The joy of dance - folk dance group Kirjavat in Kaustinen in 2017. Photo by Teresa Nurmioja.
The Kaustinen Folk Music Festival is not only an important stage for folk music - it is also a great place to see what is currently happening in folk dance in our country. Festival visitors also have a wide range of opportunities to deepen their own dance skills during the week.
This year, the international programme of folk dance will be marked by Estonia's 100th anniversary celebrations.
– Folk dance group Segapidi comes from Haljala in Northern Estonia and has won many awards, says Ira Korkala, producer of the folk dance programme. They skillfully perform traditional folk dances from their region.
From the top of the domestic folk dance scene. Siepak from the Rovaniemi village of Saarenkylä, which also relates to this year's regional theme of Lapland. Lapland is also represented by a folk dance group Jutarinki from Sodankylä. Motora from Joensuu celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and In Kaustinen they will perform a festive programme with four different groups and last year's centenary celebrations of Finland's 100th birthday, a performance of The Love Story of a Hundred Years, with music and dance. carry the protagonists Aino and Aksel from 1917 to the present day.
Saturday 14.7. will also see an interesting folk dance innovation, when working group Oxen i.e. dancers Arttu Peltoniemi and Jari Haavisto and the internationally renowned accordionist Johanna Juhola exploring what shades folk dance performed by a pair of men.
– The traditional view of couple dance as a dance between a man and a woman is still strong in the Finnish folk dance scene, the working group says. In the work, the partners in the couple dance alternate seamlessly between the roles of the singer and the follower. The intention is not to dictate a specific political message to the audience in the form of a performance, but to focus on the beauty of the dance between two men.
Rovaniemi-based Dance Theatre Rimpparemmi brings Riku Immonen's choreography in Traffic to Kaustinen. In a hilarious children's dance theatre performance, green and red traffic lights move through the city, clashing and arguing, but always finding common ground.
A show for the whole family visits from the Oulu region Owla and the lost walkia, where the magic of fairy tales is interwoven with Finnish folklore and local history of Oulu. The script is written by Elena Vuoksiola, the choreography is by Hanna Poikela, the music is composed by Erja Mesimäki, and the stage is set for a90 professional dancers and folk dance enthusiasts of different ages.
Antti Savilamme's last Night Cataract
A very popular tradition at the Kaustinen Folk Music Festival has been danced for 37 years The Night Theatre, by a master dancer Antti Savilampi has now announced that it is pulling out for the last time. The tradition will continue in new hands, and the successor will of course be seen as Savilampi's counterpart at this year's Katrilla on Thursday 12 July.
Last year, the start of the Petri Kauppinen developed by Evening bird-dance format will also continue this year on Friday 13.7.
– We have received good feedback, Iltavilli felt like a different kind of place to go alongside the Yökatrill, Ira Korkala says. So we will continue to develop the concept, this year perhaps with a slightly lower level of craziness.
Come and dance
New this year in the offer for festival guests to dance is dance jam workshop At Mauno's Macashine - a social folk dance workshop based on the connection between music and dance. The workshop is suitable for anyone interested in the subject! For children have their own daily their dance show, where the Ottos of the Kaustinen youth club perform and dance for children.
– Every day you can learn new things and In the dance hall in the Central Ostrobothnia Arena and the Kallioklub dance workshops, says Ira Korkala. There will be everything from Estonian folk dances and purple to Argentinian tango and flamenco.
For dance enthusiasts, there will also be plenty of great opportunities to take to the dance floor, from Monday's acoustic pelican dance to Saturday night's you can dance to Virve Rost, a Colombian DJ and Finland's biggest marching band Orivesi All Stars.
Dance steps in Kaustinen:
Segapidi, Mon 9.7.- Wed 11.7.
Siepakat, Wed 11.7.- Fri 13.7., main performance Thu 12.7. at 15.15. Keskipohjanmaa-areena, Wind from the North Fri 13.7. at 14.30 Keskipohjanmaa-areena
Motora, Mon 9.7-Sun 11.7., A love story of a century Wed 11.7. at 15 Keskipohjanmaa-areena
Bulls Sat 14.7. at 18.45 Central Ostrobothnia Arena
Rimpparemmi: In Traffic Thu 12.7. at 12 Kaustinen-hall
Owla and the lost walk on Sat 14.7. at 12 Central Ostrobothnia Arena
Hey we are dancing again! Kaustinen Youth Society Ottoset Thu 12.7. at 13 Keskipohjanmaa-areena
Nightcrawler Thu 12.7. at 00 Keskipohjanmaa-areena
Evening show Fri 13.7. at 23 at the Central Ostrobothnia Arena
51. Kaustinen Folk Music Festival will be held 9.-15.7.2018.
Summer programme information can be found on the website http://www.kaustinen.net
In cooperation with the 150th anniversary of Kaustinen municipality