Polonaese Blankenese

An interesting phenomenon I discovered in Germany is a particular compulsion and connection to a processional circle dance they call a Polonase. One or more people start it off, then others join behind them, attaching themselves to the shoulders or hips of the person in front, and continuing to stomp to the music. It resembles what we call in English a "conga line," which became popular in the 1930s and 1940s and is probably of West Indian or African origin. But the German version, while sharing a similar period of origin, occupies a much more nostalgic place in the hearts of western Germans.

What is a Polonase in Germany?

First: there's an actual traditional Polish dance called a Polonaise. That has absolutely nothing to do with the dance I'm talking about here.

The German Polonase has a strong connection with Karneval - hence it being more common in the western Karneval regions of Germany. The figure of the Fool at the front, leading everyone in pointless meandering circles while being interconnected and having pointless fun, fits the ethos of the event perfectly.

During times of deprivation in early and mid 20th century Germany, the expression "dancing the Polonase" was sometimes used to describe standing in food queues for long periods. There are also historians who suggest that the Nazis helped promote the dance as part of their folklore revival, focusing on dancing as a united group instead of the usual ballroom style of separate couples.

Who was Gottlieb Wendehals?

In 1981, a singer named Werner Bohm changed everything. Performing as his comedic alter ego Gottlieb Wendehals, he recorded a song called Polonase Blankenese. Blankenese is a town in Germany from which the dance in the song begins, ending beyond Wuppertal - about 380 km to the south.

It became a number one hit for nine weeks.

The song is about doing a Polonase and the atmosphere around it, which - during live performances - would always turn into an actual Polonase with Gottlieb up front. Picture this: a ridiculous chequered jacket, heavily greased and parted hair, a tattered briefcase and a rubber chicken under one arm. He had the strange over-exuberant combination of a creepy second-hand car salesman, desperate comedian, and clumsy performer. But he does it so well that it works.

What do the lyrics mean?

The song is interesting for German learners to pick through. Google Translate struggles with it because it's full of suggestive expressions and puns. For example:

Wir ziehen los mit ganz grossen Schritten,
Und Erwin fasst der Heidi von hinten an die Schulter.

The first line finishes with Schritten (steps) and then goes on to tell us where Erwin is going to grab Heidi - which turns out to be the shoulders. But the rhyme structure suggests otherwise (the impolite German word for "breasts" most likely). In performance, Gottlieb would usually pause before singing Schulter to emphasize the gag, which hovers deliciously between crudity, kitsch, and irony. As does the whole thing.

What happened to Werner Bohm?

Unfortunately for Werner Bohm, despite several efforts, he was never able to escape the shadow of his character. He went on to do a Polonase of different reality TV shows and occasional reprises of the role everyone wanted him to play, during Karneval in particular.

But he certainly has a place in the heart of the contemporary German, even if an antagonistic one at times. He's now the figure most strongly associated with the festive dance. The biggest recorded version was 250,000 people in one Polonase in Hamburg. That might not be 380 km, sure - but still: jetzt kommt's!