Welcome beginners and more experienced alike! For enthusiasts of Norwegian folk music and dance in the Baltimore-Washington-Frederick area. Our monthly Norwegian-style house parties have tasty potlucks, friendly company, and lively dancing. We share moves and sometimes have informal classes. Newbies are welcomed, encouraged, and otherwise assimilated. Out-of-town visitors are always a treat; if you plan ahead we can probably put you up at someone’s house.
What is our favorite dance? The springar from Telemark in Norway (telespringar) is a couple dance with a flavor of swing. For a peek at folks at a typical party doing the telespringar, see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4Ltrt0Hxu0&... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4Ltrt0Hxu0&feature=player_profilepage) .
You can get out on the floor the first time: dance around doing the basic step either by yourself or with a partner, and have lovely dances with partners using just a few basic moves.
Meanwhile try to listen to some Telespringar music, to get that asymmetrical pulse going in your head and your heart! (What asymmetrical pulse? You know how Viennese Waltz has an exhilarating lilt because they rush/shorten the first beat and hang on the 2nd? Well, Springars are uneven like that, with distinctive regional differences. The Telespringar is unusual in that the 2nd beat is the heaviest/longest, and from that the dancers spring forward/upward a bit to the 3rd beat. How does this fit to the music? Listen to the tapping of the fiddler's feet: Most tap lightly on 1, then heavily on 2, then maybe a very light tap on 3. As with any dancing, it helps to hear the rhythm of the music and be able to pick out where "1" is, but don't worry--it's easier to feel it in a roomful of dancers.)
Come dance! Or just listen to the mesmerizing cascade of notes and watch until eventually you're drawn to the floor....
For more information about MAND see our website: http://mand.fanitull.org (http://mand.fanitull.org/).
