(TOO-sing-a-dahn-sen)
Skandia CD, track 15
| Credible English Title | Good Humor Dance. |
| Heritage | Sweden: Blekinge and/or Skåne (see Background Information, next page). |
| U.S. Source | |
| Category | |
| Motivation and application | Couple mixer. |
| Type | Duple and triple meters. |
| Function | Recreational |
| Character and form | Sprightly and with good humor. |
| Footwork | Parallel, opposite. |
| Specific steps | Step-hops, figuréring steps (as described below), and waltz. |
| Dance holds | Simple ring hold held at shoulder level. Closed waltz hold. When free, hands are on hips, palms down, fingers forward, thumbs back. |
| Formation | Several couples in single ring, W on M's R, hands joined at shoulder level. |
| MEASURES | ACTION |
1 - 8 |
A. Ring CW and CCW:
Hands joined at shoulder level in single ring formation, all dance 16 step-hops to L. |
| 1 - 8 | and 16 step-hops back to the R. |
9 - 16 |
B. "Figuréring" with partner and corner:
M leave W where they were, and move a bit in toward center of circle, and face own partner (W facing in, M facing out). Couples dance 16 counts of figuréring step, as described below. |
| 9 - 16 | M now move forward one place (to own L, CCW in circle) so as to face next W up ahead. New couples now dance 16 more counts of figuréring step. |
17 - 24 |
C. Waltz:
Present couples take closed waltz hold and dance 16 measures of CW turning waltz, progressing forward in LOD (CCW). |
| 17 - 24 | Repeat the waltz.
At conclusion of waltz music, M places W on his own R, all hands are joined (at shoulder level) to form ring again, and entire sequence is repeated from A. |
The word figuré is from the French. The dance form was an essential part of the court dances of old. More often than not, the exact manner of dancing was left up to the man, so there is considerable variety in the step. Here are two of the most common ways in which dancers respond to the figuré or figuréring in Tosingadans. Both are based upon the step-hop.
a) "Danish Reel" step: rhythmically identical to an ordinary step-hop, but with the unweighted (new) foot swinging around behind and to the outside of the hopping (old) foot, to prepare to step on the new foot on the outside of the old foot, instead of just alongside as usual. A certain "tilting" of the body ensues.
b) Finnish Melkutus step: also essentially a step-hop, but with the unweighted foot lifted back on the step, and kicked straight out forward (toe down) on the hop.
A dance description for Tosingadansen can be found on page 67 of Nils Andersson's Beskrivning av Svenska Folkdanser (the "Green book"), 1964. Music notation matching Andersson's dance description appears on page 71 of Nils Andersson's Musik till Svenska Folkdanser (also a "Green book"). Both "Green" books are published by Svenska Ungdomsringen för Bygdekultur, Stockholm, with no indication of area of origin for Tosingadansen. An almost identical music notation from Skåne can be found in Svenska Låtar Samlade av Nils Andersson, Skåne Tredje delen, number 924, collected by Andersson in 1887 from Ola Persson in Sjöbo, Genarp.
| Copyright © 1997 Skandia Music Foundation | Tosingadansen |
| You may freely distribute this document provided you agree to retain this copyright notice and mention that a recording for this dance is on the Viking Skandia CD, available from www.folkdancing.com. | |