The Cobbler, Miller´s dance and the Plough. Motifs of work and crafts in Czech folk dances

Abstract

The dissertation on The Cobbler (Švec,) Miller´s dance (Mlynářská) and the Plough (Ruchadlo). Motifs of work and crafts in Czech folk dances deals with the theme of folk dances pertaining to motifs of work and crafts, namely dances with movements depicting and imitating work movements. It is based on the detailed study of records and descriptions of Czech folk dances in collections, manuals of social dances and other sources.The variations of dances appearing repeatedly in the sources, were compared. The study revealed three principal ways of how the work motif is employed: in the songs' lyrics; the dancers' movements resemble a certain activity ; the work process is imitated intentionally. It became evident that there is a connection between the incidence of these dances and the social and political context of the period