The Netherlands is located in the western part of Europe. It shares borders with Germany and Belgium and is restricted through the Northern Sea in the north and the west. It consists of an area of about 41 thousand square kilometers, and it has a population of almost 18 million people. The capital of the Netherlands is Amsterdam. The official language is Dutch, but in some parts of the country, people also speak West Frisian, Papiamentu, or English.
The origins of folk dances started in the halls of noble courts and were first performed by dancing masters. Later, these dances were transformed into dances that people from towns and small villages were able to dance. These dances are what we know today as folk dances.
Folk dances in the Netherlands are, like in other countries too, especially created for the people of this country. A lot of people also think of the European folk dance “clogging” (a folk dance that originates from Ireland, Scotland, and England and involves a stomping movement with the foot). This specific footwear would restrict the freedom of movement of the dancer. They wore normal shoes since clogs were only used for working. The shoes that they wore were, most of the time, part of the traditional clothes that Dutch people wore to church.
Furthermore, folk dances like “Skotse fjouwer”, “Skotse trije” and “Hakke toone” have actually not Dutch but Scottish roots. And popular dances like “Driekusman”, “Hoksebarger” and “Spaanse Wals” have roots in Germany.
In order to move with the times, original folk dances are created. Technically, these are not traditional folk dances anymore, but they incorporate a lot of movements from the traditional folk dances. The Living Folklore Foundation (“Stichting Levende Folklore”) revives the artistic aspect of folk dances by adding modern features to them; for example, one of the dance groups performs folk dances that date back to the Dutch rock & roll era. Then, they adapt their dancing costumes so that they fit the era. For instance, for the “Rock & Roll folk dances”, they wear petticoats. The foundation also stresses how important it is to them not to determine when a dance has reached the age to be labeled as a folk dance.
Unfortunately, folk dances are not so commonly performed nowadays, except maybe at traditional weddings.
Moreover, the Dutch folk dances are mostly danced in local costumes and are accompanied by traditional musical instruments. Also, they are mostly danced with a partner, in multiple rows, in circle form, or in rows. During the dance, it can also be possible that the dancers change partners. Another fact is that the individual pieces of music that get assigned to a dance are usually only danced to this particular dance. Most of the time, the dance gets performed in a public spot like a market or a city place that all people can spectate and reach. During these performances, the musicians blend up the sound of their respective instruments so that a flowing melody gets created.
Sources:
https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/5654412
https://www.immaterieelerfgoed.nl/en/nederlandsefolklore
https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/1086222
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clog_dancing
https://augustaartsandculture.org/how-did-clogging-come-to-the-mountains/
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niederlande
