2008 Hardanger Fiddle Music and Dance Workshop
Folklore Village, Dodgeville, Wisconsin, July 17 - 20
Featuring the music and dance of Western Coastal Norway!
Our workshop featured the return of the popular dance teachers Vidar Underseth and Leikny Aasen, and introduced 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 taught 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!
Folklore Village was 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.
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 rhythmic and tonal capabilities of the munnharpe. We are pleased to offer munnharpe classes again at this year's workshop with instruction by Gideon Morse.
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!
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 the workshop instructors.
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!”
HFAA archivist and videomaker Byron Wiley has produced a YouTube video retrospective of some of our recent Hardanger fiddle music and dance workshops. This video is a great overview of the many fun activities that will be featured at our 2008 gathering.
Post-Workshop Concert in Madison, Wisconsin
Arngunn Timenes Bell played Hardanger fiddle in a concert with master dancers from Norway. Leikny Aasen and Vidar Underseth, demonstrated dances from Western Coastal Norway.