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mach

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The mach used to be tightly linked to wedding rites in the Lublin region. It's old form disappeared in the mid-19th century and today it's mainly a stage dance based on a reconstruction from the 1930s. It was originally a ceremonial dance, performed by chosen pairs of wedding guests, who moved round a circle in slow walking steps. In the second part the pairs whirled in place faster and faster, ending the dance with a cry "mach!".
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The mach is one of the most popular dances of the Lublin region, different from the rest due to a multitude of melodies, changes of the tempo and characteristic steps. It's composed of two parts performed in a changeable (slow and fast) tempo and a 2/4 metre. The name remains a mystery. It might stem from the lyrics of the accompanying folk song: Tańcuj macha, dam ci piróg, tańcuj macha, dam ci dwa (Dance the mach and I'll give you a dumpling, dance the mach and I'll give you two), or vice versa: the song might have appeared after the dance and its name emerged. In the first part dancers express with their movements pride, dignity and fondness for each other. In the second part the dance becomes fast and showy. As the tempo is growing, the dance is sometimes called the wiater (whirlwind). The first part is set to a humorous song, the second is performed to instrumental music. As the mach was mainly a wedding dance and a show dance, it was directed by one or more dance leaders. During a wedding reception the following pairs would normally perform: the bride and groom, the best men with the bridesmaids, the starost and his wife, and the marshal with the matchmaker or godmother. They would gee a show of dancing and the rest of the guests applauded. Usually the dance preceded the unveiling and capping ceremony and was announced by a marshal calling: "Macha groj, panie wesoły" (Hey, let's play the mach, merry man!). The noble pairs would walk one after the other in a circle around the hall, the partners holding each other's hands crossed in the front (left to left, right to right in the figure of an eight). After the slow part came the fast one, when partners stood opposite each other and whirled in a closed (round) position, faster and faster. In the last measure they thrower their hands up in the air with impetus (the man would raise his left hand, the woman her right hand), while turning slightly from each other and shouting "mach!".

 

Dąbrowska, Grażyna W. W kręgu polskich tańców ludowych. Warszawa: Ludowa Spółdzielnia Wydawnicza, 1979.

Kaniorowa, Wanda. Tańce lubelskie. Warszawa: CPARA, 1960.

Leszczyński, Stanisław. Tańce lubelskie. Lublin: Polonijne Centrum Kulturalno-Oświatowe UMCS, 1980.