2008 info • photos
2007 info • photos
Announcing Nordic Fiddles & Feet 2006
Camp this year is 1-8 July. Download and print the brochure
and registration form.
Again this year: Mini-camp July 1-4 for those who can't stay
for the whole week.
New this year: Families - the third child comes for half
price.
New this year: A "Telemark track" with teaching/review
sessions and springar dancing in the evenings.
Whether you’re new to Scandinavian dance/music or a perennial camper, come embrace the Fiddles and Feet community that springs to life each summer!
Immerse yourself in this enchanting folk music and dance in the beautiful West Virginia hills, taught by some of the best Scandinavian musicians and dancers in the world. Can’t attend a full week? Our Mini-Camp (Saturday dinner through Tuesday breakfast) offers a sampler of the music and dance that are explored in depth during the full-week camp. Both programs offer a full and varied schedule of music, dancing, and fun.
Dance classes include Swedish, Norwegian, and Basics and are designed for all levels of dancers. Dance basics is intended to give beginners an introduction to Scandinavian dancing while working on skills that help all levels of dancing. We change partners often (you need not register with one). Evening parties are varied with gammaldans, mixers, bygdedans, dances taught during daily classes, and your special requests. We dance to live music at every session and party!
Music classes include multiple levels of Swedish fiddle, as well as hardingfele, and nyckelharpa. Classes are generally taught "by ear" although a syllabus will be available. To take a fiddle class you should be a competent fiddler in some tradition, but may be new to Scandinavian music. For basic hardingfele or nyckelharpa you need to have some musical background. The gammaldans band and allspel sessions are open to ALL instruments and singers.
Crafts and cultural sessions will be presented by various members of the staff throughout the week.
| DANCE | MUSIC |
| Torill Jørgensen & Martin Tønset, Tommy & Ewa Englund, Roo Lester & Larry Harding, |
Magne Haugom, Norwegian fiddle Peter Michaelsen, Swedish fiddle |
Swedish Staff
EWA and TOMMY ENGLUND are favorite dance teachers in the USA and Sweden. They are known for their clarity of presentation and warmth to participants. Tommy and Ewa have a broad repertoire of bygdedans: they both have their big silver medals for polskadancing. Ewa is a member of the jury for the Swedish medal testing. They have won the Hälsingehambo contest four times. Both have served as judges for various dance events. This year they will focus on the dances of Jämtland, Medelpad, and Härjedalen.
ANDERS HÄLLSTRÖM and AGNETA WIBERG-HÄLLSTRÖM live near Kalix, Sweden (close to the Finnish border). They are violin teachers, and have performed in a variety of musical groups and theater productions, and made numerous recordings. They each have a long love of their regional folk music: they met at a folkmusic course, and have studied in the folkmusic track at the Royal Academy in Stockholm. Agneta is a riksspelman and folksinger who specializes in the music of Jämtland and Medelpad. Anders is a talented multi-instrumentalist with roots in his native Norrbotten (and he knows some wicked Finnish tunes). They have been awarded a "large gold" medal for their duet playing by the Medelpad folk musicians' association.
Norwegian Staff
TORILL JØRGENSEN & MARTIN TØNSET are enthusiastic young dancers from Røros. They have studied and lived the rich folk traditions of that area, and are eager to share their version of this popular dance. Martin is originally from Røros, but lives in Trondheim, where he is a mason. Torill is a member of the Røros folkedanselag, and handles booking for the local hotel and resort. (She sounds like a good person to know). They both come highly recommended.
MAGNE HAUGOM comes from just east of Røros, where he is one of the best-known fiddlers in the driving, dance-able Brekken style. He has made many recordings: with duets or trios, where he excels in amazingly tight octave-playing (a Røros specialty); and with Småviltlaget, winner of numerous awards and perhaps Norway's most sought-after gammaldans group. Magne remains quite active in the life of his village as a musician, hunter, and reindeer-herder.
State-Side Staff
ROO LESTER & LARRY HARDING are experienced dancers and teachers who exude delightful energy and enthusiasm. They have an encouraging, clear style of teaching that makes them favorite teachers for both experienced and novice dancers.
BRUCE SAGAN brings back his contagious energy and enthusiasm after rave reviews regarding the gammaldans band last summer. He was co-founder and co-director of Scandinavian week, NFF’s predecessor. Her regularly travels to and studies in Scandinavia. He is a fabulous fiddler and teacher whose mastery of a variety of musical styles offers tantalizing breadth to our program.
PETER MICHAELSEN is music director for Springdans Northwest and allspel leader at Scandia Camp Mendocino. He travels often to Scandinavia for study and performance, and is known for both his breadth of repertoire and regional styling.
LORETTA KELLEY is highly respected both in the USA and in Norway for her talent and skill with hardingfele as well as her knowledge about traditional Norwegian music and folk culture. Her writing, performances, and recordings have enriched us all as we explore Norwegian folk culture.
BUFFALO GAP COMMUNITY CAMP is in Capon Bridge, WV, near Winchester, VA, about 2 hours west of Washington, DC. It is a rustic 200 acre camp with a beautiful, open-air, covered dance pavilion overlooking a small, private swimming lake with a sandy beach (bathing suits are optional) and a wood burning sauna at one end. Cabins are nestled in the hill surrounding the pavilion. Some are only screened in, others are more enclosed. The bathrooms facilities range from sinks and toilets in the cabin and group showers, to rennovated full bathrooms shared by 3 to 4 rooms. Expect to share a cabin with up to 8 people. You are welcome to bring a tent for more privacy.
Telemark Sessions
This year we feature some afternoon and evening sessions with the great Olav Sem, and with our own Loretta Kelley. It’s an excellent chance to sample the intoxicating dances of this region, or to renew your acquaintance!
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| Updated 7 January, 2008 |
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Feet
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