Promoting Scandinavian Folk Music and Dance January 2008 San Francisco Bay Area Scandia Festival 2008 February 15 17, 2008 Memorial Dinner and Dance Party for Telemark Dance with Olav Sem Liberty Elyash Sara Fjågesund and (1918 2007) Torgeir Straand Saturday, February 23, 2008, Pasadena, California Music Instruction by Ricard Näslin When asked: “How should we remember you?” Liberty said: “With a “Whoppin’ Big Party!” Friday evening, and all day Saturday and Sunday Sponsored by Liberty, and in his honor Dinner 6 pm, Hermann Sons Hall, 860 Western Avenue, Petaluma, Tribute and Dance 7:30 California Live Music Olav Sem, with his elegant style and subtle dynamics, Skandia Hall, 2031 E. Villa St., Pasadena, CA is the dancer we most associate with the dances of Telemark. He first taught at Scandia Festival in 1987 If you or your group would like to perform and has taught at many American courses since then. or speak at Liberty’s tribute, contact: Over the years he has developed an effective way to Cameron or Darlene —(562)732 4990, or convey the essence of Telespringar and Telegangar. Diane ,
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(Continued from page 1) Petaluma Rickard Näslin, from Östersund, Sweden, started and continues to lead the Östersunds Spelmanslag. In 1978 Rickard became a Riksspelman. In 1998 he was awarded the Lapp Nils medal, the highest honor of the association for fiddlers in Jämtland. Since his 2003 visit, Rickard has published several more CDs and Scandia Camp Mendocino books of Jämtland music. He will teach the fiddle June 14 21, 2008 workshops. Sissel Rudningen & Bjørn Lien The weekend package includes: with Hilde Kirkebøen • Dance Workshops Saturday and Sunday. • Fiddle Workshops Saturday and Sunday. Teaching the dance & music of • Dance Parties Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (open to Hallingdal, Norway all) • Saturday and Sunday lunch. Sven & Britt-Marie Olsson with Ann-Marie Forsberg & Gert Ohlsson Dancers: Participation at dance workshops is by pre Teaching the dance & music of registration only. We will try to keep a good balance of men and women, and dance partners will be rotated fre Värmland, Sweden quently. Because the number of women dancers admit ted is usually limited by the number of men who regis Gert Ohlsson Teaching Nyckelharpa ter, we ask men to register early. The number of danc ers is also limited due to the size of the dance floor. Peter Michaelsen Leading Allspel Send dance applications to Brooke Babcock (see appli cation). Make checks payable to Scandia Festival. Catering by Jeff O"Connor You will be notified of your status (In, or Waitlist) with a map, schedule and list of suggested motels in Peta (Continued on page 3) luma. The Northern California Spelmanslag News Fiddlers: Part time registration is available for fiddlers. is published quarterly. Teaching will be at the sonic and supersonic levels. The NCS News is also online at: Please talk to Marie Kay Hansen about any special re
Volume 18 Number 1 Page 2 Northern California Spelmanslag News January 2008 spel and play for evening dances. (Continued from page 2)Scandia Camp Mendocino We have space for 80 dancers and 20 musicians. Be Sissel Rudningen was the “A”class champion at cause we attempt to balance the number of male and Landskappleiken 2007, and has been dancing and sing female dancers, we encourage you to register immedi ing since she was a youth. She was fortunate to meet ately to reserve your place in camp. and dance with all the tradition bearers in the district. Sissel leads the Hemsedal Barneleikaring, teaches sec Fees: $690 per Dancer or Musician (discounted early ond grade, dances, and sings, while raising two lovely registration fee) children with her husband Gunnar. $400 per Work Scholarship (8 available) $730 per Dancer or Musician (full fee) to be paid in Sven & Britt Marie Olsson are among the leading au full for registrations received after May 1, 2008. thorities on Värmland dance. They are excellent, en gaging, natural dancers and teachers who received Deposits: Send $250 per person with the application. their big silver medals in 1989. Sven sits on the medal If we receive more applicants than we can immediately testing jury. Sven and Britt Marie have both been accommodate, we will hold a drawing to determine teaching dance since the mid 1980s. waitlist positions. Applications received after January 15 will be processed in the order received. To maxi Bjørn Lien is an "A" class dancer and an esteemed mize your chance of being accepted immediately, send judge at many Kappleiks (dance competitions). He your deposit early. began dancing at age 23, learning on the dance floor in the tradition of the ‘masters’. Between dancing and NOTE: New this year! Scandia Camp Mendocino is organizing events, Bjørn works on his dairy and for offering $50 registration discounts to all participants estry based farm in Flå, Hallingdal. attending for the first time. Ann Marie Forsberg has been involved with the music Application forms are available on page 11 and on the & dance research and documentation in Värmland. website (
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The 170 Years Birthday Celebration for Jon Anders Persson, Mike Block, and Tom Sears was a great success! There was music and dancing, singing and stories, roses and champagne, dinner and fancy desserts. Photos by Michelle Jacquemet clockwise from the left: 1. Valerie Thompson, Ana , Jon-Anders. 2. Tom and Gerd. 3. Everybody
Volume 18 Number 1 Page 4 Northern California Spelmanslag News January 2008 harpa. He also tried his hand at wooden shoe fiddles Oskar Sundström 1918 2008 and hurdy gurdies. For thirty years he was a fixture at events fea One of the beloved characters of the Scandina turing nyckelharpa playing, from the Renaissance vian music movement in California passed away in Pleasure Faire, to concerts of visiting players in the January less than a week before his 90th birthday. eighties, to our own Dr. Fred Bialy's wedding to Toby, Oskar Sundström, not a musician himself, was an out when Väsen performed. standing instrument builder and repairman, and con In the last 10 years he had to reduce his activi tributed much to the nyckelharpa community. ties due to many compounded ailments. He died in his He was born in Uppland, and at age 13 was ap sleep at home, holding the hand of his beloved Gwen. prenticed to an organ builder. The very first organ he Those of us who knew him will greatly ever worked on was the world famous organ in the miss him. Tim Rued church at Lövstabruk, one of the centers of the nyckel harpa world. He had a long career in Sweden, married, had children, and was widowed. In the 1970's he retired to California, where he met Gunvor (Gwen), his second wife, and they bought a house in El Sobrante. In retirement, he turned his instrument building skills to the nyckelharpa, and made many fine instruments. He adapted the materials to fit the California climate, incorporating heavy tropi cal woods to prevent problems with rapid rises and drops in temperature and humidity. This made his in struments heavier than most, but wonderfully rich in tone. He used his experience with church organs to make innovations on his instruments that made them both visually and sonically unique. Besides the standard chromatic nyckelharpa, he also built child size, bass (octave low), and one Mora
Scandinavian Scandiadans Dance Parties Thursdays in Oakland in Oakland Nature Friends Clubhouse Beginners teaching and open dancing. Frank and Jane are very encouraging and helpful teachers! Come Next few dances: , March 8th, April 12th, May 10. regularly! Each week, one new dance taught and old ones reviewed. The cost is $3.00. Dance teaching: 7:30 8:30 pm Thursdays, 7 10 pm. Dance with live music, 8:30 11:00 pm Musicians encouraged to play in the allspel! Oakland Nature Friends Center, 3115 Butters Dr., Oakland, CA..... The dances occur every month on the second Satur Take Hwy 13 to Joaquin Miller Rd, go east (up the hill) day. Cost: $7.00. ~ 1/2 mile, second right onto Butters Dr., go another Directions see Scandiadans, right. 1/2 mile. On the right, look for post with 3115 on it Contact: Jane Tripi at (510)654 3636, (also “Scandiadans” sign). Take driveway down to a
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teaching waters for the first time. South Bay Monthly Dance “1st Saturday Dance” All musicians are welcome to play in the allspel or and Teaching Session have your own set. Talk to Jeanne to get a time slot. Next few dances: February 2nd, March 1st, and April Our regular place is in Palo Alto at the 5th. First United Methodist Church, 625 Hamilton Avenue. The teaching session is the hour before the dance For more information: party, from 7:30 8:30. Everyone is welcome! Come Jeanne or Henry , (408)929 5602, learn or review dances for yourself and help others.
Volume 18 Number 1 Page 6 Northern California Spelmanslag News January 2008 Norwegian Dance Development and A Swedish Dance and Music Teacher Training Workshop Sunday April 13 through Sunday April March 28 30, 2008 20, 2008 Boulder, Colorado Lake Geneva, Wisconsin Stig and Helén Eriksson Johan Einar Bjerkem and Isabell Svärdmalm & Eva Thorsell Hansson Torunn Hjernes Bjerkem Workshop: Friday 7:00 pm to Sunday 4:00 pm This is a week long intensive course in fundamental Dance Party: Saturday 8:00 pm techniques for Norwegian traditional dance, pedagogy, We are excited to have Stig and Helén Eriksson with us and dance leadership. This course is designed for peo to teach Swedish dance. Stig and Helén are talented ple who are interested in developing and improving and friendly teachers whose clear, lively teaching style their skill as dancers, dance leaders, and teachers of and fluent English make for a delightful experience. Norwegian dance. The skills and insights offered in They will teach Hogdal Lommeland, both versions of this course are applicable across the full spectrum of Hamburska ('med nig' and 'med lyft'), and more. Norwegian Folk dance, songdans, turdans, gam Isabell Svärdmalm has taught both children and adults meldans, and bygdedans. This course follows the cur for many years and will be teaching tunes mainly from riculum for dance teachers and leaders developed by Östergötland. Eva Thorsell Hansson teaches music, Noregs Ungdomslag, Norway’s largest folk dance or dance and folk music. She will teach singing tunes as ganization. This is the first time this course has been well as fiddle tunes, primarily from the Värmland area. offered in the Midwest and only the second time this course has been offered outside of Norway(first presen Stig and Helén Eriksson are winners of the famous tation of this course was at Camp Norge in Alta CA). Hälsinge Hambo contest and have been teaching for The course will be taught by two of Norway's most ex over twenty years in Sweden, Europe and the USA. perienced and skilled teachers. Stig and Helén live in Norrköping, Östergötland and are members of the folk music and dance group Klin Johan Einar Bjerkem and Torunn Hjernes Bjerkem , tetten. from Steinkjer Norway, have taught the entire course many times in Norway and once here in the U.S. They Isabell Svärdmalm has played Swedish folk music are certified by Noregs Ungdomslag. They are leaders since her teens. She has a degree in rhythm and music of the dance world in Norway and are excellent teach and has been teaching for five years at the biggest folk ers—experienced, encouraging, exciting. This is the music camp for youth in Östergötland. Isabell lives in first week of the curriculum. Norrköping, Östergötland and is a member of Klintet ten. The cost, $775, each includes all meals, lodging, and Eva Thorsell Hansson has played since childhood. Her instruction. grandfather and mother were both fiddlers. Today she Full payment is due by February 12 2008 teaches dance and music in schools as well as teaching folk music. Eva comes from Karlskoga in Värmland. Make checks payable to “Toby Weinberg”. Send pay She is a member of Klintetten. ment together with names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses for all participants to the address Cost is $100 per person for registrations mailed by below. March 7. Registrations mailed after March 7 are $125. Dance Party: 10 for non registrants. Make checks pay Contact: Course Directors: Ginny Lee and Toby able to “Boulder Scandinavian Dancers”. Weinberg. 720 Fellows Ave Syracuse NY 13210, Presented by Boulder Scandinavian Dancers.
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Calendar Regular Events — Northern California Mondays Weekly Scandinavian Dance Class. Six week sessions. 7 9:30pm. Hamilton Street Park Community Center, Hamilton Street, Sacramento, CA 95841. Contact Marida Mar tin : (916)358 2807, or :
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(Continued from page 8) Regular Events — Northern California Fridays Weekly Scandinavian Fiddle Class. 7:30 9:30 pm, often at Anita Siegel's, but location varies. Ask to be on class email list. Contact: Jeanne Sawyer , (408)929 5602,
Volume 18 Number 1 Page 9 Northern California Spelmanslag News January 2008 Calendar, Special Events — Northern California Feb. 15 17 San Francisco Bay Area Scandia Festival 2008 , Petaluma. Telemark Dance with Olav Sem , Sara Fjågesund and Torgeir Straand. Music Instruction by Ricard Näslin . Contact: Brooke Babcock (415)334 3455,
(Continued on page 11)
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(Continued from page 10) Special Events — United States 6/6 7 F Sa Nisswastämman, Nisswa, MN. Contact: Paul Wilson (218)764 2994,
Scandia Festival 2008 Application Form (See story on page 1.) First Name: ______ Last Name: ______ Address: ______ City: ______ State: ______ Zip: ______ Home Phone ______Work Phone ______ E mail address: ______ Name you would like on your name badge if different from above: ______ Work Volunteer Time: Please check those that apply. □I am willing to volunteer ____hour(s), to help out during the Festival. The best time for me to help is: □Early morning □Breaks □Saturday Lunch □Sunday Lunch □Saturday Party □Sunday Party □Late night □Other I am willing to do the following: □food preparation & cleanup □lift heavy equipment □almost anything □door duty hours Fees: □Saturday & Sunday DANCE workshop & parties @ $85 . . $____ □Saturday & Sunday FIDDLE workshops & parties @ $65 . . $____ □Enclosed is my tax deductible contribution . . . . . . . . . . . .$____ Total Enclosed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $____ Please make checks payable to “Scandia Festival”. DANCE mail to: Brooke Babcock, 55 Chumasero Dr. #12E, San Francisco, CA 94132 FIDDLE mail to: Marie Kay Hansen, 15564 Rancho Ramon Dr, Tracy, CA 95304 9754 Please let us know promptly if you are not able to attend so that we can fill your space. Full refunds will be pro vided. Please wait to make air reservations and travel plans until after you receive confirmation. Confirmation of admission, including a Festival schedule and map or driving directions, will be sent as early as possible.
Volume 18 Number 1 Page 11 Northern California Spelmanslag News January 2008 Northern California Spelmanslag Mailing List Form Name ______ Home phone______ Address ______ Other phone ______ ______ email ______ ______ Musician ___ Dancer ___ Audience___ May we publish your name, address, and phone on a Spelmanslag roster? _____ Do you want to receive information ?: ___music workshops: Swedish ___ Norwegian___ Danish ___ Finnish___ ___dance workshops: Swedish ___ Norwegian___ Danish ___ Finnish___ ___dance parties; Swedish ___ Norwegian___ Danish ___ Finnish___ ___concerts and performances: Swedish ___ Norwegian___ Danish ___ Finnish___ How are you able to help? Are you willing to bring potluck snacks and refreshments to Spelmanslag events? Are you willing to house out of town participants for Spelmanslag festivals, or entertain overseas visitors before or after a festival or camp? Are you willing to volunteer for various tasks to help organize or run Spelmanslag events (making punch, set up, clean up, collecting admission, loaning/operating sound equipment, designing fliers, photocopying, playing for dances)? Are you willing to write an article, take photos, or draw illustrations for our newsletter? ______ ______ Donation: ___$15.00 ___$25.00 ___$50.00 ___other Send to: Northern California Spelmanslag, 560 Kingsley Ave, PALO ALTO CA 94301 3224 Donation is not necessary for membership. Your tax deductible donation helps the Spelmanslag bring over instructors from Scandinavia, and covers the costs of publish ing and mailing fliers and newsletters. Any amount you can contribute is greatly appreciated! See our web page at:
Northern California Spelmanslag A California Non Profit Public Benefit Corpo ration, 560 Kingsley Ave, PALO ALTO CA 94301 3224
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