Rheinlaender/en
Rheinländer
Form
pairs in circle facing ballroom direction, Rheinlaender hold: Man behind his partner, slightly to the left; joined right hands above right shoulder of partner, joined left hands in front of his own shoulder.
Music
Rheinlaender is a certain form of music similar to a Schottischer. Any Rheinlaender can be played.
Steps
Step-close-steps, and walking steps.
Dance
Bar 1: Beginning left, both partners do one step-close-step to the left forward.
- On the 4th beat both turn (on the balls of their right feet) slightly to the right. Now the man stands on the right behind his partner.
Bar 2: Starting right, same to the right.
Bar 3: 1st beat: Both step left forward, at the same time the dancer turns his partner a little to the left and she turns her head, so that they can look at each other for a cursory glance.
- 2nd beat: Same to the right
Bar 4: Left hands dropped and joined right hands lifted, the dancer twirls his partner ccw. She fulfills one revolution with two steps, while he dances forward with two small steps leading the girl with his lifted right arm, and finally the starting position is taken again.
This is repeated until the music stops playing.
Note
This dance should not be played fast, as not to impair the dignity of it.
The above given description is the basic form, but there exist many variations, which can be danced as a new dance or even mixed together; in which case each form should be repeated as often as to fill 16 bars.
Variations
Changed places
Bar 1 and 2: As above in original starting Position.
Bar 3 and 4: Girl dances to the left and behind her partner’s back with four walking steps and takes starting Position.
Bar 5 and 6: As 1 and 2, but girl behind her Partner.
Bar 7 and 8: Boy dances to the left and behind his partner’s back with four walking steps.
Heel Kick
Starting position
Man behind girl, hands right in right in girl’s right waist and left in left in girl’s left waist. In case you mix the variations, it is advisable to do the Heel Kick after the Changed Places because then it is easy to obtain the new starting position.
Bar 1-2: As above.
Bar 3: With left feet: heel-and-close (heel on 1st beat, close on 3rd beat).
Bar 4: with right feet: heel-and-close.
See also
Up and down
You stay in ballroom hold after the Bavarian Polka and do the step-close-steps in and against ballroom direction (chassay). Then both turn twice cw with four steps (two step polka) or boy spins girl twice cw in front of him.
The Coach see “Vierer Schottisch”, when dancing a potpourri it should be the last figure. Its two figures originally follow 1-1, 2-2, but in Linz 1-2, 1-2, so that pair 1 always does the 1st figure and pair 2 always the 2nd one. I only mention that in case you visit a dance in Linz.
Source
- R. Zoder, Österr.Volkstänze, 1.Teil, Nr.12
- Translated by Sissy Banner, Amstetten, NÖ., Austria
MP3
Music
- Reidlinger Schottisch, zweistimmige Noten mit Bassbezifferung
- Reidlinger Schottisch, Griffschrift für Steirische Harmonika
- Rheinländer, zweistimmige Noten mit Bassbezifferung
- Rheinländer, Griffschrift für Steirische Harmonika
