Einfacher Dreher/en
Simply Turned
Form
unlimited number of pairs in circle, standing left shoulder to left shoulder, girl facing centre and boy standing with back towards centre
Hold
cross hands hold in the back, left over left (1 to 8, only); while right hands are placed in the small of the back, both partners stretch left arm under partner’s left arm and take right hand of partner.
Steps
short walking steps on each beat similar to that used in Landlers
Introduction
Bar 1 – 8: only once, at the beginning of the dance Both partners circle ccw round common axis. At the end of bar 8 they should be in starting position again as described above (girl facing centre of circle)
Turns
Bar 1 - 2: Boy drops right hand placing it on his own back. At the same time he starts twirling the girl under his lifted left hand. While she spins one and a half turns cw in position with 6 steps, her partner dances a semicircle ccw round her with 6 steps, finally joining free hands. He has moved onward in ballroom direction a little and faces centre of circle now.
Bar 3 - 4: Boy drops left hand and starts spinning cw. Girl puts right hand on her own back and takes partner’s right hand with her lifted left hand under which he is doing one and a half turns in position with 6 steps. At the same time girl dances a semicircle ccw round him with 6 steps, finally joining free hands. Now she has moved onward in ballroom direction a little and faces centre of circle again.
This turning goes on and on until the music stops playing. There is no halt between spinning and walking the semicircles and spinning again. Do not forget to put right hands into the back as soon as they are released. Always the one, who faces centre of circle, starts spinning.
Note
Not simple at all!! Simple is meant in comparison to double. There exists also a so called Zweifacher Dreher (double turn). The dialect words are: “oanlatza drahra” and “doubbla drahra”. Both were noted in the Tyrol, also under the name “Masolka”, a Tyrolian word for Mazurka.
For beginners it is recommended to exercise only the turns without using the arms first. As soon as the choreography is understood and the six steps are done exactly, so that always one of the partners faces centre of circle in the end, it is easy to do the additional movements of the arms and hands.
Source
- Herbert Lager: Österreichische Tänze, 2. Teil. Österreichischer Bundesverlag, Wien 1969, S. 19.
- Translated by: Sissy Banner, Amstetten/NÖ., Austria
