German Culture
Germany is renowned all around the world for the Oktoberfest. This amazing celebration is a festival where traditional food and drinks are served. Besides this, you get the chance to see many traditional costumes from all the regions of Germany. But probably the most interesting thing to see are the dances. Germany has a very vast culture in this field and you will see variations from city to city. They are very friendly people and they will often invite to join them in their dances. We have selected some of the most famous traditional German dances in order to immerse you in this amazing cultural experience.
Bavarian Dances
Zwiefacher is a very popular traditional dance in Bavaria. The translation of the name has nothing to do with the dance itself. The direct translation means double the time. You would imagine that it has something to do with the rhythm, but it is not the case. But something that it is very special about this dance that it is a pair dance. The dancers get very close together and they have very energetic moves. This is quite unique for a traditional dance given the fact that in the past people used to dance quite far away from each other. We can consider that this is one of the most libertine traditional German dances.
Traditional Dances
Schuhplattler is a very old traditional dance. Some experts believe that it has the roots sometimes around 3000 BC when tribes were existing in this area. The dance itself shows only male dancers that repeatedly hit the soles on their shoes in order to match their dance moves with the rhythm of the music. They wear short pants in order to have greater freedom of movement. The first official recording in from 1030. It was traditionally danced in Bavaria and the Tirol area by farmers and woodsmen. It is still a very popular but physically demanding dance.
Der Deutsche is a dance that was very popular in the 18th century. It consists of pair dancing in circles and coordinating each other for the whole choreography. Many consider that it is the ancestor of the waltz thanks to the fact that it has similar moves and to the fact that it was a pair dance.
The Most Famous
The Waltz is probably the most famous traditional German dance. It started by being a peasant dance and it quickly became popular in the high society. The beginning of this dance caused a lot of controversy because back in that time, it was almost vulgar to dance this close to someone. But the controversy soon ended when the elegant elements of the waltz were introduced. Now, it is considered one of the most elegant and exquisite dances in the world.
The Lander is a dance that was very popular in the 18th century. It was also a couple dance, but with distance between the partners this time. It was a very fun dance because it had a very alert pace and it involved a lot of hopping.
