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Playable heritage gameSchuhplattler
Also known as slap dance
The Schuhplattler is a men's slapping dance of Bavaria, Tyrol and neighbouring Alpine valleys. Dancers stamp and clap, then slap the thighs, knees and soles of their shoes in set sequences, to the swinging three-beat music of a country band.
How to play
- Five pictograms stand for the movements: thigh, knee, heel, clap and stamp.
- Symbols travel toward a line at the bottom; strike the movement just as it reaches the line.
- Start with the basic slap figure in three beats to the bar, then add the knee and heel.
- Finish with the partner figure, where claps and slaps pass back and forth.
Rules at a glance
- The music runs in three beats to the bar; a stamp usually opens the bar.
- A stroke within a hair of the beat is perfect, a near one is good, and a missed one scores nothing.
- An extra stroke while a song is running costs a few points.
- Each song plays twice; three stars need roughly nine notes in ten on time.
- Only timing is judged, not the shape of the movement.
About the tradition
The Schuhplattler belongs to the folk costume clubs of Bavaria and Austria, where young dancers learn the figures from older members. It is danced at village fairs and festivals, always to local brass or string bands.
Origins
A living tradition passed from person to person; it is not tied to a single dated origin. It belongs to the cultural world of Northern and Eastern Europe.
Credits
- Tradition: Alpine Schuhplattler and Landler dancing; figures written for this game
- Photo of Schuhplattler dancers from Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
- Photo: Harald Bischoff, CC BY-SA 3.0, source on Wikimedia Commons
- Text: CC BY-SA 4.0, World Heritage Games.
Sources
Get the app
Schuhplattler is one of 10 instruments and dances in the Music & Dance of the World app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Submitted to the App Store and Google Play; in review. Store links appear here the day it goes live. One app, many traditions, no account needed.
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