The
Krakowiak, sometimes referred to as the
Pecker Dance, is a fast, syncopated Polish dance in duple time from the region of
KrakowKraków , in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow and pronounced
, is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland and a popular tourist destination. Its historic centre was inscribed on the list of World Heritage Sites as the first of its kind...
and
Little PolandLittle Poland may refer to:*Lesser Poland , a historical region of southern Poland*Lesser Poland Voivodeship , a present-day administrative region in southern Poland...
. This dance is known to imitate horses, the steps mimick their movement, for horses were well loved in the Krakow region of
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
for their civilian as well as military use. It became a popular ballroom dance in Vienna (
"Krakauer") and Paris ("
Cracovienne")— where, with the
polonaiseThe polonaise is a slow dance of Polish origin, in 3/4 time. Its name is French for "Polish." The notation alla polacca on a score indicates that the piece should be played with the rhythm and character of a polonaise The polonaise is a slow dance of Polish origin, in 3/4 time. Its...
and the
mazurkaThe mazurka is a stylized Polish folk dance in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo that has a heavy accent on the third or second beat.-History:...
, it signalled a Romantic sensibility of sympathy towards a picturesque, distant and oppressed nation— and in
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in the mid-nineteenth century.
The
Krakowiak, sometimes referred to as the
Pecker Dance, is a fast, syncopated Polish dance in duple time from the region of
KrakowKraków , in English also spelled Krakow or Cracow and pronounced
, is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland and a popular tourist destination. Its historic centre was inscribed on the list of World Heritage Sites as the first of its kind...
and
Little PolandLittle Poland may refer to:*Lesser Poland , a historical region of southern Poland*Lesser Poland Voivodeship , a present-day administrative region in southern Poland...
. This dance is known to imitate horses, the steps mimick their movement, for horses were well loved in the Krakow region of
PolandPoland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe . Poland is bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
for their civilian as well as military use. It became a popular ballroom dance in Vienna (
"Krakauer") and Paris ("
Cracovienne")— where, with the
polonaiseThe polonaise is a slow dance of Polish origin, in 3/4 time. Its name is French for "Polish." The notation alla polacca on a score indicates that the piece should be played with the rhythm and character of a polonaise The polonaise is a slow dance of Polish origin, in 3/4 time. Its...
and the
mazurkaThe mazurka is a stylized Polish folk dance in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo that has a heavy accent on the third or second beat.-History:...
, it signalled a Romantic sensibility of sympathy towards a picturesque, distant and oppressed nation— and in
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
in the mid-nineteenth century. A krakoviak is featured in
Mikhail GlinkaMikhail Ivanovich Glinka , was the first Russian composer to gain wide recognition inside his own country, and is often regarded as the father of Russian classical music...
's
A Life for the TsarA Life for the Tsar , as it is known in English, although its original name was Ivan Susanin is a "patriotic-heroic tragic opera" in five acts with an epilogue by Mikhail Glinka...
(1836).
The first printed Krakowiak appeared in Franciszek Mirecki's album for the piano, "Krakowiaks Offered to the Women of Poland" (Warsaw, 1816).
Frederic ChopinFrédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He was one of the great masters of Romantic music....
produced a bravura concert krakowiak in his Grand Rondeau de Concert
Rondo á la Krakowiak in F major for piano and orchestra (op. 14, 1828).
In terms of its choreography, the krakowiak is set for several couples, among whom the leading male dancer sings and indicates the steps. According to the description in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, the krakowiak is directed by the leading man from the first pair. As they approach the band, "the man, tapping his heels or dancing a few steps, sings a melody from an established repertory with newly improvised words addressed to his partner. The band follows the melody, and the couples move off in file and form a circle (with the leading couple back at the band). Thereafter verses are sung and played in alternation, the couples circulating during the played verses.
See also
Other national dances of Poland:
kujawiakThe Kujawiak is a Polish folk dance from the region of Kujawy in central Poland . It is one of the five national dances of Poland, the others being the krakowiak, mazur, oberek, and polonaise.The music is in triple meter and fairly slow...
,
mazurThe mazurka is a stylized Polish folk dance in triple meter, usually at a lively tempo that has a heavy accent on the third or second beat.-History:...
,
oberekThe oberek, also called obertas or ober, is a lively Polish dance. The name "Oberek" is derived from "obracać się" which in Polish means "to spin". This dance consists of many lifts and jumps. . It is performed at a much quicker pace than the Polish waltz and is one of the national dances of Poland...
, and
polonaiseThe polonaise is a slow dance of Polish origin, in 3/4 time. Its name is French for "Polish." The notation alla polacca on a score indicates that the piece should be played with the rhythm and character of a polonaise The polonaise is a slow dance of Polish origin, in 3/4 time. Its...
.