Folk dance from Denmark

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Dance description:

Spillemand spil lystigt op (Yule Tree Dance) Dance of many couples, a mixer Walking steps  (2 steps per bar) and polka The dance is in 4 sections: a, b, c, d : a: bar 1-8: big circle around clockwise b: bar 9-12: chain c: bar 13-16: circle towards the middle and back again d: bar 1-16: polka There does not need to be a christmas tree in the middle with raisins, but it helps.

Spillemand spil lystigt op (Yule Tree Dance) - dance of many couples, a mixer dance
bar 1-8		Circle: You all take the hands of one another and walk around (the Christmas tree) in a big circle clockwise, start left foot.
bar 9-10		Chain (= grand right and left): Give right hand to your partner and pass by.
bar 11-12		Give left hand to the next you meet and pass. (That is all of this chain). You now have a new partner.
bar 13-14		Circle toward centre and back again: You all take the hands of one another and walk in a big circle towards the centre.
15-16		You walk backwards out again away from the centre.
bar 1-16		Couple wise polka around (with the new partner). . After this the dance starts again from the beginning with the big circling around.

The dance is repeated as long as pleased.

In Denmark today there is new tradition for the companies giving their employed a big "yule-lunch" some day or evening in the month before Christmas. This has got to become quite a party at many places, (with the spouses left at home, nervous in some cases). I have sometimes played to a little yule folk dancing for such parties. Then I include this Yule Tree Dance (+ a running  yule polska in a long link (not on my web site), and Cousin Mikkel, dance no. 2, and sometimes Doudlebska, dance no 17).

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