Schunkeln (, ) is the name in the German language used to describe a certain rhythmic movement to the beat of a song, people link arms and sway side to side on the spot. This is done either standing or sitting where people move side to side on their seats via the upper body. Sometimes people will also move backwards and forwards, as well as stand up and sit down. The word is believed to derive from the German word for an outdoor swing, this being in reference to the similar movement of a swing which is ''Schaukel'' and ''Schunkel'' which is the

Upper Saxon German Upper Saxon (, , ) is an East Central German dialect spoken in much of the modern German state of Saxony and in adjacent parts of southeastern Saxony-Anhalt and eastern Thuringia. As of the early 21st century, it is mostly extinct and a new r ...

dialect version of the same word. This form of dance is popular in German speaking countries at

Oktoberfest Oktoberfest (; ) is the world's largest , featuring a beer festival and a travelling carnival, and is held annually in Munich, Bavaria, from mid- or late-September to the first Sunday in October. The annual event attracts more than seven milli ...

where

volksmusik Alpine folk music (; German's ''Volksmusik'' means "people's music" or as a Germanic connotative translation, "folk's music") is the common umbrella designation of a number of related styles of traditional folk music in the Alpine regions of S ...

and the popular

volkstümliche Musik Volkstümliche Musik (German for "folksy/traditional/popular music") is a modern popular derivation of the traditional ''Volksmusik'' genre of German-speaking regions. Though it is often marketed as ''Volksmusik'', it differs from traditional f ...

is often played. It is also performed by audience members on TV shows such as ''

Musikantenstadl Musikantenstadl is a live television entertainment program broadcast in the German language throughout Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. It features Austrian, Swiss, and German popular folk music (Schlager, Volkstümliche Musik), international p ...

''. In English speaking countries such as

Britain Britain most often refers to: * Great Britain, a large island comprising the countries of England, Scotland and Wales * The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a sovereign state in Europe comprising Great Britain and the north-eas ...

it is often referred to as simply ''swaying''; the form of dance would often be performed by audience members in British

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

s and later

working men's clubs Working men's clubs are British private social clubs first created in the 19th century in industrial areas, particularly the North of England, English Midlands, Midlands, Scotland, Northern Ireland and South Wales Valleys, to provide recreati ...

when people would sit together and listen to live entertainment with

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

, or in pubs. Sometimes the style of movement was taken part in by audience members of ''

Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club ''The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club'' was a British television variety show created and produced by Johnnie Hamp for Granada Television from 1974 to 1977. It was set in a fictional working men's club in the North of England and was ho ...

'' TV show. Commercial German style beer houses also perform the dance with oom-pah style music.

Traditional Schunkel (sway) songs

German

* "So ein Tag so wunderschön wie heute" * "Links, Rechts, Vor, Zurück" * "Trink trink Brüderlein trink" - (shares a similar tune with the English "Down at the Old Bull and Bush") * "Auf und nieder immer wieder" * "Es gibt kein Bier auf Hawaii" * "In München steht ein Hofbräuhaus: Eins, zwei, g'suffa!" * "Herzilein"

English

* " Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)" * "Lean forwards, lean backwards, to the left, to the right..." * "

My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean "My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean", or simply "My Bonnie", is a traditional Scottish folk song and children’s song that is popular in Western culture. It is listed in Roud Folk Song Index as No. 1422. The song has been recorded by numerous artists ...

" * "

Bright College Years "Bright College Years" is one of the traditional songs of Yale University, and the university's unofficial but undisputed alma mater. It was written in 1881 by Henry Durand and set to the tune of " Die Wacht am Rhein". During World War I and sho ...

" * "

Did You Ever See a Lassie? "Did You Ever See a Lassie?" is a traditional Scottish folk song with a Roud Folk Song Index number of 5040. Lyrics Modern versions of the lyrics include: :Did you ever see a lassie, :A lassie, a lassie? :Did you ever see a lassie :Go this way ...

" or "

The More We Get Together "The More We Get Together", now regarded today as a popular English language, English-language children's song, of United States, American origin, was originally written by Irving King as the anthem of the Ancient Order of Froth Blowers, to be su ...

" * "Hands, knees and boomps a daisy" * "Down at the Old Bull and Bush" * "Oh Oh Antonio" * "She's a lassie from lancashire" * " Oom-Pah-Pah" - not traditional, from the musical ''

Oliver! ''Oliver!'' is a stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before opening in the W ...

'' * "

Que Sera, Sera "Que Será, Será (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)" is a song written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans and first published in 1955. Doris Day introduced it in the Alfred Hitchcock film '' The Man Who Knew Too Much'' (1956), singing it as a cue to their ...

" (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)

References

{{Reflist German folk dances Oktoberfest