Usually performed at about 140 beats per minute Jenkka is a Scandinavian folk dance, said to have originated from Finland. Jenkka essentially involves a male and female dancer and is quite similar to “Schottische”, a form of country dancing originating from Czech Republic. This Nordic folk dance is a fast Finnish partner dance typically performed on upbeat Finnish music. The Finnish musician and actor, Georg Malmstén is credited with composing some great for the Jenkka.
a. History/origin of Jenkka dance:
There is not much information available related to this folk dance originating from Finland.
b. Costumes used in the Jenkka dance:
The costumes used in this “Finnish” dance especially by the women include skirts and trousers.
c. Music involved in the Jenkka dance:
The musical instrument mainly used in Jenkka dance includes violin and the accordion. One of the music composition for Jenkka can be found on this link:
d. Training availability and the technique involved in the Jenkka dance:
In terms of the technique, this dance involves the male and female performer holding each other around the waist. Furthermore, this dance similar to the Polka comprises of a “left-right-left-hop movement. In addition, this dance form also consists of a number of pivot turns. As for training centers/schools, there are none available around the world since this “folk” dance is mainly performed in Finland.