Looking for possibilities to learn Swiss folk dance in Zurich, we consulted youtube videos, online dance archives and we visited a folk dance groupe course of the Volkstanzkreis in Zurich – a quite exotic experience for both of us.
Kreuzfassung vorne © Mayumi ARAI & Nina Willimann, 2015
In the frame of our research we made a series of experiments in deconstructing the formal elements of Swiss dance we had learned. This procedure revealed to us, how much Swiss dance – often used for the representation of swiss national identity – has always been inspired by foreign cultures, as it is actually hugely constructed by steps borrowed from German, Austrian, Eastern European dances.
Hüpftanz verboten! © Mayumi ARAI & Nina Willimann, 2015
Swiss Folk Dance Gymnastics © Mayumi ARAI & Nina Willimann, 2015
By Mayumi Arai, Nina Willimann