---
title: "Bear Dance"
slug: bear-dance
type: concept
definition: "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."
synonyms: ["Danza l'Osu", "Berendans", "Danza'l Osu"]
publishedAt: 2026-06-30
---
The **Bear Dance** (in Asturian, «Danza l'Osu») is a dance tune that today
is part of the living repertoire of the
[Asturian gaita](/concepto/gaita-asturiana), 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](/concepto/arco-atlantico), got a new name, and stayed.