Halling

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An actor demonstrating Hallingkast during the Peer Gynt play at Gålåvannet

The halling is a folk dance used in Norway^{[citation needed]}. Mainly found in Norway, but versions of the halling can also be found in parts of Sweden. The dance is traditionally a way for young men to show off,^{[clarification needed]} and was often danced at weddings and similar events.

The dance is associated with Hallingdal, where it is mostly called "Laus" ("loose dance"). The term refers to it being danced solo, not in couples (although "coupled halling" is traditional in the western parts of the country). The term Halling may derive from the fact that the 2/4-dance was "half" the dance, immediately followed by the springar. The dances followed a dance suite principle.

The meter of the dance is 2/4 or 6/8 of a quite fast, sharp quality which calls for an experienced musician. The musician has to give the dancers enough impetus to perform the various challenging moves that are involved in the dance such as the “nakkespretten” (neck jump), “kruking” (hooked dancing), “hodestift” (going over the head) and especially the “kast” (Directly translates to "The throw"). “Kastet” is seen as the test of strength, which involves kicking a hat that is held on a wooden stick about 230 to 280 cm above the floor.

The dance was used in the Norwegian winning contribution to the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest performed by the Frikar Dance Company together with singer and fiddle player Alexander Rybak.

The halling in historic records

Historically, the dance is fairly old, and is described as far back as in medieval times. More recent descriptions date back to the 1600s.

Many of the halling dancers were great athletes in their communities, and became famous for their ability to dance and throw themselves high up in the air. On the other hand, records show that a fair amount of the same dancers got into trouble, and many dance sessions ended in violence and manslaughter. This may be due to the adrenaline produced during the exercise. Dancing and honour were closely connected, and the dancers competed for the price until one of them got hurt or killed. Some dancers were executed, others were taken to prison for their use of the knife.

In some cases, the dancers showed off their ability during a trial. One bailed himself out of trouble after killing a man, and made a "throw" afterwards (1683). Another made a Throw when going to the scaffold (1833). This show of prowess was a confirmation of honour for young Norwegian men in the old days.^{[citation needed]}

Girls and halling

The halling is mostly a male dance, used to show honour, but also to show off for girls. The girls have traditionally one role: holding the hat. Some girls have been able dancers themselves, and known to be as agile as any man. The agility of the female dancers may have been even greater, considering they danced in their skirts.

Hallingmusic on youtube

Duo Heim´at [1]