Home › Multilingual Archive Index › Halling (dance)

Halling (dance)

The halling is a folk dance from Hallingdal, Norway. Mainly found in Norway, but versions of the halling can also be found in parts of Sweden. The dance was traditionally a way for young men to show off, and was often danced at weddings and similar events.

The rhythm of the dance is 2/4 or 6/8 beat, due to this quite fast, sharp beat it is very important to have an experienced musician. The musician has to give the dancers enough energy to perform the various challenging moves that are involved in the dance such as the “nakkespretten”, “krukinger”, “hodestifter” and especially the “kastet” (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.