ZWIEFACHER German
PRONUNCIATION:	TSVEE-fah-her
TRANSLATION:	Two sections
SOURCE:	Dick Oakes learned these dances from Morry Gelman. Morry and his son, Michael Gelman, are the exponents of the Zwiefacher dances in the United States. The Zwiefacher was also taught by Walter Grothe at the 1970 Stockton Folk Dance Camp and by John Filcich at the 1980 Northwest Folk Dance Festival in Enumclaw, Washington.
BACKGROUND:	The Zwiefacher is one of the last living folk dances in the Bavarian area of Germany. "Zwie" is a variant of "Zwei" ('two') as in the word "zwiegespräch" ('dialogue'). The dance is also known by several other names in Bavaria and Austria, including "Bayerischer" ('Bäurisher Tanz' - dance of the farmers in contrast to dance of the town-people), "Heuberger" ('Haystack' - literally hay mountain), and "Übern Fuass" ('Over the Foot'). This type of dance is also found in Switzerland and Bohemia (Czech Republic). The two sections to which the name refers are the "Walzer" (Waltz) and "Dreher" (Pivot - literally 'turner'). Unentertaining as they may appear from a spectator's standpoint, the mathematical and ultimately symmetrical combinations of these two step patterns into various step sequences make the Zwiefacher dances exciting to their participants. Native dancers learn the tune to the point of being able to whistle along and thus the music is the guide for the "Verzwichten" ('tricky change'). An increase in the popularity of this dance type is directly credited to Michael Eberwein of Dellnhausen in the Hallertau hops-growing area of lower Bavaria, about 80 kilometers north of München (Munich). Herr Eberwein was honored by the Bavarian government in 1980 on his 80th birthday. His book, Das Eberwein Liederbuch: Eine Zwiefachen und Liedersammlung vom Eberwein-Vater, published the same year, has more than 100 Zwiefacher song / dances collected during his lifetime. Ranging from the simple "Alte Kath" to the complicated "'s Suserl," the Zwiefacher songs give us an insight to the lifestyle of the people of Bavaria. Described below are dances which were selected because of the availability at one time of recordings in the United States. These records are listed below and assigned an arbitrary number. Corresponding numbers may be found in parentheses after the name of each dance.
MUSIC:	1. TANZ (EP) 56-906,  2. TANZ (EP) 56-908,  3. TANZ (EP) 56-909,  4. TANZ (EP) 56-910,  5. Folkraft (45rpm) FK-1506,  6. Folkraft (45rpm) FK-1507,  7. Folkdancer (45rpm) MH-2014,  8. Folkdancer (45rpm) MH-2017,  9. Folkdancer (454pm) MH-2018, 10. Festival (EP) DA-578, 11. Festival (EP) BZS-7904, 12. Festival (EP) BZ-7905.
FORMATION:	Cpls in social (ballroom) pos, except that M L and W R joined hands are held straight down to sides with palm of M L handholding the back of W R hand. M R hand is on W back just above the waist, W L hand is around and in back of M R shldr.
METER/RHYTHM:	3/4 and 2/4
STEPS/STYLE:	W = Walzer: A flat-footed two step, 1/2 turn per 3/4 meas. D = Dreher: A single pivoting step, 1/2 turn on one ct of 2/4 meas. Knees are slightly flexed throughout and all steps are flat-footed with almost no bobbing up and down of the body.
	THE DANCES
	Bayerischer Bauer      (Recordings 4,5)
	(BAI-rih-sher BAU-ehr) "Bavarian farmer"
	WWDD   WWDD
	WWWW
	DDW   DDWW
	Böehmischer Wind      (Recording 10)
	(BEUR-mih-sher VINT) "Bohemian-forest wind"
	DW   DW   DWW
	Deifi du Dürrer      (Recordings 2,11)
	(DAI-fih doo DEU-rdr) "You skinny devil"
	WDD   WDD   WDD   WDD
	WDD   WDD   WDD   WW
	Der Wirt vo Stoa      (Recording 1)
	(dehr VEERT foh STOH-ah) "The innkeeper from Stein"
	WDD   WDD   WW
	Die Alte Kath      (Recordings 1,3,5,8,11,12)
	(AHL-teh KAHT) "Old Kate"
	WWDD
	Eisenkeilnest      (Recordings 1,3)
	(AIS-ehn-kail-nehst) "Kingfisher's nest"
	DDWW   DDWW
	DW   DW
	DDWW
	Hopfenschnupfer      (Recording 12)
	(HAWP-fehn-shnoop-fehr) "Hops sniffer"
	DDWW   DDWW
	DWWWW
	DDDWW   DDDWW
	Leit, Leit      (Recording 3)
	(LAIT-LAIT) "People, people (or folks, folks)"
	DDWWW   DDWWW
	DDWWW   DDWW
	Nagelschmied      (Recording 4)
	(NAH-gehl-shmeed) "Nail smithy"
	WWWWWWWW   WWWW   DDWW
	WWWWWWWW   WWWW   DDWW   DDWW
	WWWWWWWW   WWWW   DDWW   DDWW   DDWW
	WWWWWWWW   WWWW   DDWW   DDWW   DDWW   DDWW
	WWWWWWWW   WWWW   DDWW   DDWW   DDWW
	WWWWWWWW   WWWW   DDWW   DDWW
	WWWWWWWW   WWWW   DDWW
	Neun Häuser      (Recording 2)
	(NOIN HOI-sehr) "Nine houses"
	WWDDD   WWDDD
	WWDDD   WWW
	s' Luada      (Recording 2)
	(sloo-AH-dah) "That hussy"
	DDWW   DDWW   DDWW   DDWW
	DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
	DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
	s' Suserl      (Recordings 10,11)
	(SOO-zerl) "That Susie"
	Pattern A: DDW   DDW   DDWW
	Pattern B: DDWDD   DDWDD
	Sequence:
	Section 1: AABABA
	Section 2: AABABA
	Interlude: A
	Section 3: AABABA
	Ending: ABA
	Saulocker      (Recording 3)
	(SAU-lah-kehr) "Pig caller"
	DDDDWW
	Schneider, Schneider      (Recording 1)
	(SHNAI-dehr SCHNAI-dehr) "Tailor, tailor"
	DDW   DDWW
	DDW   DDWW
	DDW   DDDWW
	DDW   DDDWW
	Schubkarrn      (Recording 4)
	(SHOOB-kah-rdehn) "Wheelbarrow"
	WWDD   WWDD   WWDD   WWDD
	DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD
	Sechs Löffel      (Recording 2)
	(ZEHKS LEU-fehl) "Six spoons"
	DDDDDDWW
	Sechsunddreissiger      (Recordings 4,9)
	(ZEHK-soon-DRAI-sihg-hehr) "Thirty-sixer"
	WWDD   WWDD
	WWDDDD
	WWDD   WWDD
	Sommermichl      (Recordings 4,6)
	(ZAW-mehr-mih-hel) "Summer playboy"
	DDDDWW   DDDDWW
	WWWW
	DDDDWW   DDDDWW
	WDD   WDD   WDD   WW
	Tauberer      (Recording 3)
	(TAU-ber-ehr) "Pigeon keeper"
	WWWW   DDDDWW
	WWWW   DDDDWW
	WWWW   WWWW   WWWW   DDDDWW
	WWWW   WWWW   WWWW   DDDDWW
	Wintergrün      (Recordings 3,7)
	(VIHN-tehr-greuin) "Wintergreen"
	WWWW
	DDWW   DDWW
	Zwei Kapellen      (Recording 10)
	(TSVAI kah-PEHL-ehn) "Two bands"
	DDDDWW (4X)
	WWDDDD (4X)
	WDD   WDD   WDDWW (4X)
	DDDDWW (2X)
	WWDDDD (2X)
	WDD   WDD   WDDWW (2X)
	Zwei-Vier-Sechs      (Recording 12)
	(TSVAI-VEER-zehks) "Two-four-six"
	DDWW
	DDDDWW
	DDDDDDWW
Copyright © 2012 by Dick Oakes