Sztajer was popular not only at rural parties, but also among city dwellers. Łukasz Gołębiowski wrote in 1830: “Sztajer, taken from the Germans, is similar to waltz, but occupies more space, the dancers visit every comer of the room”. This folk dance comes from the Styrian Alps (the German name for Styria is Steiermark, hence the name of the dance), and was adapted in Poland under the name walc ludowy (folk waltz), or polka (sztajerek). It is popular in southern Poland, although Oskar Kolberg also mentions it briefly, along with the waltz, when describing the dances in Kujawy region. The version from Rzeszowszczyzna and Podkarpacie, where it is most popular, especially among older dancers, includes three parts danced to a single melody. Before the dance, the dancer sings the first part of the accompanying song (przyśpiewka) in front of the band, and the musicians add melody to it. After the przyśpiewka, the couples turn right and whirl along a circle line against the sun (counterclockwise). The second part of the dance involves whirling to the left, in the same direction. In the third part, dancers perform slightly accented variable steps, zigzagging along a circle line: to the circle centre in one bar, and away in the other.

Sztajerek is marked by a very subtle vertical movement that is difficult to perform with flat brushing steps. The man ornaments the basic step by slight leg bending in the third part of the bar, or by strong accents in the following bar. The woman most often runs with small steps to the right or left side of the man. The dance has many local versions.

Haszczak, Alicja. Folklor taneczny Ziemi Rzeszowskiej. Warsaw: Centralny Ośrodek Metodyki Upowszechniania Kultury, 1989.

Michalikowa, Lidia; Chrząstkowska, Zofia, Chrząstkowski, Stanisław. Folklor Lachów Sądeckich. Warsaw: Centralny Ośrodek Metodyki Upowszechniania Kultury, 1974.

Wojtas, Michalina. Tańce Lachów: od Sącza, od Limanowej, od Szczyrzyca. Nowy Sącz: Wydawnictwo Nova Sandec, 2007.