German folk dances

thumb|Detail from Book frontispiece|frontispiece to Thomas Wilson Correct Method of German and French Waltzing (1816), showing nine positions of the waltz, clockwise from the left (the musicians are at far left). At that time, the waltz was a relatively new dance in England, and the fact that it was a couples dance (as opposed to the traditional group dances), and that the gentleman clasped his arm around the lady's waist, gave it a dubious moral status.

thumb|upright=1.35|Dancing around the midsummer pole, in Åmmeberg, Sweden A maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, around which a maypole dance often takes place.

thumb|right|250px|Ländler rhythm thumb|Ein Ländler (1897) The Ländler () is a European folk dance in time. Along with the waltz and allemande, the ländler was sometimes referred to by the generic term German Dance in publications during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Despite its association with Germany, the ländler was danced in many European countries. Composers from a variety of European nations wrote music for the ländler dance; including Austria, Switzerland, Bohemia, Moravia, Slovenia and northern Italy in addition to Germany.

The Schuhplattler is a traditional style of folk dance popular in the Eastern Alps, specifically originating in Upper Bavaria, Tyrol, and Salzburg. In this dance, the performers stomp, clap, and strike the soles of their shoes (Schuhe), thighs, and knees with their hands held flat (platt). The more than 150 basic Schuhplattlers, as well as marches and acrobatic feats, are often interspersed with the basic dance in performance. They may be seen today in Europe and in German-immigrant communities around the world. While the Schuhplattler is still largely performed by adults, it has become increa

The Zwiefacher () is a southern German folk dance with a quick tempo and changing beat patterns.

thumb|260px|A German audience swaying to "Am Dom zo Kölle" right|thumb|British Music hall where people would listen to performers such as Florrie Forde and start swaying Schunkeln (, ) is the name in the German language used to describe a certain rhythmic movement to the beat of a song, people link arms and sway side to side on the spot. This is done either standing or sitting where people move side to side on their seats via the upper body. Sometimes people will also move backwards and forwards, as well as stand up and sit down.