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The Call: Ladies And Gentlemen, please take Your Favorite Partner and come forward to Learn and Dance the Jolly Dog Polka. The Instructions: Now this dance is really quite simple. Most of it is just a polka and can be danced in either open or closed position, but at times the music will stop and change. At this point you stop, place your hands on your hips and sing a little song "Fa la la, Fa la la, etc," while setting first to the right and then to the left thusly (demo set, right and left); then sing "Slap, Bang (demo Clap own hands and gently clap hands with partner),here we are again, here we are again, here we are again. Slap, Bang, here we are again, What jolly dogs are we!" and turn single, (demo turn)", and change partners thus (take someone else) and polka some more. Any questions? No? Then let us begin.
If you find yourself without a partner during the partner change, Lost-and-Found is in the center. Fear not. You will be rescued. |
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At Fezziwig’s, we dance the early Victorian rotary, or turning, waltz, which turns exclusively to the right. For both historical and safety reasons, we do not do left turns at Fezziwig’s. Unlike those adventurous Americans, Europeans didn't start reversing the waltz, as modern Viennese waltzers do, until the 20th century. |
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We dance a pleasant, moderate tempo polka, or Polka Francaise, as it was called back then, as opposed to the much faster Polka Schnell so beloved by the later 19th century Germans and Viennese. Gentlemen especially are advised to keep their steps small and elegant, while ladies should take care to support their own weight and to assist their partners in turning (Whoever has the inside track needs to take a slightly longer step to manage a smooth, easy turn). The hop in the Polka Francaise is gentle and small - almost effortless.
The long, bounding steps of the dance we affectionately call the "19 Year Old Polka" are appropriate only in an uncrowded ballroom and only when both partners have sufficient stamina to sustain it.
While open polka and skater's polka as well as a half-ballroom position (used in Part 1 of "Bohemian National Polka") are all acceptable variations and antidotes to dizziness, a half-ballroom position will support your partner far better than an open polka. The flirtatious Coquette figure (in which the couple separates and chases each other) is charming, but not appropriate on a crowded ballroom. |
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The Victorian galop or galopade is a fast but simple dance and the only step is a series of sliding ("chassez") steps and closes. The usual pattern is "slide, slide, slide, half-turn. slide, slide, slide, half-turn." There is no heel-toe step in the galop (The Gaskell galop, though fun, is a modern invention) and the dance NEVER reverses directions. That would be dangerous, especially at high speeds.
The galop can be graceful and fun if the leader measures his steps to suit the length of his partner's stride. The galop can be done as a 'follow-the-leader" dance and can be danced in open or "Side Saddle" position, but because the galop is exhausting for most people over the age of 14, dancers are advised to pause occasionally for rest (taking care, of course, to protect your partner as you withdraw to the side). Variation: The Esmeralda
Named after the gypsy heroine of Victor Hugo's "Hunchback of Notre Dame," the Esmeralda is a lively, fun variation on the polka. The pattern is slide, slide, slide, turn, slide, slide, slide, turn, followed by two polka turns. The only caveat: Don't dance this variation too many times in a row or you will exhaust your partner.
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The schottische is a pleasant, easy dance which can be danced in either open or "closed waltz" position. The most delightful version is perhaps the Military Schottische, in which the couple dances Part 1 in open position (step, step, step, hop, step, step, step, hop), but assumes closed waltz position for Part 2 and executes four turning step hops. The alternate schottische step (Step-close-Step-hop) is also elegant and appropriate, though harder to teach the customers.
We generally teach the customers to dance the entire dance in open position first before introducing the turning step hops. There are a variety of fun variations on the open schottische which the customers also enjoy, though we discourage any variations that block traffic or have the potential to cause collisions in a crowded ballroom (particularly "The Genuflection," in which the leader suddenly drops to one knee and guides his partner to dance four step hops around him.
The key to survival in the schottische is to keep the hops small, even, and almost invisible. Big hops are ungraceful and inappropriate unless you're dancing with a particularly lively child partner. But for the sake of your knees and ankle, please keep your hops low at all other times! |
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