The Springleik music & dance

       This year Vegar & Mette Vårdal will be teaching one of the variations of the Springleik from Gudbrandsdalen.  These are springy turning couple dances with several different 'turns’. Rasmus & Hans Kjorstad will be teaching the music that accompanies those dances. See below for a more detailed description from the tutors.

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The tune structure:

       The Gudbrandsdal springleiks are short, 2/3 of them consisting of 2 parts each of 8 bars, with the remainder being of varying length with up to 4 parts of 3 to 12 bars each. In most of the tunes, the motif falls in the first 4 bars and is then repeated with an end phrase, that whole part being played over again before moving on to the next part. The whole tune is most often played through twice.

The tune rhythm & the dance:

       The Springleik in Gudbrandsdalen has always been one of the best preserved country district dances in Norway, thanks to a long and living tradition both in music and dance. The rhythm is different from that which we find in newer three-beat dances such as the Mazurka and Waltz. In the Springleik one of the beats is a little shorter than the others and here in Gudbrandsdalen it is the first beat which is the shortest. The second beat is drawn out somewhat, how much depending on where you are in Gudbrandsdalen. You see this long second beat also in the dance where particularly the man lengthens the step on this beat and in the round turn the dancers emphasise the second beat. Nowadays it is Lom which has the most asymmetric rhythm, the Springleik with the longest second beat. The further northwest you go in Gudbrandsdalen, the more even the Springleik rhythm becomes as the dance starts to resemble the Vestlands Springar which is completely even. The further down the valley you go, the more symmetrical the rhythm becomes but with more emphasis on the first beat as in Mazurka, until, leaving Gudbrandsdalen and arriving at Land in Hadeland, both the rhythm and dance of the Springleik and Mazurka are almost the same.

       The first film, from Norsk Filmsentral made in partnership with Noregs Ungdomslag, shows the differences that exist both in music and dance in North Gudbrandsdalen, firstly Vågå, then Lom, then Sjåk. The second clip shows Hans Ursanden from Vågå who really likes to enjoy himself on the dance floor.

       We like a Springleik that is full of energy, allowing us to play with both the music and the public. This is our goal: to play, to enjoy ourselves and to have fun on the dance floor, with our own partner, with all the other dancers and not least with the music.

     Springleik frå Gudbrandsdalen

     Vågåkvelden