Gammeldansswing i Nord-Trøndelag Presentasjon av og refleksjon rundt et dokumentasjonsprosjekt

The starting point of this article is a project (2016–2018) aimed at documenting American dance music (swing, foxtrot, slowfox and tango) played by musicians with a background in local “gammeldans” music (old time dance music) from the northern part of Trøndelag in Norway. The working hypothesis of the project was that this locally-held musical knowledge had affected the way American dance music was performed and that the resulting musical hybrid represents an important part of local cultural heritage. Above all, the article presents selected examples and commentary with the aim of raising awareness and curiosity about the documented music among musicians, dancers and scholars. Accordingly, although the article presents findings in favour of the initial hypothesis, it first and foremost concludes with an appeal for further research on this fascinating yet under-researched phenomenon.