Below is a listing of Hardanger fiddle, dance and other related events taking place in North America. Each event may be part of a more general-themed Scandinavian or folk dance gathering, so check with the event's Web site or sponsor contact for details. Many local events featuring the Hardanger fiddle occur more frequently. See our separate listing of Weekly and monthly events. These lists are continually updated. If you would like to publicize an event here, please send us e-mail with full information.

For listings of music and dance events in Norway, see the Landslaget for Spelemenn or Folkedans.com Web sites.

Annual and Special Events, 2008

April 25 - 27
New England Folk Festival
Mansfield High School, Mansfield, Massachusetts

The New England Folk Festival is a weekend festival with hundreds of events for all ages! Hardanger fiddle and its associated dances will be featured in several events througout the weekend, with music played by the Boston Spelemanslag, Toby Weinberg and Brian Wilson. This 64th annual festival also features concerts, music workshops, open jamming, dance parties, and dance workshops in morris, rapper, sword, contra, swing, latin, zydeco, waltz, Celtic, international folk, squares, Scottish, English, French-Canadian, old-time American, Cajun, Swedish, Irish, French, Chinese, Balkan, Italian, and much more! Visit www.neffa.org.

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May 1, 8 & 15
Telespringar Short Course
The Stone Church, Brattleboro, Vermont

Learn the Telespringar, a fun, intimate couples dance that compliments the the Hardanger fiddle music of Telemark, Norway. Annamarie Pluhar and Gideon Morse will teach this class for all levels of dancers, but especially for those having no previous experience. The course will take place from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm over three, consecutive Thursday nights (May 1, 8 & 15) at the Stone Church, located at 3 Grove St (on the corner of Main Street, next to the post office) in Brattleboro, Vermont. Recorded Hardanger fiddle music will be used. The participation fee is $30. Contact Annamarie by e-mail or at 802-579-5975.

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May 2 - 4
Spring Springar Spree
Multiple locations near Washington, DC

Come share the Joy of Springar! The 3rd Annual Spring Springar Spree features a weekend of couples dancing to great, live Hardanger fiddle music played by Loretta Kelley and Karin Code. Laine Harris and Jennifer Brosious will teach Hallingspringar with some improvising for those who feel like showing off. Bruce Emery will review Telespringar and Valdresspringar. Hallingspringar and Valdresspringar are both lively dances for couples as they move around the floor in a big circle and dance through a series of turning figures. Telespringar incorporates a great deal of improvisation while the intimacy of the dance remains within a small area of the floor. A "which is which" dance/music session should help distinguish their differences! There will be music sessions and an opportunity for sit-in fiddlers to play as a group for dancing during the Saturday party. Saturday dance classes are followed by an extra-long evening dance party with a variety of springars and other Scandinavian dance music. Friday night and Sunday will offer short dance classes and Norwegian-style house parties in Takoma Park, Maryland. No partner or experience is needed! The participation cost scale includes part-time options; full-day suggested contributions are $15 for Friday, $45 for Saturday, and $15 for Sunday. Guest housing is available. Contact Mid-Atlantic Norwegian Dancers at 301-371-4312 or by e-mail.

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May 16 - 18
Syttende Mai
Various Locations throughout Westby, Wisconsin

This celebration of Syttende Mai (May 17th), Norwegian Constitution Day will include dozens of events and exhibits that take place all weekend throughout the downtown of Wesby, Wisconsin. Norwegian crafts will be on display, including rosemaling, wood carving, weaving, needlework, baking, traditional Norwegian folk costumes, and live music!. On Saturday and Sunday, master luthier Ron Poast will display and give demonstrations of the Hardanger fiddles that he makes. On Sunday, the Gjøvik Folkedanslag, a folk dance group from Gjøvik, Norway will perform dances to music played on the regular violin. There will be recreation activities, entertainment, food, and contests for all ages. Contact LeRoy Anderson at 608-634-3361 or visit www.westbywi.com.

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May 17
Telemark Couples Dance
Broad Brook Grange, Guilford, Vermont

Celebrate Norwegian Constitution Day with social dancing in a charming southern Vermont dance hall. The Telemark couples dances will be mostly the Telespringar and Telegangar but will also include other popular Scandinavian dances like waltz, hambo, pols, polka, and schottis. Toby Weinberg plays fiddle and Hardanger fiddle. The dance will be on Saturday, May 17th, 8 - 11 pm at the Broad Brook Grange, located on Guilford Center Road in Guilford Center, Vermont. No partner or experience necessary, please bring leather-soled shoes. $10 admission. Contact Annamarie by e-mail or at 802-579-5975.

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May 18
Syttende Mai
The Viking Club, Braintree, Massachusetts

Celebrate Syttende Mai (May 17th), Norwegian Constitution Day with dinner and fellowship on Sunday, May 18 from 2 pm to 6 pm at the Viking Club. Music will be played by Gerry Tramontossi and his accordion. After dinner, there will be a Norwegian folk dance performance with fiddle and Hardanger fiddle played by Toby Weinberg. The Viking Club is located at 410 Quincy Avenue in Braintree, Massechusetts. Call 781-843-9813.

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June 14 - 21
Scandia Camp Mendocino
Mendocino Woodlands, Mendocino, California

Learn in depth about the folk music, dance and cultural traditions of Scandinavia. Scandia Camp Mendocino takes place in the beautiful Mendocino Woodlands among giant redwoods, a sunny meadow, a beaver pond, and paths through the woods and a village-like setting. From Hallingdal, Norway, Sissel Rudningen and Bjørn Lien come to teach the dances of Hallingdal and Hilde Kirkebøen will play and teach Hardanger fiddle. From Sweden, Sven and Britt-Marie Olsson will teach dances of Värmland, with fiddlers Ann-Marie Forsberg and Gert Ohlsson. Gert also plays nyckelharpa. From the US, Peter Michaelsen leads the all-comers playing sessions. Rustic cabins are clustered in three groups, each occupied by 2-4 participants. Also count on ample snacks plus three nutritious meals a day, with fresh vegetables and fruits, meat and fresh fish, Scandinavian menus, ethnic foods, and vegetarian options. Scholarships are available. Contact by e-mail or visit www.ScandiaCampMendocino.org.

 

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June 28 – July 5
Nordic Fiddles and Feet
Buffalo Gap Camp, Capon Bridge, West Virginia

Nordic Fiddles and Feet is a week-long camp experience featuring, this year, the dances of Valdres, Norway, which will be taught by Dag Hamre and Brit Berthelsen Totland. Tore Bolstad plays Hardanger fiddle for dance classes, fiddle classes, and dance parties. Loretta Kelley and Karin Code also teach Hardanger fiddle and play for classes and parties. Norwegian singing will be led by Hege Ravdal. Also: Roo Lester and Larry Harding teach Scandinavian dance basics; Ben Lagerberg-Teitelbaum plays and teaches fiddle and nyckelharpa; dances from Föllinge, Sweden taught by Beret Bertilsdotter and Petter Johansson with Ulf and Mats Andersson playing fiddle. Contact by e-mail or by phone at 865-522-0515 or visit www.nordicfiddlesandfeet.org.

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July 17 - 20
Hardanger Fiddle Music and Dance Workshops
Folklore Village Farm, Dodgeville, Wisconsin

The 2008 Hardanger Fiddle Music and Dance Workshops will feature the traditional music and dance of Western Coastal Norway. Dance teachers from Norway, Leikny Aasen and Vidar Underseth will teach springar from Solund, rull, and other dances from Sogn, Sunnmøre, and Nordfjord. Master Hardanger fiddler Arngunn Timenes Bell will teach music of Gaular, Sunnmøre and other areas of coastal Norway. Hardanger fiddle will also be taught by Americans Dan Trueman, Karen Solgård, and others. Aspiring and developing Hardanger fiddle players are encouraged to apply for the Bernt Balchen Jr. Scholarships. There will also be mouth harp and singing workshops, dance parties, concerts, and lectures at an accomodating venue set on acres of restored prairie. Folklore Village Farm is located 35 miles west of Madison, Wisconsin.

 

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August 7 - 10
Scandinavian Festival
Downtown, Junction City, Oregon

The Scandinavian Festival occupies the streets of downtown Junction City, Oregon from Thursday through Sunday, August 7 - 10. There will be food, crafts, music, cultural exhibits and much more. Throughout the day of Saturday, August 9, the folk dance group Symra from Oslo, one of the most active folk dance groups in Norway, performs Norwegian folk dances. Solvor Sunsdbo plays fiddle and Hardanger fiddle for the group and their repertoir includes figure dances, song dances, village dances, old-time couple dances as well as historical dances. Lars Petter Eliassen accompanies Symra on accordion. Several other groups will be
performing, including the ensemble Fossegrimen, playing for community Scandinavian couples dancing on Friday and Saturday nights. David Elliker-Vågsberg plays Hardanger fiddle for some of Fossegrimen's performances. Contact Debbie Lemhouse at 541-255-5559 or visit www.scandinavianfestival.com.

 

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August 11
Workshop, Performance and Dance
Poulsbo Sons of Norway, Poulsbo, Washington

A dance workshop, potluck dinner and social dance will be hosted at the Poulsbo Sons of Norway located at 18891 Front Street NE, Poulsbo, Washington. The workshop runs from 3 pm to 5 pm, followed at 5:30 pm by a potluck dinner for folkdancers, S/N members and guests. At 7 pm, Symra from Oslo gives a performance with Solvor Sunsdbo playing fiddle and Hardanger fiddle. Lars Petter Eliassen accompanies the group on accordion. Symra's repertoir includes figure dances, song dances, village dances, old-time couple dances as well as historical dances. The performance is followed by an old-time Scandinavian social dancing for all. Admission is $5.00 (school-age children free.) Contact 360-779-5209.

 

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August 12
Salmon Dinner, Performance and Dance
Leif Erikson Hall, Seattle, Wahsington

A wild salmon dinner, performance and dance will be hosted at Leif Erikson Hall, located at 2245 NW 57th Street in Seattle, Washington. The proceeds will benefit the educational programs of Norsk Folkedans Stemne. The dinner begins at 6 pm; tickets are $20 or $10 for children under 12. At 7:30 pm, Symra from Oslo gives a performance with Solvor Sunsdbo playing fiddle and Hardanger fiddle. Lars Petter Eliassen accompanies the group on accordion. Symra's repertoir includes figure dances, song dances, village dances, old-time couple dances as well as historical dances. This will be followed by Scandinavian social dancing for everyone. Donation at the door. Contact Karlyn at 206-772-4545 for tickets before August 8.

 

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August 15, 16, and 17
Norsk Folkedans Stemne
Camp Brotherhood near Mt. Vernon, Washington

This summer's Norske Folkedans Stemne at Camp Brotherhood welcomes the performing group Symra from Oslo. Marianne Dahl with Anders Saxhaug and Inger Bakken with Vebjørn Bakken are the main dance instructors this year. You can look forward to learning Nordmørspols, Sunnmørsspringar, and many other dances from them. Symra is one ofthe few groups who are preserving these lively, short and, we are told, easier dances to learn from this area Solvor Sundsbø returns to teach and play fiddle with Benjamin Kehlet. Hallvar Opheim brings his torader (G/C) for teaching. There is instruction for adults and children in sangdanser (song dances); gammeldanser (oldtime dances), such as waltz and reinlender; turdansar (figure dances); Nordmørspols and Sunnmørsspringar, bygdedans (regional village dances) from the West Coast; and the athletic dance, laus dans or halling. In addition, music appropriate to the dances is taught with instruction in Hardanger fiddle, flat fiddle, and torader (G/C). Ask about volunteers opportunities. Contact Larry Reinert at 206-937-5211 or by e-mail, Christine Anderson by e-mail, or visit www.seattlestemne.org.

 

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