Saturday, July 26
Access to the workshops is on a first-come, first-served basis, until all spots are filled. Latecomers will not be admitted.
Dance School
The Green Stage
SAT 26.07 at 14.00 / Spinning in pairs. Jaan Sarv and Leanne Barbo
SAT 26.07 at 18.00 / Circle games and dances from Saaremaa island. Tammeougu Mari and girls from Sõrve
To help you dance with confidence and keep the steps straight at the Dance House, Dance School is here to guide you. Talented musicians, singers, and dancers will demonstrate how Estonian villagers and townsfolk once danced. Youngsters from Kihnu will lead traditional Kihnu dances, while Tammeougu Mari and the girls from Sõrve will teach folk circle games from Saaremaa. From the sister festival Sabatants, Jaan Sarv and Leanne Barbo will get even the stiffest feet moving with spirit. And thanks to the Tartu Folklore Club Maatasa, you can learn and join in on singing games and circle dances.
SAT 26.07 at 14.00
Spinning in pairs.
Want to dance the polka but worried you’ll trip up or embarrass yourself in front of your partner? We’ve got you covered! We’ll walk you through the basics of turning and spinning using polka and waltz steps, and share some helpful tips along the way. More experienced dancers can practice reverse turns and lend a hand and some inspiration to newcomers, because in between the instructions, there’s plenty of room for joy of dancing!
Morning dance on the beach
Basketball court at Lake Viljandi beach
SAT 26.07 at 10.00
The best way to start your morning is to listen to the music in the best possible way – through dancing! Mia Marta Ruus and friends ask you to join them on Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning to dance on the basketball court at Lake Viljandi beach so you can start the day well, letting traditional music into your bones and lifting your mood!
We dance old social dances and spice it up with a few waltzes, polkas, flat foot waltzes and rheinländers. Bring a friend or come alone, you’ll find a dancing partner on the court!
Baby singing and playing group / Kreete Viira
Sakala Centre
SAT 26.07 at 11.00
Target audience: children aged 0–2 with their parents
Traditional music teacher Kreete Viira invites mothers and fathers to bring their babies to the group where they play age-appropriate games, singing games and sing songs which you can memorise and repeat at home to promote the love of traditional culture in your children.
Children’s singing and playing group / Kreete Viira
Sakala Centre
SAT 26.07 at 12.00
Target audience: children aged 3–6 with their parents
Kreete Viira teaches children and their families age-appropriate games, singing games and songs. Children are welcome to attend with their parents, so that later on, you can play these games at home yourself.
Men’s singing group
Lokaal Sahara (Posti 6)
SAT 26.07 at 11.00 / Lauri Õunapuu
Target audience: men of all ages, no women allowed.
The mandatory voice and mind wakeup session for all men on all three festival days. Men’s singing group is a chamber of secrets where men twirl their moustaches in the dark, sing manly songs and talk about manly things. Bring your favourite songs to the singing group to share with others.
Women’s singing group
Theatre TEMUFI hall (Tartu 9)
SAT 26.07 at 11.00 / Women from Kihnu
Target audience: women of all ages, no men allowed.
Women have preserved our traditional singing culture throughout centuries. The folklore archive is filled with songs from our female ancestors, where they talk about their thoughts and feelings. Which of these songs speak to the women of today? Which songs will the women of today leave to their children? We invite all women to join us on three festival mornings to sing about what you’re thinking and feeling. Bring your favourite songs with you so you can share with the others.
“Seto leelo punktnoot”/ Janika Oras
Chamber Hall of Traditional Music Centre
SAT 26.07 at 12.30
The Seto leelo notation system “Seto leelo punktnoot” (dot notation) is a new web application. It allows even those without music reading skills to understand how the polyphony of Seto leelo is constructed, and to begin learning leelo singing themselves.
We’ll explore what each voice sings and try putting together some of the fascinating sound patterns of leelo. We’ll also learn a few simple singing games that help us get off the ground and off the screens.
The workshop is led by an excellent singer and a senior researcher at the Estonian Folklore Archive of the Estonian Literary Museum Janika Oras.
Why do we need traditional culture? / Oleksandr Iarmola (Ukraine)
Chamber Hall of Traditional Music Centre
SAT 26.07 at 14.30
In a beautiful and safe world, we tend to forget what is truly valuable in traditional culture – how it makes us a people and how language, including dialect, defines our thoughts. Traditional culture should not just be a cool spice in our lukewarm soup; it is a matter of survival. Oleksandr Iarmola, the lead singer of the Ukrainian band Haydamaky, speaks about the importance of traditional culture.
The workshop is in English.
Estonians in Siberia / Anu Korb
Chamber Hall of Traditional Music Centre
SAT 26.07 at 16.30
Siberia’s notorious reputation as a land of criminals and forced labor camps has persisted stubbornly, even though from the late 19th century onward, it also became an appealing destination for settlers. By 1918, more than a hundred Estonian settlements had been established in Siberia.
By the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, however, the Estonian-speaking population in Siberia was aging and shrinking. While the 1989 census counted around 17,000 Estonians in Siberia, by 2002 that number had fallen to just 11,400. Still, northern and southern Estonians, along with Setos, continued to live in different villages. During field trips organized by the Estonian Folklore Archives, researchers encountered both spontaneous singing and performances prepared especially for guests from Estonia.
This workshop explores the rich singing tradition passed down from ancestors, the influence of choral singing and amateur performance on the musical and dance life of Siberian Estonians, and the key role of lead singers in shaping the community’s repertoire.
The workshop is led by Anu Korb, folklorist emeritus of the Estonian Literary Museum.