AmeriKappleik, the HFAA's 2003 annual workshop, was a celebration of the HFAA's twentieth anniversary, featuring workshops, concerts, and lectures, and performances of the Hardanger fiddle and Norwegian folk music and dance.

We had workshops in dancing from Telemark, Valdres, and Voss, plus classes in gammaldans (vals, reinlender, masurka) and other Norwegian folk dances. Our beginner's classes were taught by the best beginning Scandinavian dance teachers in the country and were specially tailored for those with little or no dance experience

Every concert was wonderful. Welcome to Minnesota! AmerikaSlattar. The Great Fiddle Competition of 1912. A compilation of selected perfomances from these concerts is available as the 2-CD recording AmeriKappleik Live! A Hardanger Fiddle Celebration.

In addition to workshops, AmeriKappleik's afternoons and evenings were packed with lectures and concerts. There were lectures on Norwegian-American fiddle and dance traditions, lectures on Norwegian crafts, demonstrations of hardingfele making, and a competition for new hardingfele tunes.

Our stellar roster of performers and teachers included: Hauk Buen, Vidar Lande, Leif Rygg, Karin Brennesvik, Tom Løvli, Olav Jørgen Hegge, Roo Lester, Bernt Balchen Jr., Karin Code, Olav Sem, Hallgrim Berg, Mikkel Thompson, Knut Blikberg, Mary Hegge, Judith Simundson, Toby Weinberg, Andrea Een, Anna Torhild Blikberg, John Berquist, Jan Frostvoll, Dan Trueman, Paul Wilson, Nancy Thym, Elizabeth Foster, Mary Klockeman, plus many more. AmeriKappleik was the largest Norwegian folk music and dance event ever organized in the USA! Click the links at left for more information on performers, teachers, and events.

Composers and fiddlers submitted original or arranged music for Hardanger fiddle (solo or in small ensembles) for inclusion in the first AmerikaSlåttar Concert at AmeriKappleik. AmerikaSlåttar performances were professionally recorded (click the links on the AmerikaSlåttar page) and well documented; transcriptions of tunes are being published in Sound Post in an effort to encourage others to learn and play the new pieces.

The AmeriKappleik logo was designed by the internationally famous Norwegian jewelry designer Kari Bye.

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