as a basis, and the beats may vary in length. (For example, 1st beat medium length, 2nd beat a bit longer, and 3rd beat pretty short in comparison to the other two.) The dance uses figures that remind me a bit of American swing dancing, but it's done to a very different beat. One gets more of a feeling of going in small smooth circles with your partner. In a fireplace-lit room it's easy to go into a trance dancing this dance. It needs a good beat from the cittra (or guitar, & maybe a bass, in modern times), and the fiddle tune runs and floats along above it. -- Sarah Kirton

Category:

Music

Tags:

• fiddle
• polska
• slangpolska
• sweden
• dance
• Dufva