Kehraus (last dance)
Term for the last dance of a dance gathering.
What it means
Kehraus is the traditional German term for the last dance of a sociable dance gathering. It marks the end of the celebration and is often danced with particular verve, abandon, or speed, to give the evening a crowning close.
Musical use
The word, literally “sweeping out,” alludes to the end of the celebration, after which the room is tidied again. In some regions and traditions the Kehraus is linked to a particular dance form, such as a fast galop or waltz; in others it simply denotes the last dance regardless of its form. The term also appears in the titles of compositions that take up such a concluding dance character.
The Kehraus should be distinguished from an ordinary dance piece, which plays no special formal role within a dance evening, and from the coda of a piece of music, which likewise marks an ending but is a purely musical, not a dance-social, concept.
Performance practice
If you play a Kehraus or dance to one, shape it deliberately as a climax and close: increase tempo and energy compared with the preceding dances, so that the special character of the last dance becomes audible and palpable.