Ramsauer Kreuzpolka/en

Form

Unlimited number of pairs in ballroom direction, cross hands hold right over left.

Dance

Bar 1 - 2: Beginning with outside feet three walking steps forward and one tip forward with ball of inside feet. Finally both partners turn round on outside feet half a revolution so that they look against ballroom direction.

Bar 3 - 4: Beginning with new outside feet three steps and one tip forward with new outside feet against ballroom direction. Finally partners turn round a quarter revolution so that they face each other.

Bar 5: One side step in ballroom direction on 1st beat, cross tip on 2nd beat (boy crossing right foot over left, girl left foot over right, one tip with ball), hands close together and slightly swayed forward which implies that body turns a little in ballroom direction.

Bar 6: As bar 5 vice versa

Bar 7 – 8: Boy lifts joined hands over head height and starts spinnning girl cw. She starts turning with two steps, while he does two steps in position. Then he turns under arms with two steps ccw. while she finishes her turn with another two steps (total of four). Finally partners take starting position.

Bar 9 –16: As 1 – 8, but in the end partners stay facing each other and take ballroom hold or closed dance hold.

Bar 17-32: Waltzing round room in ballroom direction

This is repeated until the music stops playing

Note

At the end of bar 16 ballroom hold must be taken quickly to be in time for the waltz.

Ramsau is a place in Styria near Schladming, where this dance was noted by Herbert Lager. But it was also noted in the neighbouring districts of Salzburg by Ilka Peter and Franz Schunko.

Source

• Herbert Lager, Österr.Tänze, 2.Teil, Nr.9
• Translated by Sissy Banner, Amstetten/NÖ., Austria

Music

• zweistimmige Noten mit Bassbezifferung
• Griffschrift für Steirische Harmonika

In other languages

• German