Featuring the music and dance of Western Coastal Norway!

This year our workshop features the return of the popular dance teachers Vidar Underseth and Leikny Aasen, and introduces the dynamic young Hardanger fiddle (hardingfele) teacher Arngunn Timenes Bell, presenting traditions of Sunnmøre, Sunnfjørd and other western coastal areas of Norway including Sogn and Nordfjord. Vidar and Leikny will teach the Springar from Solund and the rull, as well as reinlender, springpolka, masurka, skotsk, pariserpolka, and other couple dances. Music and dance in this region go hand in hand. Besides being champion dancers, Vidar and Leikny are excellent fiddlers and they teach their lively dances with a very deep feeling for the music. Arngunn, an outstanding fiddler, has also made a name for herself as a dancer. These dances are easy and accessible for beginners, yet they have plenty of stylistic subtleties to challenge the most advanced dancers. Look forward to dance and music that is exuberant, playful and fun!

Farwell Hall at Folklore Village (courtesy of Susan Brodie)

Folklore Village is the setting for all activities of our 25th annual Music and Dance Workshop. Located on the edge of a restored prairie 35 minutes west of Madison, Wisconsin, Folklore Village offers a perfect venue for hardingfele classes, dance workshops, concerts, lectures, and dance parties. The beautiful, air-conditioned Farwell Hall includes a spacious sprung-wooden dance floor and separate classrooms for fiddle instruction. Across the road, Plum Grove Church (1882) offers excellent acoustics for small lectures or classes. Bunkhouses offer simple accommodations, as does the tenting area. For those who want more privacy or air conditioning, there are motels nearby in Dodgeville.

Click the button below to download the Registration Form.

2008 Workshop Registration Form (PDF - 150K) - requires Acrobat Reader

Hardanger fiddle (hardingfele) workshops: We offer four concurrent full-time classes to accommodate all levels from beginner to advanced, teaching a variety of Norwegian hardingfele traditions. Private sessions with our teachers are also available. Loaner instruments are available on advance request. Even if you have never tried playing the hardingfele, you are welcome to join us!

Dance workshops: Participants in the dance classes will have the opportunity to explore the wealth of different dance types and styles from Western Norway. Leikny Aasen and Vidar Underseth are delightful teachers and the dances they present are ideal for taking home to your local social or performing dance group or leikarring.

Mini-workshops: Kveding (traditional singing) and munnharpe (mouth harp) classes offer you a chance to broaden your Norwegian folk music experience!

Instructors: See short biographies of this year's workshop instructors:

Arngunn Timenes Bell - Hardanger fiddle
Leikny Aasen - Dance
Vidar Underseth - Dance
Rebecca Lofft - Hardanger fiddle
Karen Solgård - Hardanger fiddle
Dan Trueman - Hardanger fiddle
Hege Ravdal - Singing
Gideon Morse - mouth harp

Our American hardingfele instructors, Rebecca Lofft, Karen Solgård, and Dan Trueman are all well known for their teaching skill. All have studied with master players in Norway. Singing classes with Hege Ravdal offer a unique opportunity to learn fiddle melodies and songs from various valley regions of Norway. Many Norwegian tunes relating to hardingfele music are also suited to the unique rythmic and tonal capabilities of the munnharpe. (Listen to music samples.) We are pleased to offer munnharpe classes again at this year's workshop with instruction by Gideon Morse.

The music and dance at this year’s Workshop will captivate all levels of musicians and dancers, in an environment that has been called “the warmest and most supportive in North America!”

Children and Teenagers
Children and teens are welcome, as HFAA endeavors to promote the appreciation of traditional music and dance among younger generations! Children who have the ability to participate in music and dance activities may attend the classes. There are no childcare facilities available, so parents should be prepared to watch their children and work cooperatively with other parents. Advance registration is required for all children. Teenagers are welcome to attend without a parent, but they must have an adult chaperone. Contact the Workshop Chair by e-mail at workshopchair (at) hfaa (dot) org to make arrangements.

Registration
See Registration information for the registration form and other details. Registrations should be postmarked before June 18. Late fees will be assessed after this date. We cannot process registrations postmarked after July 7.

Scholarships
Bernt Balchen Jr. Hardingfele Scholarships (named in honor of Bernt Balchen, Jr., master fiddle teacher at our workshops from 1985 to 1989 and in 2003) are open to beginning and intermediate hardingfele students. Two scholarships are available for 2008 which cover 100% of the workshop fee. See Scholarships information for the application form and other details. The application deadline is May 15 (postmarked).

HFAA Work Scholarships covering approximately 50% of the workshop fee are available to 4-day (and possibly some part-time) workshop attendees. Applicants must submit the 2008 Registration Form according to the regular deadlines. For more information or to apply, contact workshopchair (at) hfaa (dot) org.

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