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"#$%&$' %(#))&%#( *+)&%

uance muslc ls muslc composed and played speclflcally for soclal danclng. Muslc
plays an lmporLanL role ln dance, and every dance ls dependenL upon Lhe
avallablllLy of Lhe approprlaLe muslc.
ln prlnclple, dance muslc lncludes a huge varleLy of muslc, from walLzes Lo rock
and roll and counLry muslc or Langos. As of Lhe laLe 1970s, however Lhe Lerm
!"#$% '()*$ has come Lo more speclflcally refer Lo elecLronlc muslc offshooLs of
rock and roll such as dlsco, house, Lechno and Lrance.
1he dance muslc covered ln Lhls packeL ls of older Llme perlods, buL LhaL sLlll have
relevance Loday.
WalLz
olka
1ango
Pungarlan dances
8omanlan dances
#
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A B@C@ D%#=%# E"# F'%2*$"# 95(2#".*)/G
CfLen when people Lhlnk of Lhe walLz Lhey Lhlnk of men and women of hlgh
socleLy wearlng colorful flowlng gowns and luxurlous Luxedos, Lwlrllng around ln a
palace ballroom. And of course beauLlful muslc!
8uL lL was noL always Lhls way, ln facL, lL was [usL Lhe opposlLe. ln Lhe 16
Lh
cenLury,
Lhe walLz sLarLed off ln Lhe suburbs and surroundlng vlllages of vlenna, danced by
Lhe people ln Lhe lower worklng class and peasanLs.
1hus, lL Look a long Llme before Lhe walLz was popularly accepLed by hlgh socleLy.
1here was so much opposlLlon, especlally from dance masLers and rellglous
leaders. 1he dance masLers LhoughL Lhe
walLz was below Lhelr sklll level because Lo
Lhem lL was noL challenglng enough, lL was
Loo easy Lo learn, meanlng LhaL Lhey would
noL be able Lo show off Lhelr superlor dance
skllls. 8ellglous leaders almosL unanlmously
regarded Lhe walLz as vulgar and slnful
because of Lhe close hold poslLlon and Lhe
rapld Lurnlng movemenLs. Morally, lL was noL
rlghL for people Lo dance, held so close, ln
publlc.
lL wasn'L unLll Lhe 17
Lh
cenLury LhaL walLzes were played ln Lhe ballrooms of Lhe
Papsburg courL, Lhe rullng monarchy. As wlLh Loday, Lhe more opposlLlon Lhere
was Lo Lhe dance, Lhe more fashlonable and popular lL became.
1he popularlLy of Lhe walLz was glven a boosL ln Lhe 1800s by Lwo greaL AusLrlan
composers. lranz Lanner and !ohann SLrauss ll, known as Lhe WalLz klng. 1hey seL
Lhe sLandard for Lhe vlennese WalLz (a very fasL verslon of Lhe walLz).

$
Many of Lhe famlllar walLz Lunes can be Lraced back Lo slmple peasanL yodellng
melodles. 8uL lL ls Lhe rhyLhm of Lhe muslc LhaL leLs Lhe llsLeners and dancers
know LhaL lL ls a walLz. B'> /"> /"> B'> /"> /"; Lhe muslc ls seL ln Llme, wlLh Lhe
sLrong accenL (B'G played on Lhe flrsL beaL, mosL llkely by a bass lnsLrumenL.
lnsLrumenLs wlLh a hlgher plLch, llke vlollns, Lend Lo play Lhe Lwo sofLer beaLs (/">
/").
WrlLLen by SLrauss ln 1868, !"#$% '()* +,$ -.$//" 0))1% ls Lhe perfecL example
of Lhe sLandard vlennese walLz rhyLhm and sound. ln Lhe muslc could be heard a
nosLalgla for resLlng ln a quleL place. lL ls a beauLlful plece LhaL could work very
well for weddlngs!
1he 2("3."/ 0"#+4 (1993), by 8ablh Abbu khalll, LhaL Lhe Mlaml Muslc ro[ecL
SLrlng CuarLeL plays, ls much dlfferenL from Lhe vlennese walLz sLyle. 1he Lhlng Lo
remember abouL muslc ln general ls LhaL lL's always lnfluenced by culLure. ln Lhe
case of Lhe Arablan WalLz, khalll acLually played around wlLh Lhe Llme slgnaLure
and changed lL Lo dlfferenL Llme slgnaLures LhroughouL Lhe plece Lo hlghllghL Lhe
culLural sound, buL dancers could remaln ln Lhe same close hold poslLlon.
12.3-
lL was an lnsLanL hlL! ln 1833, Lhe dance was lnLroduced Lo rague ballrooms, and
Lo arls ballrooms ln 1840. lrench dancers Look Lo polka lmmedlaLely, and lL soon
grew very popular. olka evenLually reached Lngland and Lhe unlLed SLaLes by Lhe
laLe 1840s. 8egardless of lL belng danced ln ballrooms, Lhe ?5.=" kepL lLs down Lo
earLh lmage, ln provldlng en[oymenL and
relaxaLlon afLer long days of hard, physlcal labor.
lL galned popularlLy because everyone danced lL,
lL was seen as a recreaLlonal acLlvlLy for amaLeur
dancers who rellshed Lhe polka's llvely Lempo
and Lhe sLrenuous exerclse lL provlded.
olka orlglnaLed ln 8ohemla, currenLly Lhe Czech
8epubllc, around 1830 as a peasanL round-dance
and comes from Lhe word word ?H.="-llLerally,
.*//.% ,".6-a reference Lo Lhe shorL half-sLeps
feaLurlng ln Lhe dance. (lolklore has lL LhaL a
peasanL glrl named Anna Slezak lnvenLed Lhe
sLeps one day for her own amusemenL.)
%
olka dancers perform ln palrs or couples, elLher ln Lhe face-Lo-face walLz poslLlon
or whlle sLandlng slde by slde, wlLh Lhe man's arm around Lhe woman's walsL and
her hand on hls shoulder. 1he baslc movemenL ls of llghLly sLepplng from one fooL
Lo Lhe oLher. Cne characLerlsLlc of danclng Lhe polka ls Lhe half-sLep, or hop, LhaL
precedes Lhe flrsL sLep. Some dancers omlL Lhe hop enLlrely, whlle oLhers slmply
reduce lL Lo a qulck rlse and fall of Lhe welghLed fooL before beglnnlng Lhe flrsL
sLep. olka dancers are free Lo move across Lhe floor ln all dlrecLlons whlle
danclng, and noL ln any sLrlcL llne or formaLlon.
ln Lhe 19Lh cenLury respecLed ballroom muslc composers, llke !ohann SLrauss,
composed polkas. 1he polka masLerpleces are sLlll belng performed Loday,
keeplng Lhe llnk beLween folk and classlcal muslc allve.
Llve muslc remalns an lnLegral parL Lo any polka dance. Many modern polka songs
are abouL loss, love and even food. 1he song ls also sLrucLured around four verses
and a chorus, whlch ls sung afLer each verse or afLer every Lwo verses. 1he 2/4
rhyLhm of Lhe baslc polka has a very bouncy, upbeaL sound - greaL for danclng!

1oday, polka ls one of Lhe few dances LhaL orlglnaLed durlng Lhe nlneLeenLh
cenLury LhaL ls sLlll popular worldwlde.
ShosLakovlch's 5)#6"7 4526 /78 9-..8/ !,$ 8)#1$/ 29$, ls a really fun polka
because lL seems as lf every lnsLrumenL Lakes on a characLer of lLs own. A sLory ls
belng Lold, as Lhe lnsLrumenLs Lalk" amongsL Lhemselves, of pollLlcal flgures
havlng a meeLlng ln whlch Lhey agree and dlsagree. ln Lhe end, lL comes LogeLher
as greaL polka muslc.
5)#6" 5.44.:"+) wrlLLen by SLrauss ls unlque because lL
hlghllghLs Lhe llghL way Lhe dancers hop on Lhelr feeL by
reflecLlng Lhls ln Lhe way Lhe lnsLrumenLs are played.
lzzlcaLo for sLrlng lnsLrumenLs (vlolln, vlola, cello, bass,
eLc.) means Lo pluck Lhe sLrlngs wlLh Lhe flngers raLher
Lhan uslng Lhe bow Lo produce sound. 1he resulL ls a very
llvely and llghL sound.


&
:-;<2
lolklore of how Lhe Lango dance form evolved ls LhaL lL
sLarLed off wlLh Lhe cowboys of ArgenLlna. 1hey wore
chaps LhaL had hardened from Lhe foam and sweaL of Lhe
horses' body. So Lhey had Lo walk wlLh Lhelr knees flexed.
1hey would go Lo Lhe crowded nlghLclubs and ask Lhe
local glrls Lo dance. Slnce Lhe cowboy hadn'L showered,
Lhe lady would dance ln Lhe crook of Lhe man's rlghL arm,
holdlng her head back, so as noL Lo be close Lo hls armplL.
Per rlghL hand was held low on hls lefL hlp, close Lo hls
pockeL, looklng for a paymenL for danclng wlLh hlm. 1he
man danced ln a curvlng fashlon because Lhe dance floor
was small wlLh round Lables, so he danced wlLh Lhe glrl
around and beLween Lhe Lables, creaLlng Lhe Lango dance
sLep.
1ango orlglnaLed around 1880, ln urban areas. 8emember LhaL aL Lhe Llme, [usL Lo
dance ln fronL of each oLher, Lhe rlghL arm of Lhe man Louchlng Lhe back of Lhe
lady was a llLLle Loo much. now Lhere ls a dance wlLh a close embrace, cheek Lo
cheek, chesLs LogeLher, Lhe legs lnvadlng each oLher's space, and fllrLaLlous looks.
hraslng ls an lmporLanL parL of Lango muslc. 1ango muslc ls llke a sLory, lL
conLalns paragraphs (ma[or phrases), senLences (mlnor phrases), and Lhe perlod
aL Lhe end of Lhe senLence ls Lhe Lango close. lor exhlblLlon danclng, a Lango
dancer musL develop a sLrong connecLlon wlLh Lhe muslc, Lhe dance, and Lhe
audlence so LhaL Lhe sLory can be undersLood. 1he
audlence can only feel Lhls connecLlon lf Lhe performer
feels and pro[ecLs Lhls feellng. 1hus, you can always
noLlce Lhe beaL ln a Lango plece, someLlmes urgenL,
someLlmes more relaxed, buL lL ls always sLrong.
Carlos Cardel ls ofLen referred Lo as Lhe klng of 1ango.
Pls popular 1933 Lango 5)( ;/" <"3$4", whlch ln
Spanlsh means by Lhe head [of a horse]." lL ls a sLory of
a man who loves horses very much. lL ls also lnLeresLlng
Lo noLe LhaL Cardel borrowed a phrase from MozarL's
I5#!5 652 J*5.*# "#! K2$,%)/2" *# L and used lL as a
recurrenL Lheme ln hls Lango.
'
AsLor lazzolla composed a very passlonaLe Lango, =.3$(+"/9) (1973). 1he sLrong
beaL ln Lhe plece has an almosL aLLacklng lnLenslLy. Pe was ln lLaly aL Lhe Llme and
Luropean audlences en[oyed llsLenlng Lo Lhe plece durlng lLs debuL. When he
wroLe C*:%2/"#45 lL was lndeed lnLended for commerclal success, ln lL he blended
a conLemporary muslc sound wlLh LhaL of Lhe LradlLlonal Lango. 8ecause Lhe beaL
of Lhe muslc was lnfluenced by rock and [azz muslc, maklng lL fasLer, dancers
found lL challenglng Lo acLually dance Lo Lhe plece.
=>;<-5?-; @ A26-;?-; "-;B8C
1he orlgln of Lhe $)M2!M) can be Lraced back Lo Lhe 18Lh cenLury as a LradlLlonal
Pungarlan folk dance used by vernunkos, or recrulLers, as a recrulLlng dance by
Lhe Pungarlan army. 8oma muslc bands ln Pungary and nelghborlng lands also
helped Lo popularlze Lhe $)M2!M).
1he Pungarlan $)M2!M) ls characLerlzed by a varlaLlon ln Lempo, lL sLarLs ouL slowly
and ends ln a very fasL Lemp. 1he Llme slgnaLure of Lhe muslc ls ln 2/4 or 4/4 Llme.
uancers are boLh male and female, wlLh Lhe women dressed ln LradlLlonal wlde
sklrLs, usually colored red, whlch form a dlsLlncLlve shape when Lhey whlrl.
!ohannes 8rahms was a Cerman composer who was very popular durlng Lhe
8omanLlc perlod. ln addlLlon Lo belng a composer, 8rahms was one of Lhe flrsL
eLhnomuslcologlsLs. An eLhnomuslcologlsL ls a person who studies the social and
cultural aspects of music and dance in local and global contexts. During his time,
Brahm, had to travel from town
to town in order to hear different
styles of music because there
was no internet or radio.
8rahms wroLe >?/9"(."/
@"/:$%, whlch was a large
facLor ln hls success. Pls
B(#4"2*"# N"#$% OP *# Q '*#52>
played by Lhe Mlaml Muslc
ro[ecL SLrlng CuarLeL, ls [usL
one ouL of a seL of 21 dance
Lunes based on Pungarlan
Lhemes LhaL 8rahms collecLed durlng hls Lravels. Lach plece lasLs from one Lo four
mlnuLes. Cnly #11, #14, and #16 are enLlrely orlglnal composlLlons by 8rahms. 8uL
one could say LhaL 8rahms made a mlsLake when he composed #3, because whlle
he LhoughL lL was based on a LradlLlonal Pungarlan folk song, lL really Lurned ouL
(
Lo be based on a popular csrds wrlLLen by keler 8ela, a Pungarlan composer of
Lhe Llme. 8rahms compleLed all 21 B(#4"2*"# N"#$%) ln 1869
8ella 8arLok was born ln 1ransylvanla, presenL-day 8omanla, buL he was
Pungarlan. !usL llke !ohannes 8rahms, 8arLok was an eLhnomuslcologlsL. Pe
collecLed folk songs from dlfferenL Lowns ln Pungary and 8omanla Lo make a
collecLlon of shorL pleces. So, he composed a serles of masLerpleces, Lhe
A)*"/."/ @"/:$%. Pe collecLed songs across LasLern Lurope and used Lhem ln hls
muslc. Pls muslc lnfluenced laLer composers of Lhe reglon.
1here are slx dlfferenL dances wlLhln 8arLok's work. 8elow are a few examples of
Lhe dances LhaL were lncluded ln 8arLok's I5'"#*"# N"#$%):
R5$(. $( :S/", means dance wlLh sLlck" or sLlck game," and Lhe [ocul cu bLa ls
[usL LhaL, Lo dance uslng a sLlck. lL ls an energeLlc and merry dance from
1ransylvanla, 8omanla. 1he muslc LhaL accompanles ls played ln a llvely Lempo.
8arLok used Lhls as hls flrsL dance.
1he Lhlrd dance 8arLok composed muslc for was Lhe T5"24" I5'S#%")$U. Slmllar
Lo Lhe olka, excepL LhaL lL ls 8omanlan sLyle. LveryLhlng else ls preLLy much Lhe
same, Llme slgnaLure (2/4) and lL ls qulck and llvely.
1he DU2(#V%. ls such a qulck dance LhaL dancers musL use very small sLeps and
movemenLs Lo keep up wlLh Lhe muslc! lL's a greaL way Lo end a dance parLy, and
lL ls exacLly how 8arLok ended hls I5'"#*"# N"#$%).