Dances of Denmark

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‘A circle whose centre is the devil himself,

and whose participants are dancing towards

eternal death.’ Thus did a medieval Danish

priest describe the Ring Dance, and readers

of Hans Andersen will recognise this priestly

puritanism in the tale of the Red Shoes. A

17th century Bishop of Funen, however, had

more liberal views. Having married his two

sons at a double wedding, he ‘saw no harm

in himself dancing a turn with each of the

brides’. The natural light-heartedness of the

Dane is never long suppressed, and today

there is a rich and living tradition of folk

dance, costume and music.

Mr. Jeppessen was the chairman of the

Danish Association for the Encouragement

of Folk Dancing, and Mr. Lorenzen was a

well-known folklorist who modestly describes

his wide researches as ‘a hobby’. As in the

other books of the series, they have chosen

four dances for more detailed description,

and the book is illustrated with four costume

plates in full colour.