Dances from Norway (and a few other places)

This survey gives a general overview of the various kinds of Norwegian dances.

This music guide gives a list of good bands for gammeldans (old-time) music.

This video guide gives a list of of videos of Norwegian dance.

May-June 2025

The following are dances for the 2025.

Here is the 1967 description:

The description is in Norwegian, but includes a set of drawings for each figure.

Here are Vestlandsspringar videos.

• Alix and Bjørn Ove at a course in 2009
• Olav og Aslaug Einemo, from a mock competition by Norwegian broadcasting, 1971
• Ellen Vabø and Arvid Vedå from Bergen dance, demonstration with commentary
• Alix and Bjørn Ove dance at Folklore Village, 2016

Olav Einemo taught courses over many years in the 1960s and 1970s in the eastern part of Norway. Many leikarring dancers learned the dance from him, and then used it in leikarring performances.

Here are some examples of local springars from the west of Norway.

• From Voss, Ami and Håkon Dregelid LK2016
• From Kvam, Brit Sørland and Per Øyvind Tveiten, Vestlandskappleiken 2013
• From Osterøy, Jartru og Geir Reigstad, Mesterkonsert Operaen 2018
• From Sørfjord, Jon Låte and Annbjorg Kolltveit, 1973
• From Ulvik, Torkjell Lunde Børsheim and Eli Børsheim Kvåle, LK2015
• From Fana, Teaching film from 1967

You can find a series of 6 teaching films for the springar from Osterøy, starting here.

Februar 2025

Program til storkurs i Skien. Musikken er Alix's Spotify playlist.

Spornumre ovenfor refererer til Alix's Spotify playlist.
Folk Dance Musings har mange beskrivelser, bakgrunnsinfo, og linker til videoer.
Scottish Country Dancing Dictionray har mange beskriver og linker til videoer av skotske danser.
Stockton Folk Dance Camp har beskrivelser av de fleste danser som brukes i internasjonal folkedans.
Det finnes mange dansebeskrivelser og videoer på www.acla.se
Springar'n har tatt opp mange videoer, se www.springarn.net, trykk på "video enkeltdanser".
Det er også linker på Hordaringen, se www.hordaringen.no, trykk på "linkar".

Februar 2023

Program til NU storkurs Lyngdal. Musikken er Alix's Spotify playlist.

Spornumre ovenfor refererer til Alix's Spotify playlist.
Det finnes mange dansebeskrivelser og videoer på www.acla.se
Springar'n har tatt opp mange videoer, se www.springarn.net, trykk på "video enkeltdanser".
Det er også linker på Hordaringen, se www.hordaringen.no, trykk på "linkar".

January 2023 Stockton Winter Weekend

For the Hambo session with Roo Lester and Alix Cordray at the 2023 Winter Camp, you need only bring yourself and your dance shoes (or just your eyes and ears). If you have a dance space where you can turn, that would be great. Roo and Alix will also present lots of background information, including videos, so just watching and listening is fine, too.

For a list of Key Scandinavian Dance Themes compiled by Roo, see Key Scandinavian Dance Themes.

For background on Norwegian dance compiled by Alix, don't miss the survey, music guide, and video guide.

For information about basic old-time dances and how to teach them, see this guide compiled by Alix.

About music for Roo's Hambos

There is a lot of Hambo music available online and in CD format. Tempo and character are both personal and connected to the regions where hambo and hambo type dances are found.

Recordings Roo has used and shared at events:

• “Klintetten 2018” – available through The Folk Arts Center of New England, www.facone.org" or email fac@facone.org
• “Hambo in the Barn” – available online
• “At the Jonsson’s” was sold at Stockton 2009 and has 2 hambo tunes plus many other Swedish dance tunes.
• And more . . .

About Alix's videos

The video for the Springpolka is the dance group in Sarpsborg, Norway, in 1978. This is the group where Alix danced when she first moved to Norway. Her husband Ragnar is one of the dancers.

The video for the Springar fra Nord-Norge is from Tustna in Nordmøre, not from Nord-Norge, but it has the same steps and largely the same style. It is from a dance collection project, and the dancers are Alix's friends, Alf Steinar Nekstad (from Tustna) and Bente Gjertsen.

Other videos shown at the session

Here are the videos used during our presentation.

• Hälsingehambo, 2010 senior finals (Look for Roo, she is dancing)
• Pols fra Verdalen (Inherred) danced by Geir Egil Larsen and Maj Brit Slapgaard Larsen, Landskappleik 1994
• Springær fra Østføld, Hans Broen and Tone Eidsvold at a SAFFA course, Jan 2011
• Pols/Hambo/Masurka at Nordleik 1976 in Trondheim
• Hälsingehambo, 2010 finals

April 2022

The following are dances for the Springar Spee.

Here are other Vestlandsspringar videos.

• Olav og Aslaug Einemo, from a mock competition by Norwegian broadcasting, 1971
• Alix and Bjørn Ove dance at Folklore Village, 2016

Olav Einemo taught courses over many years in the 1960s and 1970s in the eastern part of Norway. Many leikarring dancers learned the dance from him, and then used it in leikarring performances.

Here are some examples of local springars from the west of Norway.

• From Voss, Ami and Håkon Dregelid LK2016
• From Kvam, Brit Sørland and Per Øyvind Tveiten, Vestlandskappleiken 2013
• From Osterøy, Jartru og Geir Reigstad, Mesterkonsert Operaen 2018
• From Sørfjord, Jon Låte and Annbjorg Kolltveit, 1973
• From Ulvik, Torkjell Lunde Børsheim and Eli Børsheim Kvåle, LK2015
• From Fana, Teaching film from 1967

You can find a series of 6 teaching films for the springar from Osterøy, starting here.

July 2021

The following list is a list of dances taught at Stockton 2021.

Don't miss the survey, music guide, and video guide.

This basic gammeldans guide talks about the basic old-time dances and how to teach them.

Suitable tunes for most dances in the gammeldans class may be found in Alix Cordray's Spotify list Stockton 2021.

October 2020

The following list contains descriptions for Norwegian dances, October 2020 corona program for FAC.

Here is a teaching video of Alix Cordray and Bjørn Ove Opheim dancing the full Vestlandsspringar:

• Vestlandsspringar

Here are some good examples of Halling dances from the national competitions (called Landskappleik, or LK for short)

• Simon Hesselberg Løvald LK2019
• Hallgrim Hansegård LK 2017
• Ulf Arne Johannesen LK 2019
• Simon Hesselberg Løvald LK2017

The video of Simon Løvald from 2017 contains many of the steps as Alix has used them in her introduction arrangement.

June 2019

The following list contains descriptions for Norwegian dances, Fiddles and Feet dance program.

januar 2019

Program til NU storkurs Skien.

Det finnes mange dansebeskrivelser og videoer på www.acla.se
Springar'n har tatt opp mange videoer, se www.springarn.net, trykk på "video enkeltdanser".
Det er også linker på Hordaringen, se www.hordaringen.no, trykk på "linkar".

November 2017

The following list contains descriptions for Norwegian dances, Julian program.

August 2016

The following list contains descriptions for Norwegian dances, Stockton folk dance camp program.

This survey gives a general overview of the various kinds of Norwegian dances.

June 2015

The following list contains descriptions for Norwegian dances, Mendocino camp program.

This survey gives a general overview of the various kinds of Norwegian dances.

August 2014

The following list contains descriptions for Norwegian dances, Norsk Folkedansstemne program.

November 2013

The following list contains descriptions for Norwegian dances, November 2013 program.

Please note that many of the dances can be performed to "generic" gammeldans tunes. Suggested tunes on the list come from a variety of sources, all available in net shops. The "Norge Danser" 3-CD series is widely available in different shops, including musiconline.no and iTunes.

March 2013

The following list contains descriptions for Norwegian dances, March 2013 program.

Many of these dances can be done to "generic" gammeldans tunes. All suggested tunes below are on the 3-CD album "Norge Danser", available in several stores, including musiconline.no, iTunes, and Spotify.