Scandinavian Club of Manawatu Inc.

Visitors to Manawatu: Østjydske – Folkedansere

THE FOLK DANCERS OF EASTERN JUTLAND

Thirty-seven of whom (pictured immediately below just before leaving Denmark) arrived in Palmerston North for an overnight visit on Sunday, 5 November 2000, during their New Zealand tour.

The Group: Østjydske–Folkedansere was formed in 1976 to represent Denmark in the United States, during the United States'  bicentennial celebrations.  The group is non-political and all the members are amateurs.  The members of the group have civilian jobs, and take part in folk dancing in their free time.  The group has represented Denmark in many countries, including USA, Canada, Argentina, Australia, and several places in Europe.

The journey to New Zealand is the group's 25^th anniversary tour, and the members looked forward with pleasure to meeting New Zealanders.  One of the group's aims is to cultivate friendship around the world, and to show people their folk-dancing and folk-music.  The group that toured New Zealand in October-November 2000 consisted of 37 dancers and support people.

The Dances: The type of dances presented by the group are those that were originally danced in Denmark by peasants in the years 1750-1850 whenever there were celebrations.  Many dances are, therefore, named after people for whom these dances had a special significance.  Similarly, many dances bear the name of the district in which the dance originated.  Examples are the Queen's dance, Hans Rasmussen's waltz, Skørpinge fourstep, the loyal Gryderup, and so on.  In the early years, the dances were handed down through families, and only from about 1780 were they written down. As a result, we can still read how they should be danced.  Research continues in the year 2000 on archival records to find new dances from the years 1750-1850.  The East Jutland dancers present a selection of the 850 different dances that are known.

The Costumes: Østjydske–Folkedansere has copied the celebration costumes worn by Danish farming folk during the period 1750-1850. Like those people, the clothes the group wears are of hand-woven fabric, have fine lace and have hand-made tin or silver buttons and buckles. Each costume is hand made in the same way as it would have originally been made, and it takes 2-3 years to sew a pair of costumes. Caps worn by the women indicate where in Denmark they are from.

The Musicians: The music used in the dances also comes from the same period, 1750-1850.  Originally, the music was not recorded in written form, and musicians throughout the country learned to play by ear.  Later, these melodies were written down, so we have today a complete set of music for all the dances. The East Jutland dance group brought three musicians to New Zealand with them.

• A clarinet player, who is one of the best in Denmark.  She also teaches others to play the clarinet.

• An accordion player, who started about 5 years ago, and is very accomplished.

• A violinist, who has played for many years and is a fantastic player.

The three musicians provide their audiences with a memorable experience, both in their accompaniment to the dancers and also when they play solo items.

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