Symphonic dances, Op. 64 by Edvard Grieg was written in 1897 and consists of four movements, or dances. For this work, Grieg’s inspiration stemmed from a collection of folk songs put together by the Norwegian composer Ludvig Lindemann. This work was originally written for piano with four hands, but then shortly after was orchestrated. The first movement has a rather lively character with a celebratory spirit followed by a more contrasting middle section. This is meant to mimic a Norwegian country dance called the Halling, in which traditionally, the men do a lot of leaping and other various stunts in an attempt to impress or show off in front of their partner. The second movement, despite still being based off of the Halling, is more relaxed and confident but still maintains an upbeat and joyful character. The third movement takes inspiration from a spring dance melody and contrasts between a more festive and a more relaxed style. The fourth movement starts off in the style of a march and later on the middle section features a melody from a traditional Norwegian wedding song.