Promoting Scandinavian Folk Music and Dance October 2004 Camp Norge Folkedans Stevne Southern California Skandia November 5th to 7th, 2004 Festival November 26-28, 2004 Cedar Glen Camp, Julian CA. The festival will be featuring dance teachers Peder and Randi Gullikstad from Camp Norge Folkedans Stevne, sponsored by the Røros, Norway teaching Pols and other dances from Røros, Nordahl Grieg Leikarring og Spelemannslag, presents an- and fiddlers Mary Barthelemy and Olav Nyhus from other weekend of dance and music at Alta, CA. Mikkel Glåmos, Norway. The Southern California Skandia Festival Thompson and Ginny Lee will teach traditional dances of is very excited to have Peder and Randi Gullikstad as teach- Sigdal and Lier in Buskerud. Sigdalspringar is similar to ers this year. Peder and Randi have long been considered Hallingspringar with its variations of figures and improvisa- the best examples of how to dance pols from Røros, and tion. Springdans from Lier is more set in its figures, much have won at the Landskappleik 5 times. They were instru- like Innheredspols. They are both 'bygdedans', in the mental in starting the Røros Folkedanslag in 1974-1975. rhythm of three. If time permits, Mikkel and Ginny will For the last 20 years, they have taught workshops in Norway teach or review Hallingspringar and other 'turdans', and around the world. They have performed at the Olym- 'songdans', and 'runddans' from the area. Toby Weinberg pics in Lillehammer, as well as at festivals in Baghdad and will be teaching hardingfele (Hardanger fiddle), and selje- the Soviet Union. They have received many national awards fløyte (willow flute). Bill Likens will be teaching piano ac- and honors including the Kings Cup. They are both very cordion and two-row button accordion. interested in teaching children in order to share the tradi- tional dances and cultural heritage. They have much to offer Mikkel, from Stockholm, Sweden, and Ginny, from about the traditions surrounding Røros music and dance. Syracuse NY, have performed Norwegian dance throughout Accompanying Randi and Peder, to teach music and play for the USA and Norway. Both have danced with the Nordahl dance from Røros, will be Mary Barthelemy and her hus- Grieg Leikarring, where Mikkel was artistic director for sev- band Olav Nyhus. This is a return trip for Olav and Mary. enteen years. Mikkel is currently active teaching Norwegian They came the first year the festival was at Julian and have dance throughout the USA, Canada, and Sweden, and is part also taught and played for the Mendocino Scandia Camp. of the performance group HjerteDans. Ginny has been Mary and Olav are active in the Glåmos spellmannslag. dancing and teaching International folk dance, for most of Olav, born in 1933, grew up in a musical, fiddling family in her adult life, in the USA and other countries, including Glåmos. He plays harpeleikzither, plays fiddle, and sings. China and Taiwan. She has taught several children's groups, Mary, born in Minnesota in 1947, settled in the Røros dis- including the Nordahl Grieg Barneleikarring, and is cur- trict in 1982 after living in Gudbrandsdalen, Oppdal, and rently working with Scandinavian folk dance groups in New Telemark. She plays fiddle and harpeleikzither in the Røros York. tradition. She is also the “flute-player” in the band Dala- (Continued on page 3) kopa. It’s That Time of Year Again... Cedar Glen Camp is located near the small town of Yes, it’s that time of year again, when thoughts turn Julian. It was a gold mining area in the 19th century. Driv- to gifts and taxes... and to memberships in various organiza- ing time is approximately 11/2 hours inland from Oceanside tions. Please look over the "Questionaire" inside the back and 1 hour northeast from San Diego. The camp facilities cover to make sure your address information is up to date. include cabins that house varying numbers of people and a While you’re at it, think about what you’d like to see the or- large dining and dance hall with a very good wood floor. ganization do for you, and what you might do for us. Some- Most people arrive Thursday afternoon or evening to get times it takes awhile to organize events, but your suggestions situated. There is no meal service on Thursday. Workshops are all considered, and often acted upon. begin Friday morning after breakfast. The festival concludes Last, but not least, remember to donate. We still Sunday afternoon after lunch. Please try to make ride ar- have not reached our goal of paying for the newsletter by rangements with people from your area. We will attempt to donations; we’d like to keep it free to all who’d like to re- help coordinate transportation from airports but we cannot ceive one. guarantee rides for any campers. Please provide transporta- tion requests early!……(Find registration form on page 10). Volume 14 Number 4 Page 1 Northern California Spelmanslag News October 2004 is supported by the governments of all the Nordic countries, The Beginnings of Scandinavian the only official participant groups have to be Scandinavian. Dancing However, the Finnish national organization offered to “adopt” us as one of their own, so that our group of 30 or so in the San Francisco Bay Area was able to participate fully in everything, including the pa- Dean Linscott passed away March 24, 2004. The rade and stadium performance at the main event. An indeli- idea for this article came about while people were remem- ble image for me is Dean carrying the American flag as we bering Dean. Thank you, everyone for contributing to make "California Scandia Dancers" marched through the cobble- a great story! Marie Kay Hansen stone streets of the old town behind our one and only fiddler, Nancy Linscott: Fred Bialy, playing "Allemansmarsj." Dean and I started going to the International dance Brooke Babcock: and music camp in the Woodlands. We attended it for many I think Nancy started Scandia Camp together with years before I got so interested in Scandinavian Dance and Ingvar and Chick Campbell. But Dean and Nancy together Music. There had been several Scandinavian teachers in the taught 6 or 8-week beginner courses in Scandia dance at the San Francisco Bay Area and we (Linscotts) had one work- Ashkenaz every fall. That's how I started, around 1982. (I shop at Kopachkas, (our International group). remember Kay helped Dean teach one night when Nancy Meeting and dancing with Ingvar Sodal in Boulder, was away.) Colorado is the main reason I got so interested in Scandina- Did I write you about the Scandia class that Dean vian Dance --and that was mostly Norwegian. I decided to and Nancy taught jointly in San Francisco? It was every have several weekend workshops up at Valley of the Moon Monday night at St. Paul's Church, 43rd and Judah in San in Northern California. I asked Ingvar to come and teach Francisco, and was very successful. Lots of the core dancers there first. Then, I asked Bosse Peterson to teach the next today began Scandia dancing there. It started in 1986, I be- year, so that we would be exposed to Swedish Dances, also. lieve, and went on till they separated. A high point, for After doing this for several years, I decided that a whole Dean at least, was to go out for ice cream afterwards! And week of Scandinavian Dance & Music would be wonderful. don't forget the bus trips full of Scandia dancers that Dean As I was one of the directors of the International Camp in organized to go down to Solvang's festival in the early the Mendocino Woodlands, I knew that place would be the spring, every year in the 1980s. perfect place to have this new camp. I ran the camp and in- Kay Loughman: vited teachers I knew, including Ingvar Sodal, for Norwe- In the mid- to late 70s, Nancy (and Dean) held a gian and Bosse Peterson, for Swedish. I decided to start that weekend workshop at the Valley of the Moon. I wasn't Scandinavian Camp 24 years ago this summer! there; but all the stories I've heard suggest that was the start of Scandinavian dancing in the Bay Area. The first Scandia Camp was held in 1980, with Nancy Lin- scott as the Director. I believe Ingvar Sodal was the co- or assistant director - but I'm not sure of the details. Atten- dance at the camp included many Kopachkas, and many members of the Westwind performing group. Peggy Chipkin Illustration below by Nancy Linscott in Let’s Dance, Nov., 1975 As I recall, Dean & Nancy got Scandinavian danc- Anja Miller: ing started and made it popular in the Bay Area in the It was maybe in ’79 or’80 that I met the Linscotts 1980's. I was privileged to be a part of their classes from the and started going to their classes, then to Mendocino camp beginning, and to go to the first Scandia Camp at Mendo- starting in 1982. The quality of their teaching and the cino. Their high quality teaching and bringing in other friendly spirit of the dancers really impressed me so much teachers from around the bay, the country, and also from that over the next 20 years I can count on the fingers of one Scandinavia put Scandinavian dancing on the map. As a hand the times I missed the second Saturday dance at Park relatively new dancer, I attended every one of the early School. To me, the uniquely open, friendly American workshops with great enthusiasm. Our group did small per- “culture” prevailing at those events was personified by formances for Norwegian (I think) Independence Day at the Dean’s call at the start of class, “Take the nearest partner!” I bandstand in Golden Gate Park for several years, and for a always think of Dean and Nancy as the mother and father of Finnish home in Sonoma County.