Traditional German Dances

Miners                                        Muehlradl                                                Holzhackertanz

Schuhplattler:

 The homeland of the Schuhplattler dance is Tirol, a region in Austria. In days gone by young men wished to impress marriageable young ladies with their dancing prowess. Initially the style was free without rules. Performed usually in a 3/4 time, one would carry out a series of jumps and hip movements to the time of the music. Characteristically the dancers will rhythmically strike their thighs, knees and soles of the feet, and stamp with the feet. Nowadays the dance is usually performed out of tradition, maintaining the older customs, and as part of the activities of Trachtenvereine (that is, societies which maintain traditional dress, songs and culture of earlier days).

click here to watch a video of the Schuhplattler !

Holzhackertanz (The Wood Chopper's Dance):

Definitely one of the most famous of the schuhplattler dances, the Holzhacker is performed with between 4 and 6 men, alternately chopping and sawing into a massive log, and slapping their legs around the fallen tree.

Bandltanz (The Maypole Dance):

This is the traditional dance of the first of May, and represents a celebration of the arrival of Spring. The men and women dance around a finely decorated May pole (Maibaum), wrapping intertwined red and white ribbons around the pole as they go.

Mader (The Courting Dance):

A couples dance in which the men try to woo the women with affection and signs of their dexterity and strength. The mischievious men will occasionally lift the girl's dirndl hem while she is spinning!

Muehlradl (The Millers Dance):

This dance imitates the actions of the workers in the flour mill, as they grind, stomp and mix the grains into flour. The movements of this dance are quite complex, and the ladies of the group certainly have an opportunity to test their strength, as the included picture shows!

Miners (The Salt Miner's Dance):

A dance which harks back to the period when salt mining was done in low, narrow caves. The men travel forward, each armed with a lantern to light his way. They stop only to chip away at the rocks in search of salt, and to warm up by schuhplattling.

 German dancing is very important part to German Culture. There are dance groups such as the G.T.V. Edelweiss that hold they're practices at the Leiderkranz in Reading. Then the groups perform at festivals such as Oktoberfest and Gaufest. Although some Germans would rather watch Jonny Cash or Rammstein in show, these dances are still a good source of entertainment. While enjoying the festival, the guests like to drink German Beer and munch on German Food such as Chocolate Cake or Kartoffelpuffer.