History of Polish Oberek Dancing

Series Summary

Oberek is one of the five national dances of Poland, which was most popular in the 19th century. It is often performed by Polish folk dance ensembles and is one of the most vivacious and energetic Polish dances. Typically, oberek dancing is done by couples to instrumental music in triple meter, and is mainly rotational movements. Dancers spin and twirl around the room in rhythms similar to mazurka dances.

In this free video series, our experts will show you how to dance the oberek. If Polish dancing interests you, oberek dancing is one dance you should definitely check out for your dance lesson. You will learn the closed position, promenade position and cuddle position for oberek dancing, as well as waltzing dance steps, counter clockwise turn steps and side by side dance steps. You will also learn how to do a variety of under arm turns and spins, and push return dance moves. Polish oberek dancing is great for learning fun dance steps and incorporating the rich history of Poland. Learn more in this free series of dance lesson videos.

Video Transcript

"Now we're going to talk about the Oberek. The Oberek was a dance that was created in the nineteenth century. It is one of the five Polish folk dances other than the Mazoot, the Kuyavya, the Kukuvyak, and the Polonaise. So this one does have a folk background, but it's also compared to a fast waltz. Now the word Oberek means to jump and lift, and the traditional Oberek had many jumps and lifts, but you won't find that on the social dance floor. The Oberek, as we said, is done as a fast waltz, so that is the tempo on a 1, 2, 3. So there won't be any jumps or any lifts or any Polish costumes out here for the Oberek at a social dance, and if you ask your favorite polka band, I'm sure they know how to play an Oberek for you. It is actually the second most popular dance with Polish American bands to the polka, so you will hear an Oberek played at any polka dance."