What types of dances do you do?
We dance traditional Swedish and Norwegian couples' folk dances. These include polska, pols, polskdans, springdans, slängpolska, waltz, vals, schottis, schottishe, reinlander, reinlender, polka, polkett, rudl, rull, gangar, springar, springleik, hamburska, hambo, gammalvänster, bakmes, snoa, mazurka and mixers.
I've never done [a particular] Swedish or Norwegian folk dance before. Is that a problem?
Not at all! Many of this year's participants have never done Hallingspringar or all the Föllinge dances before and that’s why they are coming to camp! Even those of us that have learned some of the dances before need a refresher course and are always picking up something new from the different instructors.
Can you explain how dances are traditionally learned?
Dances are taught by the instructors showing the dance step by step and figure by figure over multiple days. Traditionally people learned dances by watching and dancing with family members or experienced dancers. At camp, the dance teachers will review steps and figures and build upon those steps and figures until you have an entire dance.
Tell me more about the dance classes I might take.
Our Dance Basics classes introduce basic dance practices while teaching body mechanics and skills helpful for all levels of dancers. They usually introduce dances in 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 time, which are the building blocks of our dance program.
Our Swedish dance teachers typically teach five or six dances from their region during the week. In 2025, the focus will be on the dances of Föllinge, Sweden, and will likely include Åtabakspolska and Norksleitjen. Here is a video of Norskleitjen being danced in a workshop setting in Sweden.
Our Norwegian dance teachers typically focus on the springar or gangar from one region for the week. In 2025, the Norwegian dance focus will be on the Hallingspringar, a lively couples' dance from Hallingdal. Here is a video of Hallingspringar being danced in a competition setting in Norway.
Do I have to have my own dance partner to take the dance classes?
No, instructors assume no one has a certain partner. Participants rotate partners frequently, which is a good practice. The dances we do require leading and following as well as physical balance. When you change partners, you learn how to be a better leader (how to communicate your intentions) and how to be a better follower (how to pick up a leader's cues).
Are women welcome to lead dances; are men welcome to follow?
Absolutely! Learning your partner’s part helps you appreciate the whole dance even more. You decide which part you want to learn, which can be different for each dance and day.
How do you balance dance classes between leads and follows?
Participants can choose at any time to do the lead or follow part. There are enough experienced dancers that are comfortable with either part, so they will help to balance the ratio. If, during a class, someone decides not to dance at some point, instructors ask participants to adjust so that everyone will have a partner if possible. Instructors will also dance with participants.
I like to hambo at my local contra dance. Is there more to Swedish folk dance?
The hambo is a great gateway to Swedish folk dancing. You'll find more than a few campers in our community who came to us the same way. The hambo is a type of Swedish folk dance called a polska. Practically every village in Sweden developed its own polska variation to music by local fiddlers. The variety of tunes and dances keep Swedish dance afficionados very happy. Norwegian folk dancers have a similar high-energy dance called the Rørospols, and have their own deep bench of local folk dances and tunes that developed across Norway.
I do other type of other types of dancing. Will I be able to learn this?
Having experience with any other type of dancing will help you catch on to this type of dancing because you are already body aware and have taken movement cues from music.
Will I fit in? (Am I too old, too young, too new at dance?)
We have all ages and skill levels dancing and playing at camp from ages 14–100! No matter where you are in life, you will fit in and belong.
Will people ask me to dance?
Yes. And we hope you'll ask people to dance with you! We are a friendly community. You’ll get to know people by rotating partners in class so that will help alleviate some of the awkwardness you may feel at first. At the evening dance, if you are interested in dancing, it can be helpful to signal your interest if you stand at the side of the dance floor instead of sitting and conversing with others.
I am a beginner. Will I have fun?
We hope your experience at camp will be exciting, fun, and challenging and full of great memories with all the wonderful people in the community. Yet we understand that there will be moments of confusion, frustration and awkwardness when one has never danced this type of dance before. We were all there at one point! Be sure to communicate with us as the week progresses to what would make your experience better and we will do our best to connect you to possible solutions. For example, if you are getting dizzy while dancing, which often occurs for new dancers, we have some tips and tricks to help you out until your body adjusts.
What do people wear when dancing? How dressy are the evening dances? I don’t own a folk costume.
Dancers are welcome to wear whatever they feel comfortable in, that being mostly very casual clothing. One must consider the weather and how hot they get with physical activity so active wear is convenient. Pants, shorts, skirts are all just fine. Layers are a great option to deal with the temperature fluctuations. Our evening dances are also informal but some campers like to wear something different than what they wore during that same day. The only “dressy” evening is our last night when some campers wear a traditional costume (if they had room in their suitcases for it!). Wearing something a little nicer on that evening adds a nice touch, but you do not have to have a folk costume.
Can you provide me with a sample schedule?
This was our schedule in 2024.
| 8:00-9:00 | Breakfast | |||||
| 9:00-10:00 | Dance Basics | Swedish Fiddle 3 | Nyckelharpa 2 | Hardingfele 2/3 | Singing | |
| 10:15-11:15 | Norwegian Dance | Swedish Fiddle 2 | Nyckelharpa 3 | Harmony | ||
| 11:30-12:30 | Swedish Dance | Norwegian Fiddle 2 | Hardingfelelag | |||
| 12:30-1:30 | Lunch | |||||
| 1:45-2:45 | Dance Basics | Norwegian Fiddle 3 | Nyckelharpa 1 | Harmony | ||
| 3:00-4:00 | Dance* | Playing for dancing | Craft | |||
| 4:15-5:15 | Fiddle 1 | Hardingfele 1 | Gammaldans Band | Singing | ||
| 5:00-6:00 | Happy hour | |||||
| 6:00-7:00 | Dinner | |||||
| 7:15-8:00 | After-dinner program* | |||||
| 8:00- | Evening dance party | Evening jams | * = varied by day |