Dutch folk dance

Dutch folk dance encompasses traditional dances that were performed by the folk. While foreigners and the Dutch often associate Dutch folk dance with clog dancing, clogs actually limit the range of dance moves. Consequently, the dance is typically performed in shoes. Historically, the Dutch folk dance was part of their Church going attire, which included shoes. Clogs were reserved for work, but during harvest feasts following the harvest, farmers would dance in clogs, as they had been wearing them throughout the day.¶

In the East of the Netherlands dances like Driekusman, Hoksebarger, Veleta, Kruispolka and the Spaanse Wals share the origin with German dances, but some are even danced in countries further away, like Poland and Lithuania. Or at least using the same melodies. The actual dances may differ. The "Veleta" used to be a common dance in many parts of the Netherlands during the 1950s till the 1970s on weddings and even in dancings, just like the ballroom dances Waltz, Quickstep and Tango. Nowadays, new folk dances are still being created. It concerns new dance moves (patterns) that borrow from the traditional dances. Folk dances are not often danced anymore. Some old-fashioned farmer weddings still feature them, and in old people homes the dances are used as exercise. Nevertheless, there are quite a few folk dance groups still performing Dutch folk dances.¶

The text above is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Dutch folk dance”, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 licence.¶

Dutch folk dance is traditional dances performed by the folk, according to the structured record cited below. This entry was generated automatically from that record and has not yet been reviewed by a person familiar with the tradition.¹¶

The source record links this tradition to 1 external register, which can be verified through the citation.¹¶