HA:F.'Lbopolska (HAHIYI-Bo POHL-Ska) - Traditional Couple Dance from Sweden (Old Hambo-Polska)

HA:f.'lBOPOLSKA (HAHIYI-bo POHL-ska) - Traditional Couple Dance from Sweden (Old Hambo-Polska)

As with dances everywhere, there are many versions of the Harrbo to be found in the land of its origin, SWeden - all of them equally ''authentic If if not equally "tra ditional." The variant described her is said by many fo~da.ncers and fiddlers in Sw'eden to be a comparatively old one. To this day it is a. common WcJ.Y of dancing the ha.mbo in the Lake Siljan (pronounced Seel'-yahn) and Dal River district of Dalarna (the province of Dalecarlia, often called the cultural heart of Sweden) - where, incidentally, the accompanying music is usually referred to as 11 polska" rather than 11 Hi::l.mbo. 11 In Hl!lsingborg, Sk~ne (Scanii::l., southern Sweden) a similar ver sion of this dance is known, and is now called 11 gammalhambor: (old hambo). Since an ed.rlier designation for the hambo Wi::l.S its full name, hambopolska, it seems appropri ate to so entitle this elder version of the dance, in order to distinguish it from the common "Dal step" variety widely known today as simply the Hambo.

Record: RCA FAS 663, trKaris Pers polska" (Same on RCA LPM 9910). Aqua VIKTI'JG V800, 11 ~rvindar friska 11 (Spring Breezes) Formation: For any number of couples; lOD CCW.

Positions: Open: couple facing fwd, Won M1 s R, inside hands joined at shoulder height, elbows bent; Closed: nswedish folkdance hold,~. described below.

Steps: Open waltz; Hambopolska (as described in "The basic hambo step").

A. Foregoing pattern steps (f8resteg): (i) Open waltz fwd: Beginning on outside ft, 3 open waltz steps gliding fwd in LOD (not in place) thus:

1 Joined hands brought fwd s · ptrs are slightly bk-to-bk (ct. 1-2-3). 2 Hands brought back so ptrs are slightly face-to-face where they exhha.nge a nodded "acknowledgement." (ct 1-2-3). 3 Hands fwd again, ptrs slightly bk-to-bk (ct 1-2-3). (ii) Transition Step \note: there is !!Q. udip" or "lungen at this point!) (See Footnote #1)

4 M stam~ R ( 11 appell1'), turning twd ptr so as to begin taking closed pos; W steps slightly bk on L, while also beginning closed pos. ( ct 1). H steps sdwd and slightly fwd with L, completing closed pos. W touches R toe behind L ft but retains weight on L, while completing closed pos. (ct. 2). Man touches R toe on floor beside L heel without shift of weight: W steps R (ct JJ

B. Closed ptr t~ (omdansning):

5-7 ~~) Ha.mbo:t£lska ste.2: In closed "Swedish folkdance hold 11 (See Footnote #2) couple dances hambopolska turn for as long as de::dred (See F'ootnote #3). To resort to open pattern steps again, these regular full turning steps are ended with the next-to-the la.st (i.e., 7th) meas of an 8-meas phrase, and the following nadjusting 1' or 11 compensation" step is taken: 8 (ii~ Adjusting ste.2: M steps R, making on,y par~ o~ a CW pivot, so.as to end facing LOD; W steps L, following M's sem-p~vot, to end facmg LOD ( ct 1). M steps L and W steps R, dropping closed pos to rejoin inside hands with ptr. (ct 2). M steps R, W steps L, so that outside ft is freE to begin first open waltz step of Part A (Meas 1) (ct 3).

Miami Valley Folk Dancers Gorden E. Tracie Weekend Dayton, Ohio Feb. 18-19-67 - 9 - THE BASIC HAMBO srEP (HAMBOPOLSKA TURN) Cts to Meas. tl?n 1 s Step 1 Step to R in LOD, turning foot to R to begin CW pivot. (Note: this is the 1'leading11 step, which moves the turn fwd in LOD. In most version of the hambo this first step is emphasized by a ''dip" - a settling down on the full flat of the R ft, with a slight bend of the R knee. This should be used discreetly and come as a natural movement in response to the music, not forced. If overdone, it cna give the awkward appearance of "sitting down 11 on the first beat of each meas. The deepness of the dip depends both upon the "bent 11 /pun intended/ of the }II who leads it, and on the room available. A crowded dance floor will necessarily require a certain amount of restraint in dipping, especi~lly with inexperienced dancers. 2 Continuing CW pivot, step L slightly sdwd and fwd, but close in to R ft, while raising body on ball of L ft to come up from the dip. 3 Further continuing CW pivot, bring R close beside 1 and momentarily step on it simultaneously with the L so as to have weight on both feet, and then quick~ release weight on R ft so that it is free again for a repeat of step on Ct. 1. Pattern of M's step is thus: R, 1, Both. The motion is: down, up support.

wman 1 s Step 1 Step L, following (not initiating) M1 s dip. 2 Describing an arc with R ft around behind L (keeping R close to floor and not 11 flicked" in the air), touch R toe beside and behind L., without shift of weight, so d.S to raise up from dip on L ft. Leap lightly fwd onto R, completing one full turn CW with ptr. Pattern of W's step is thus: L, touch R, R. Step-pattern chart Music Counts 1 2 3 HAMBOPOLSKA srEP: Man R L Both Step: Woman L tch R R

FOOTNOTES #1. As taught by the foremost folkdance instructors in Sweden, the hambo 1'dip11 {or nsinking 11 on the first beat of each mea.s) is used on~ during the actual polska tur1 (meas 5-8), and not during the foregoing pattern steps (meas 1-4) which include the transition step. A common fault in the dci.ncing of the hambo is for the M to "ltmge twd his ptr on meas. 4 (transition). This is ungainly as well as "unauthentic 11 and should be avaoided. A stamp by the N on the fir at becJ.t is sufficient. #2. The 11 Swedish folkdance hold'' is an effective combination of the be~3t features ofshoulder-wst and regular waltz pos, to wit: M's arm around W1s waist, W1s IRon M's R shoulder, M's L arm sharply bent~ with H open upwd. W1s R arm held straight out from shoulder, her elbow in N1 s IR, and her RH holding M's L arm just above his elbow. This is cJ.n old, traditirmal closed pos for ~tr dances in Sweden, usually referred to as "the folkdance hold. n It is also known as 11 hambo hold, 11 and is in fact the specific dance pos recommended by the official Swedish national folkdance organization for all versions of the hambo.

¥dami Valley Folk Dancers Gordon E. Tracie Weekend Feb. 18-19, 1967 Dayton,- 10 Ohio - HA~ffiOPOLSKA (Continued) #3. In this old version of the hambo, the turn may be continued indefinitely, employing the pattern "rest steps 11 only when desired. Since the dancers move f'wd in lOD in both Part A and Part B it is not necessary for all cples to dance the same part simultaneously (as in the case in the regular hambo, where they would otherwise bump into each other). Continuous dancing ofthe closed pos turn, once a standard practice with the SWedish polska, is still to be found in certain sec tions of SWeden, notably Dalarna, from whence this version comes.

D:\NCE INSTRUCTIONS FROM FOlK D,JJCE C1J4P STOCKTON SYLlABUS OF 122.7.·

DEN HALVE KAEDE (The Half-Chain) - Danish folk dance for 2 couples (den halvefi KAt-the) Record: VIKING 401

Fol'lllt:l.tion: 2 cpls opposite each other, #1 back to front, #2 facing front.

FIG. I {INTRO): RING: l-8 Hands shoulder level in ring, 16 R buzz steps CW around to place.

CHORUS: 9-10 A. Arch & under: 4 walking steps fwd, #1 under, #2 over; 11-12 4 walking steps bkwd, #1 over, #2 under. 13-16 B. Chain: 16 walking steps R & L chain around to place. 9-12 C. Arch & under: As in A, but in reverse order. 13-16 D. Chain: As above.

FIGS. II AND lli: SWJNG: 1-8 Ordinary closed position, 16 R buzz steps in place.

CHORUS: As before, following ~ Figure.

FIGS. IV AND V: BASKET: 1-8 ~len 1s arms around adjacent women 1 s waists, women's hands on nearest adjacent shoulders, 16 R buzz steps cw.

CHROUS: As before 1 following ~ Figure.

Fm. VI {CONClUSION). SWING:

1-8 As in Figs. II and III.

Miami Valley Folk Dancers Gorden E. Tracie Weekend Feb. 18-19, 1967