Folklore Club Maatasa and BUL Bodø collaboration

At the end of May, Maatasa had the opportunity to visit the Norwegian town of Bodø, which was chosen as the European Capital of Culture in 2024, as has Tartu.

The invite was handed out by the Norwegian community BUL Bodø, a community dedicated to traditional Norwegian dancing, folk music and hobby theatre. The organisation connects children and youths of all ages under the supervision of their parents.

Although the collaboration did not receive financial support from Bodø, Maatasa’s members were keen on travelling to Bodø to visit this community of musicians and paid for the trip with their funds. The hosts were sorry they could not offer us the initial journey programme, but they incorporated Maatasa’s visit into their everyday life and local traditions. We ourselves immensely enjoyed the opportunity to experience the local culture and traditions. It was very impressive! For example, we participated in a concert where over 150 local students performed traditional Norwegian dances. This was the very first performance of this kind at Bodø’s town centre. Although the students had no former experience with traditional dancing, their excitement and joy from performing were apparent. When Maatasa’s musicians began playing, the local children ran for the opportunity to dance to our music alongside their teachers! The excitement from the local students further exemplified the necessity for folk music and dance communities. Have a look at Maatasa’s flatfoot dancing with the local youth here.

We spent four days altogether in Bodø. Maatasa had the lovely opportunity to participate in Norwegian folk music evenings and a village party, Bygdefest, on the first two evenings. The evenings dedicated to music took place in the concert house Beddingen, wherein the hall resembled a theatre’s black box. We were able to enjoy beautiful violin music, which was accompanied by the dancing of both the youth and the elderly. We had the chance to enjoy shows held by the professional dance theatre Kartelle, where the communication between dancers and musicians was part of the show. The Ragnhild Furebottens orchestra also performed, and the ensemble was clearly beloved by the locals. Maatasa was also welcomed, and while on the first night, we showed off our “usual dance night music”, on the second night, we realised that the locals much preferred to glide along with their partners, and our waltzes-polkas went over well. Of course, we were able to witness the famous Halling, which was played by the violins, until two young Norwegian men came up to dance and catch the hat. Even the young men of Maatasa were given the opportunity to have a try at the Halling, and we did pretty well. The two evenings where we had the chance to participate in BUL Bodø’s organised folk evenings were truly great and the members of Maatasa and the locals of Bodø quickly became good friends.

Since Bodø is in northern Norway, we witnessed the polar day, which meant that it was completely light outside at one o’clock in the morning. It was hard to tell whether the sun was rising or setting. We also did not miss out on Norwegian mountains and fog. At one point, the fog rolled in so quickly that it hid the mountains from our horizons. Our guide gathered our group up, for she had former experience wandering around in the fog. We asked whether or not the trolls would also show up alongside the fog and were assured that no, the trolls come out only at night.

The last days of our trip to Norway were dedicated to a youth camp in the school of Aspåsen, where we learned many Norwegian dances and folk tunes once more. The music workshops were very professionally led by a known Estonian folk musician and violinist, Johanna-Adele Jüssi and a Norwegian musician, Sturla Eide. On the second day of the camp, it was time to reflect on what we had learned so far, and the camp ended with a concert and dance evening. The last night was full of warm embraces, for within these four days in Bodø, the connections between Maatasa and BUL Bodø were incredibly warm and sincere. However, we didn’t say farewell to each other, with the promise of seeing each other again at Tartu Folk.

Special thanks to: Ingebjørg Vestrum, Karin Falch Belsheimm, Monika Vågan, Zsuzsanna Tóth!
European Capital of Culture 2024 – Bodø & Salten
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