Gammaldans (Swedish and Nynorsk) or Gammeldans (Danish and Bokmål) (literally "old dance") is a small set of

Nordic Nordic most commonly refers to: * Nordic countries, the northern European countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and their North Atlantic territories * Scandinavia, a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern ...

dances that became broadly popular in the late 19th century. These were also the dances of the Nordic immigrant communities in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. These are still danced socially and in dance groups and clubs and are often taught at some point during a child’s public school years. Most of these dances arose and became widely disseminated first at the beginning of the region's industrialization when communication between cities and smaller communities increased. Despite the name (which translates to "old dance"), gammaldans is a comparatively recent addition to the Nordic folk dance tradition.

Dances

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

vals Vals is the word for waltz in many European languages. Vals or VALS may also refer to: * Peruvian waltz The vals criollo (), or Peruvian waltz (), is an adaptation of the European waltz brought to the Americas during colonial times by Spain. In ...

mazurka The Mazurka ( Polish: ''mazurek'') is a Polish musical form based on stylised folk dances in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo, with character defined mostly by the prominent mazur's "strong accents unsystematically placed on the seco ...

schottis The schottische is a partnered country dance that apparently originated in Bohemia. It was popular in Victorian-era ballrooms as a part of the Bohemian folk-dance craze and left its traces in folk music of countries such as Argentina (Spanish Wi ...

polka Polka is a dance style and genre of dance music in originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though generally associated with Czech and Central European culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the ...

polska Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

hambo The hambo is a traditional dance that originated in Sweden in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is a couple dance in time, danced to music played with a strong accent on the first beat and a tempo that varies from moderate to fast (100 ...

, snoa *

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

: vals, mazurka, schottis, polka, hopsa, sønderhoning, fannik, turdans (totur, firetur, sekstur) *

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...

: vals, mazurka, reinlender, polka,

pols The pols and springar are Norwegian folk dances in 3/4. They are essentially fast versions of the Nordic polska Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to t ...

, hoppvals *

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

: valssi, masurkka,

jenkka Jenkka () is a fast Culture of Finland, Finnish partner dance found in Finnish folk dance, the Finnish version of the schottische. It is danced to music in Time signature, or 4/4 time, time signature, with about 140 beats per minute. The dance a ...

, polkka,

humppa Humppa is a type of music from Finland. It is related to jazz and fast foxtrot, played two beats to a bar ( or ) at around 110 to 130 beats per minute. Humppa is also the name of a few social dances done to humppa music. All dances involve a bo ...

Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...

: vals, marsúrki, skottís, polki, ræll The first four in each list are the same dance as named in each language. The first two are in triple (3/4) time. The pols and

are modern generic forms of older 3/4 time

dances. The Finnish polka has a lively special step danced to 2/4 polka music.

Dances

See also

Sources