This dance…
is called: Seyras
Seyras is a German social dance.
Societal relevance
The Low German folk dance Seyras is found in the areas of Germany where Low German is spoken, i.e. in the entire North German region between the Dutch and Polish borders and from the border with Denmark to the first foothills of the low mountain ranges, that forms the southern border.
The dance is performed in form of a so called "Quadrille". The quadrille is danced by eight people (four couples), two and two in a square.
The Quadrille originates from France and was created in Paris at the time of Napoleon I. The dance form has become known throughout Europe. The Quadrille belongs to the family of "Kontratanz". The Kontratanz or Kontertanz „Dancing opposite to each other”, is an originally English group dance that originated in the 16th century, which became a very popular social dance throughout Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. The so-called English "country dance", was translated on the continent not as a "rural dance" but as a "contratance", in French as "contredanse", a dance in which the dancing couples face each other.
The main purpose of this dance was to allow the sexes to meet under social control during adolescence. The main purpose was thus not for the entertainment of the spectators, although there were spectators, but for the performing people themselves. The dance is performed in units of couples. In each couple the lady stands on the right side of the gentleman. Throughout the dance the couples disperse, rotate partners and dance complex geometric step sequence that are interwoven with the whole group. Nevertheless, the Serras is not yet a couple dance, which signals isolated togetherness like today's standard dances, but emphasizes the commonness of larger societies and the community group as a whole.
Music
The Choreography in contra dancing must be well thought out to fit the structure of the music. The fixed interwoven geometric step sequences are danced in accordance with the structure of the music. The music consists of periods of eight bars each. With each period of the music the dancers change their movements and step form. The music in contra dancing is structured in such a way that a sequence of eight beats corresponds to a musical phrase, and eight such phrases form a figure part. This figure part is repeated until the end of the dance.
The melodies of the music, usually in two measures, are songlike. The music consists of two melody parts A and B, and the connection is reminiscent of a verse and a chorus. Each part consists of 16 beats (steps) and is repeated, resulting in the clearly recognisable structure A-A-B-B. The complete sequence of figures thus contains 64 steps. Since most of the figures are danced with eight, some with four or sixteen steps, there is a harmony between music and movement. Kontra - dance music must always have a clearly recognisable structure, even if it is not always A-A-B-B.
Costume
The costumes are in reference to the „Tracht“ - the traditional regional cloth order of that time. More profound information about the history of the „Tracht“ can be found in here.
Typical for the woman at that time was a skirt that reached down to the calves, a white blouse and a white linen apron. A bodice was often worn over the blouse. Headgear was also part of the costume: a simple cotton bonnet or a woman's hat. White knee-length socks and black shoes were worn.
Typical for the man at that Time was a white linen shirt, black velvet knee breeches and white woollen stockings.
There were working cloths and festive cloths, which differed in quality, adornments and decorations.
[1] Volksmusik.cc, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, www.volksmusik.cc/volkstanz/seyras.htm
[2] Dancilla, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, www.dancilla.com//wiki/index.php?title=Seyras
[3] Wikipedia, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, www.de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niederdeutscher_Volkstanz
[4] Lwl, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, www.lwl.org/voko-download/BilderNEU/422_053Vogt.pdf
How to dance the dance
Dancers - Location in performance space
The dance is performed in the centre of the space.
The 8 female dancers, stand in 4 pairs. The 4 pairs stand on 4 sides of an imaginative square. Each pair stands on one side facing to the centre of the square. They are called pairs of heads and Pairs of sides.
Form
The dance consists of several units of repeating step patterns/phrases. The locomotion of the dance is very regular without any climaxes as such.
Movements & Patterns
The movements are performed with the feet/legs and the arms with the rest of the body being still. The dance consists of small steps and jumps and turns through space that are performed on a circular floor pattern and movements on place. The shapes and the patterns of the dance are very structured.
Round 1
Starting Position: Single-handed GraspMale dancer on the left, female dancer on the right. The dancer holds with his right hand the left hand of the dancer at breast height. The arms are bend with the elbow facing downwards. The palm of the dancer's hand is pointing upwards, the female dancer puts her left hand with the back of her hand facing upwards slightly - without weight and without cramping - into the hand of the dancer.
Pattern 1
pairs of heads:
Bar 1-2:Three small steps (starting on the right) forward to the middle, with a side step quarter turn to the partner, loosen the hand grip, reach out to the new counterpart (from the other pair of heads).
Bar 3-4:Three small steps (starting on the left) backwards with the new partner to the place of the side pairs, turn towards each other with a side step, release the hand grip.
Bar 5-6:Three small steps backwards (beginning on the right), turn to your own partner with a quarter turn.
Bar 7-8:Three small steps forwards (starting on the left) and one side step to your own partner.
Bars 1-8repetition mirror image: Push off (or clap) with both hands on the partner's hands, three small steps (starting left) and one sidestep backwards. Everyone goes back exactly the same way they came, walking a small square in the opposite direction.
Pairs of sides:
The side pairs walk the exact same way at the same time in small squares, but start with bar 1-8 repetition mirror-inverted, i.e. push off the partner and walk backwards.
Forward steps always start with the right foot, backward steps always with the left foot. The following intermediate figures therefore always start with the right foot forward.
Pattern 2- Circle Version 1
Starting Position: Single-handed Grasp
In a big circle Bar 9-16 and Repetition: big chain with a clockwise hand tour at the opposite place and at the own place.
Big chain (right/left/right/left):At the beginning of the large chain the lady extends her partner's hand with her right hand and continues walking in serpentine lines clockwise around the circle. She extends her left hand to her oncoming partner, the right hand to the next one and the left hand to the next. The gentleman does the same counter-clockwise.
With the fourth oncoming partner, the pair that parted meets halfway around the circle. Here a hand tour is made.
The big chain is continued until the couple arrives back at their own place. Here another hand tour is made.Hand tour: Couple circleswith the single-handed Grasp with the right hand, walking clockwise around their own axis.The outer arm is bend with the elbow facing outwards, the hand resting on the hip.
Pattern 3
In a big circleBar 17-24 and Repetition: All pairs, polkas round, 2 circles.The woman's left arm is placed on the man's right shoulder. The man's right arm is curved around the woman's left hip. The woman's right arm and the man's left arm are stretched out to the sides, their hands touching. They dance in skip-step clockwise around themselves as they move around the circle counter-clockwise.
Round 2
Pattern 1
Bar 1-8
Bar 1-8: bar 1-8 repetition mirror-inverted
Pattern 2 - Circle Version 2 - Women's circle
Bar 9-16 and repitition: dancers circle clockwise and counter-clockwise.
The men remain in their own place with hands supported on the hips. The women form a circle in the square. They hold each other by the hands and walk in a circle clockwise and counterclockwise.
Pattern 3
Takt 17-24 and Repetition
Round 3
Pattern 1
Bar 1-8
Bar 1-8: bar 1-8 repetition mirror-inverted
Pattern 2– Circle Version 3 - Men's circle
Bar 9-16 and repitition: dancers circle clockwise and counter-clockwise.
The women remain in their own place with hands supported on the hips. The men form a circle in the square. They put their hands on the shoulders of the men standing to their right and left and walk in a circle clockwise and counterclockwise.
Pattern 3
Bar 17-24 and Repetition
Round 4
Pattern 1
Bar 1-8
Bar 1-8: bar 1-8 repetition mirror-inverted
Closing Circuit:
Bar 9-16 and repetition: Large circle clockwise and counterclockwise.
All participants take hands using the Single-handed Graspandwalk in a circle clockwise and anti-clockwise. The arms are bent and the elbows point down.
Dancers - Location in performance space
The dance is performed in the centre of the space.
The 8 female dancers, stand in 4 pairs. The 4 pairs stand on 4 sides of an imaginative square. Each pair stands on one side facing to the centre of the square. They are called pairs of heads and Pairs of sides.
Form
The dance consists of several units of repeating step patterns/phrases. The locomotion of the dance is very regular without any climaxes as such.
Movements & Patterns
The movements are performed with the feet/legs and the arms with the rest of the body being still. The dance consists of small steps and jumps and turns through space that are performed on a circular floor pattern and movements on place. The shapes and the patterns of the dance are very structured.
Round 1
Starting Position: Single-handed GraspMale dancer on the left, female dancer on the right. The dancer holds with his right hand the left hand of the dancer at breast height. The arms are bend with the elbow facing downwards. The palm of the dancer's hand is pointing upwards, the female dancer puts her left hand with the back of her hand facing upwards slightly - without weight and without cramping - into the hand of the dancer.
Pattern 1
pairs of heads:
Bar 1-2:Three small steps (starting on the right) forward to the middle, with a side step quarter turn to the partner, loosen the hand grip, reach out to the new counterpart (from the other pair of heads).
Bar 3-4:Three small steps (starting on the left) backwards with the new partner to the place of the side pairs, turn towards each other with a side step, release the hand grip.
Bar 5-6:Three small steps backwards (beginning on the right), turn to your own partner with a quarter turn.
Bar 7-8:Three small steps forwards (starting on the left) and one side step to your own partner.
Bars 1-8repetition mirror image: Push off (or clap) with both hands on the partner's hands, three small steps (starting left) and one sidestep backwards. Everyone goes back exactly the same way they came, walking a small square in the opposite direction.
Pairs of sides:
The side pairs walk the exact same way at the same time in small squares, but start with bar 1-8 repetition mirror-inverted, i.e. push off the partner and walk backwards.
Forward steps always start with the right foot, backward steps always with the left foot. The following intermediate figures therefore always start with the right foot forward.
Pattern 2- Circle Version 1
Starting Position: Single-handed Grasp
In a big circle Bar 9-16 and Repetition: big chain with a clockwise hand tour at the opposite place and at the own place.
Big chain (right/left/right/left):At the beginning of the large chain the lady extends her partner's hand with her right hand and continues walking in serpentine lines clockwise around the circle. She extends her left hand to her oncoming partner, the right hand to the next one and the left hand to the next. The gentleman does the same counter-clockwise.
With the fourth oncoming partner, the pair that parted meets halfway around the circle. Here a hand tour is made.
The big chain is continued until the couple arrives back at their own place. Here another hand tour is made.Hand tour: Couple circleswith the single-handed Grasp with the right hand, walking clockwise around their own axis.The outer arm is bend with the elbow facing outwards, the hand resting on the hip.
Pattern 3
In a big circleBar 17-24 and Repetition: All pairs, polkas round, 2 circles.The woman's left arm is placed on the man's right shoulder. The man's right arm is curved around the woman's left hip. The woman's right arm and the man's left arm are stretched out to the sides, their hands touching. They dance in skip-step clockwise around themselves as they move around the circle counter-clockwise.
Round 2
Pattern 1
Bar 1-8
Bar 1-8: bar 1-8 repetition mirror-inverted
Pattern 2 - Circle Version 2 - Women's circle
Bar 9-16 and repitition: dancers circle clockwise and counter-clockwise.
The men remain in their own place with hands supported on the hips. The women form a circle in the square. They hold each other by the hands and walk in a circle clockwise and counterclockwise.
Pattern 3
Takt 17-24 and Repetition
Round 3
Pattern 1
Bar 1-8
Bar 1-8: bar 1-8 repetition mirror-inverted
Pattern 2– Circle Version 3 - Men's circle
Bar 9-16 and repitition: dancers circle clockwise and counter-clockwise.
The women remain in their own place with hands supported on the hips. The men form a circle in the square. They put their hands on the shoulders of the men standing to their right and left and walk in a circle clockwise and counterclockwise.
Pattern 3
Bar 17-24 and Repetition
Round 4
Pattern 1
Bar 1-8
Bar 1-8: bar 1-8 repetition mirror-inverted
Closing Circuit:
Bar 9-16 and repetition: Large circle clockwise and counterclockwise.
All participants take hands using the Single-handed Graspandwalk in a circle clockwise and anti-clockwise. The arms are bent and the elbows point down.