News
The winter dance party in February
15.12.2009
The winter dance party held in February 2010 in Viljandi will concentrate on rounds and circle dances. Similarly to previous years, hundreds of dancers are welcome to take part in the joint dancing session on the Vabaduse square regardless of the weather.
According to Vaike Rajaste, who is the organiser of the party taking place on February 4-6, the central idea of the winter dance which is held for the 12th time coincides with the theme of the next Viljandi Folk Music Festival which is "Dance Breaks Out from Within". "Every winter we have tried to create an atmosphere where the participants would not feel restricted by the dance patterns and would, first and foremost, enjoy themselves and their friends while dancing. Putting on a show for the audience has never been important and that is why there is no rehearsal period before the joint dancing session," she explained.
Accoring to Rajaste, the winter dance party can also be called a festival because it lasts for three days and offers something to both those who participate and those who prefer to stand by and just watch. For example, the programme also includes concerts by foreign dance groups which are held in the schools and civic centres in Viljandi county.
On February 6, everyone is welcome to take part of workshops held in the Traditional Music Center and attend the concert given by folk dance groups. The joint dancing session which will take place outside will start with a procession moving through the centre of Viljandi. The event is hosted by Märt Agu.
During previous years, the winter dance party has attracted not only hundreds of Estonian dancers but also people from Indonesia, Bulgaria, Greece, Turkey, Poland, Finland, Latvia, and Lithuania. However, Vaike Rajaste did not agree to reveal where the guests of this years festival will be from because agreements have not yet been signed.
Even though dancing outside during wintertime is rather uncommon in contemporary Estonia, old records indicate that during the Middle Ages, this was a common occurence in the cities of Estonia and Livonia. In some places like Tartu the dancers allegedly enjoyed themselves too much so that the powers had to intervene.
The winter dance party is organised by the Union of Estonia Dance Teachers, folk dance group Vabajalg, and the folk dance ensemble Viljandi.
The homepage of the winter dance party can be found here.
