Concepto · Concepto
Bear Dance
A dance tune («The Bear Dance», in Flemish «Berendans»; in Asturian «Danza l'Osu») believed to be of Flemish origin (Belgium), which reached Asturies in 1984 and entered the Asturian gaita repertoire. A polka in the Dorian mode, much loved as a first tune to learn.
The Bear Dance (in Asturian, «Danza l’Osu») is a dance tune that today is part of the living repertoire of the Asturian gaita, despite not being Asturian in origin: it comes from the Low Countries and Belgium, and is played across Central Europe under different names.
It reached Asturies in 1984 through the Atlantic folk revival and became popular so quickly that many now assume it’s traditional. It’s a polka in the Dorian mode: the polka feel gives it its movement; the Dorian mode gives it the “old” colour that makes it unmistakable. Because it’s technically simple, it’s one of the first pieces a beginner learns on the gaita.
An adopted tune
The Bear Dance is a good example of how a living tradition absorbs and makes its own what arrives from outside: it entered through the Atlantic arc, got a new name, and stayed.