Over 125 years ago, the dialect poet Karl Stieler described the Schuhplattler so fittingly by comparing it with the courtship ritual of the wild grouse. And indeed, the Schuhplattler too began as a courtship dance, with each boy trying to outdo the other's powerful leaps, dancing and intricate striking sequences to impress the girls. All this originally took place no-holds-barred without any sort of established figures or rules.
Historical records show that already 20 years before the first folk costume club was founded in 1883 in Bayrischzell by a teacher named Joseph Vogel, there were already Schuhplattler groups in existence, one in Miesbach. Through travel and performances, the Schuhplattler became known throughout the region and especially at the court of the Wittelsbacher dynasty. The Schuhplattler had already taken on its club-oriented character at this point: it was performed in groups, with standardized sequences of striking and stomping, and not much of the earlier courtship character of yore was left.
Insiders can tell where a group comes from by the way they dance the plattler. Many clubs and regional societies have their own plattler dance, such as the famous "Reit im Winkler" and the "Haushamer". The dance is normally performed in pairs, i.e. the boy turns his girl out, does the plattler to the 'landler' portion of the music, and then resumes dancing with the girl at the trio. In several regions, however, a different basic form known as the 'reiner Burschenplattler' (boys-only plattler) is practiced: the first dancer hits the floor and the rest follow him with slapping and snapping hand movements. When the melody repeats, the plattling begins. And it's this form of the 'reiner Burschenplattler' to which our group is dedicated.