Scandia Festival 2003
Swedish Dance Teachers Ewa & Tommy Englund, with
Fiddler Bengt Wittgren.
Rickard Näslin, from Jämtland, Sweden, to Teach Fiddle
Classes.
Scandia Festival 2003 is set for February 14 - 16 at Hermann Sons
Hall in Petaluma, CA, just north of San Francisco.
Ewa & Tommy Englund are favorite Swedish dance
teachers and need little introduction. Over the years they’ve taught
many popular dances, including those of their native Hälsingland
and of Gästrikland where they live. They have a clear presentation
and pleasing dance style, always adding that extra something to give a
dance its essence. After
earning their Big Silver in Polskadans in the 80s, both now act as
judges
for dance events. Ewa is a judge for the Polskadans Medal testing and
Tommy for the Hälsingehambo contest.
Bengt Wittgren grew up in a folk dancing family in Southern
Dalarna. He became interested in playing fiddle in his teens and soon
joined the Södra Dalarna Spelmanslag led by Ingvar Norman. Bengt
accompanied
Ingvar to spelmansstämmor and played for Ingvar's polska classes.
He edited and helped publish 1700 of Ingvar's collected tunes in two
volumes;
Låtar från Dalarnes Bergslag. Bengt became a Riksspelman
1983. He is also an accomplished dancer, having earned his Big Silver
in Polskadans. Bengt is active in Swedish music and dance organizations
and has taught
fiddle and dance for over 20 years. He is also a Hälsingehambo
contest
judge.
Rickard Näslin was born and raised in Östersund,
Sweden. His active involvement with the music of Jämtland goes
back to 1974. He is a founder of the popular folk group Leikstulaget.
Since the recording of "Som fjällbäckens porlande" by this
group, Rickard has participated in many recordings of Jämtland
music. He has published three books of Jämtländsk fiddle
music. Rickard founded and leads the Östersund Spelmanslag. Over
the years he has received many prizes and honors for
his contributions to Jämtlandsk folk music. In 1998, he was also
awarded the Lapp-Nils medal, the Heimbydas Spelmans association's
highest honor. Rickard became a Riksspelman 1978.
Flyers are available at SF area Scandinavian dance classes. Out of area
folks and dancers currently not attending classes may contact any of
the following people for info: Brooke Babcock: <forbrooke@
juno.com>, (415) 334-3455; Nobi Kurotori: <nobi@juno.com>,
(650) 851-7077; Jane & Frank Tripi: <fjtripi@ juno.com>,
(510) 654-3636; or Mary
Korn & Mark Wegner: <wegorn@aol.com>, (510) 527-9209.
Information and applications
are also available on the NCS website at
http://members.aol.com/jglittle/ncsnlf2002/scandfest2003regform.html.
Participation in dance workshops is by pre-registration only. Men are
asked to register early. The number of dancers is limited due to space,
so early registration is encouraged for all.
The full package costs $80 for dancers, $60 for fiddlers. Checks for
the dance workshop should be made to “Scandia Festival” and sent with a
completed application to Brooke Babcock, 55 Chumasero Dr., #12 E, San
Francisco,
CA 94132.
Fiddlers should mail applications and payments (make checks to "Scandia
Festival") to Fred Bialy, 1925 Hudson St., El Cerrito, CA 94530. Part
time registration is available for fiddlers. Teaching will be at two
levels: "Sonic" and "Supersonic." Contact Fred Bialy for information or
special
requests at <bialy10@attbi.com> or (510) 215-5974.
Email contacts are preferred; if you phone, please remember that all
live in the Pacific Standard Time zone. §
IMPORTANT INFO: South Bay Dance makes permanent
change
The South Bay monthly Scandinavian Dance party is making a
permanent change in monthly meeting time, from 3rd Saturday of each
month to the
1st Saturday of each month, beginning in January, 2003. The group will
continue to meet at its normal meeting place, the 1st United Methodist
Church of Palo Alto, 625 Hamilton Ave. §
It’s That Time of Year Again …
Yes, it’s that time of year again, when thoughts turn to
gifts and taxes. And memberships in various organizations. Please look
over the Questionaire inside the
back
cover to make sure your address information is up to date. While you’re
at it, think about what you’d like to see the organization do for you,
and
what you might do for us. Sometimes it takes awhile to organize events,
but your suggestions are all considered, and often acted upon.
Last but not least - don’t forget to donate. §
A note from your editor …
If you haven’t received an NCS Newsletter in the past year,
it’s not that we’ve lost your address. Your editor (i.e., me) has been
feeling exceptionally burnt out, and would like to make heartfelt
apologies for
this long lapse.
Included in this issue are a couple of articles I’d originally planned
for last spring (about the Willow Flute, and about Astrid Lindgren’s
death last January). I find my biggest challenge is gathering calendar
information. It always means many phone calls, emails, and web
searches. I plan to
be calling on some of you to help me with this. I hope to rotate the
job
among several people during the year so no one feels exceptionally
over-
burdened.
Thanks for your support,
Sarah Kirton
<sekirton@ix.netcom.com>
Scandia Camp Mendocino, 2003
Next summer’s Scandia Camp Mendocino, June 14 - 21, on
California’s northern coast, will feature the dance and music of
Valdres, Norway, along with a review of Jämtland's dances.
Knut Aastad Bråten and Anne Kjellfrid Nøbben
will be teaching Valdres springar, accompanied by hardingfele players Tore
Bolstad and Jan Beitohaugen Granli. Also coming, from
Sweden, Ewa and Tommy Englund will review dances
previously taught by the Karlholms, accompanied by musicians Agneta
Wiberg-Hällström
and Anders Hällström. Cajsa Ekstav, a
nyckelharpa player from Vendels parish in Upland, will also be on hand.
All five musicians will also teach music classes.
Knut Aastad Bråten, born and raised in Valdres, started
playing folk music and dancing springar as a college student. He has
studied with Valdres’ finest dancers and is now a member of the “A”
class of dancers. In addition, Knut is accomplished on langeleik, a
Norwegian in-strument
resembling the Appalachian dulcimer. He cur-rently teaches ethnology in
Valdres schools, and also teaches Valdresspringar to young people.
Anne Kjellfrid Nøbben, also born and raised in Valdres
and also an “A” class dancer, grew up with music and dance in her
family. Her grandfather was a folksinger, and following in his
footsteps, Anne Kjellfrid is also an accomplished singer. She learned
to dance springar both from
courses and from joining in at dance at events. Anne Kjellfrid says,
“In
real life”, I am one of two teachers in the Heggebøskule
teaching
grades 1 through 4.
Tore Bolstad grew up on a farm in Øystre Slidre. He has
played hardingfele since he was nine years old and says that
traditional music takes up most of his time! Tore learned to play from
local fiddlers, among them his grand-father Torgeir and Torgeir’s more
famous brother Torliev Bolstad. In addition, Tore is a dancer and has
studied with Knut Steinsrud among others. Tore lives in Aas where he
teaches physiology in the Dept. of Animal Science at the Agricultural
University.
Jan Beitohaugen Granli began fiddling as a young boy. He is
a descendant of the famous Valdres fiddlers Nils Beitohaugen and his
son
Engebret. Jan is carrying on the family tradition by studying
recordings
of Engebret. Jan has been a music student at Rauland Academy and is
currently
studying at the Ole Bull Academy in Voss.
From Sweden
Ewa and Tommy Englund are favorite dance
teachers both in the USA and Sweden. They are appreciated for their
clear presentations and warmth to participants. Born in
Hälsingland, and residing in
Sandviken, Gästrikland, they have both earned big silver medals
for
polska dancing, and have won the Hälsinge Hambo Contest four
times. They both serve as judges for various dance events.
Cajsa Ekstav, from Vendels parish in Uppland, is a
multi-talented musician who plays fiddle, nyckelharpa and who also
sings. She received the title of Riksspelman in 1990. Her repertoire
includes tunes from Vendel’s most famous nyckelharpa player, the
legendary Eric Sahlström. Cajsa has traveled extensively
performing and teaching the music of Uppland.
Agneta Wiberg-Hällström and Anders
Hällström
reside in Påläng, Norbotten not far from the Finnish border.
They work as violin and folk music teachers, have played for the
Föllinge summer course for ten years, and spent 16 years teaching
at a folk music camp for young people. Agneta is a Riksspelman and
folksinger with traditional influences from Jämtland and Medelpad.
Anders is a multi-instrumentalist who has specialized mostly in violin
and accordion, but also plays a number of other instruments. Both
Agneta and Anders studied at Malung's folkhögskule and the Royal
Academy of Music in Stockholm. Together Anders and Agneta received the
“large gold” award for duet playing from the Medelpad folk
musicians association.
Rounding out the music staff will be Sarah Kirton and Peter
Michaelsen. Sarah will assist newer musicians on hardingfele and
play at the evening dance parties. Sarah lives in the San Francisco Bay
Area where she teaches both fiddle and hardingfele. She has a special
interest in the music of Southern Sweden, Jämtland, and Valdres.
She has spent over a year in Norway studying Valdres hardingfele
tradition, and has also studied in Sweden. Peter is an accomplished
folk musician and Scandinavian fiddler from Seattle who has studied
ex-tensively in Sweden. In the summer of 2002, he was awarded the Zorn
bronze medal for his playing of Rättvik tunes. He will lead
afternoon practice sessions and a nightly allspel. His powerful style,
broad repertoire and dance experience inspires musicians and dancers
alike.
Practical Stuff… … …
Scandia Camp Mendocino takes place in a lovely redwood
forest about 11 miles inland from the town of Mendocino, California.
The days
are filled with dance, music, and culture sessions; evenings are party
time. Accommodations are rustic wooden cabins in the forest and the
food is delicious.
Tentative fees are: $535 per dancer or musician, $310 per Work
Scholarship (8 available). Deposits: Send $150.00 per person with the
application
form. All deposits received by January 15, 2003 will receive equal
consideration. To maximize your chance of being accepted immediately,
send your deposit early. Final payments are due May 1, 2003. For
registrations post-marked after May 1, 2003, the fee is $560 per camper
- to be paid in full at that time.
Scandia Camp Mendocino offers five $50.00 registration discounts to
participants attending for the first time. All registrations from new
Scandia Campers received by January 15th, 2003 will be put into a
drawing
for the discounts. Winners will be notified.
For more information and to get on the mailing list for applications,
write to: Scandia Camp Mendocino, 393 Gravatt Drive, Berkeley, CA 94705
or contact Kay Loughman: <kayloughman@attglobal.net>, (510)
841-7428
[Pacific time zone] or Roo Lester: <DancingRoo@ aol.com> or (630)
920-0159
[Central time zone]. §
Astrid Lindgren — a Brief
Biography by Carolyn Hunt
Astrid Lindgren, who died January 28, 2002 at age 94,
represents an aspect of Swedish culture that doesn’t often appear on
these pages:
literature.
Pippi
The most published of all Swedish writers, she is known first of all
for her Pippi Longstocking stories, about the red haired girl who lived
alone in a ramshackle house with a monkey and a horse and other
souvenirs of her sea-captain father’s travels (including a very useful
bag of gold coins), and was very inventive (as well as strong and loyal
and kind and generous). Adults were wary of Pippi: she never went to
school, she mocked grown-ups and their fine cultured ways, and above
all she lacked adult guidance. But Pippi has always been a great hit
with children, and the books have been translated into more than 50
languages.
San Francisco Chronicle columnist Adair Lara wrote, “Pippi was pure
anarchy. She was a child who had been liberated from childhood.... We
needed
a hero, and along came a little girl with red hair and mismatched
stockings
who was strong enough to lift a horse onto her porch when she felt like
it.... Yet I never yearned to be Pippi Longstocking. I knew even at her
age, 9, that it was not really fun to live all by yourself and not even
go to school. No one who read "Pippi" truly wanted to be her; we wanted
to visit her, and then come home.... Her image formed not just part of
my childhood, but, I think, part of my character. I was a girl, and
girls
could lift horses.”
Other writing
Astrid Lindgren’s output of more than 100 works consisted of much
more than Pippi. She wrote about Emil in Lönneberga, Ronja the
Robber’s Daughter, The Brothers Lionheart. She wrote other stories,
fables, novels, plays, screen-plays, poetry, songbooks, and two books
about motor trips
in Sweden. About 40 films and TV series have been made from her
writings. Although most of her writing for children was light-hearted
and fun, she
has two collections of fairy tales that often contain melancholy
themes,
dealing with poverty and death, these too being part of the condition
of
life. She said, “I don’t write books for children. I write books for
the
child I am myself. I write about things that are dear to me—trees and
houses
and nature—just to please myself.” And: “Everything I write has really
taken
its hue from my own experience, perhaps not directly, but indirectly,
like
some kind of breeding ground from which the books grow.”
Later in her life she began to write about other issues that concerned
her. In 1976 a satiric story by Astrid about the high income tax rate
was printed in the newspaper. Later that year the government was voted
out, after 40 years in power, for which some gave her the credit.
She wrote numerous letters protesting the treatment of farm animals
in Sweden; pigs and chickens were kept in cages so small that in some
cases they couldn’t move. In 1987 a new animal protection law was
passed that gave
cattle, pigs, chickens natural grazing rights and eliminated the use of
drugs
and hormones except for medical pur-poses. The prime minister called it
“Lex Astrid”, and it’s known now as the Lindgren Law.
Early life
Astrid Ericsson was born in 1907 on the farm known as Näs near
Vimmerby in Småland, where the family had farmed for several
generations, the traditional rural setting that she portrayed so well.
A number of
streets in Vimmerby today are named for characters in the Lindgren
books. She and her three siblings became fa-miliar with the realities
of life
on a farm and with the lives of the workers who came to the farm. They
loved
the stories their father told about his childhood. They often acted out
stories from their own reading. Astrid’s school friends predicted that
she would be a great writer herself one day. “That scared me so much
that
I made a firm decision never to write a book,” she wrote later.
At the age of 19, pregnant and unwed, she left the farm (probably under
quite a cloud) and went to Stockholm. She attended secretarial school
and became an office worker to support herself and her son Lars. In
1931 she married Sture Lindgren, whom she had met at work, and in 1934
their daughter Karin was born.
Stories
Karin was 7, ill with pneumonia and asking for stories, and Astrid
ran out of ideas. “Tell me about Pippi Longstocking,” Karin suggested,
the name coming from the desperation of the moment. So Astrid began,
and the stories got as wild as they needed to be to entertain a
restless child, and in time to entertain Karin’s friends as well. In
1945 Astrid herself was in bed, waiting for a broken ankle to heal,
when she began to write down
the Pippi stories; the completed manuscript was a gift to Karin for her
10th
birthday.
She sent the Pippi stories off to a publisher and wrote another story,
“Britt-Mari Bares her Heart”, which she sent to the publisher
Rabén and Sjögren for a literature contest. Pippi was
rejected, but Britt-Mari won second prize. The following year she
submitted Pippi to the contest and won first prize. Rabén and
Sjögren publish-ed the book and soon after gave Astrid a job as
editor in their children’s division; she worked
there until 1970. Among other assignments, she selected American
child-ren’s books for translation into Swedish. Rabén and
Sjögren has become a major publisher of children’s books in Sweden.
Having at last overcome her determination not to write, she continued
to write. Before going to work, she wrote in bed in the mornings, using
the shorthand learned in secretarial school. “When I write, I lie in
bed... and I have the feeling that nothing outside exists—I’m just on
my bed in
my little room, and I can go and meet the people I want to.” Her work
as
writer and editor supported the family after her husband’s death in
1952.
She wrote until 1992, when her eyesight became too limiting. (Her son
Lars
died in 1986; Karin is still alive.)
Honors
The list of honors that Astrid Lindgren has received goes on for a few
pages; here are just a few. In 1958 she was awarded the Hans Christian
Andersen medal, “the ultimate accolade for an author of children’s
books”. In 1979 she received the Peace Prize of the German Book Trade,
a rare honor for
children’s writer. In 1988 the Animal Protection Act in Sweden, known
as
theLindgren Law was enacted. In 1989 she was awarded the Albert
Schweitzer Medal of the United States Animal Welfare Institute. In 1987
in honor of her 80th birthday, a series of 49 commemorative stamps was
issued, and the West German school system proclaimed the “Official
Astrid Lindgren Year.” In 1996 a postage stamp was issued in her honor.
The Astrid Lindgren Childrens Hospital opened 1998, one of N. Europe’s
largest medical clinics for young people, named for her in honor of her
campaigns for childrens rights.
Pippi Longstocking has sold a million copies in Sweden alone, in itself
a fitting monument to such a beloved figure.
Sources:
• Obituary by Kim Gamel, Associated Press, in the San Francisco
Chronicle & the San Jose Mercury News, 1/29/02.
• Obituary inVestkusten, Tidning för Svenskarna på
Stillehavskusten.
• Writers, Shaun Hunter, 1998, Crabtree Publishing Company,
ISBN 0-7787-0005-4 .
• Contemporary Authors.
• Adair Lara in the San Francisco Chronicle, 1/31/02.
• Web site <www.longstocking.tv> .
• Web site <www.falcon.jmu.edu> . §
NCS Annual Report Published
The Northern California Spelmanslag’s Annual Report, which was,
until last year published in this newsletter, will instead be posted on
the spelmanslag webpage at: <members.aol.com/gjlittle/ncs.html>.
This report includes the organization’s statement of purpose, a
description of our member groups, a list of officers and how to contact
them, the year’s financial statement, and a list of the year’s
activities. The Northern California Spelmanslag was founded in 1990.
This newsletter goes nationwide; the spelmanslag
itself serves primarily those in the San Francisco Bay Area and
northern
California who are interested in Scandinavian Music and Dance. §
Plans Afoot for April Workshop
Musicians Cajsa Ekstav and Bo Larsson will
be visiting the Bay Area before they go to Seatttle for Spring Dance
this April. Plans are currently being made for a workshop and dance in
Palo Alto
on the third weekend of April, the 19th and 20th.
Bo Larsson last visited the Bay Area about 10 years ago with
his playing partner Leif Alpsjö. He plays music from his native
Uppland, as well as Bingjö tunes in the tradition of his uncle
Viksta Lassa, who was the playing partner of the famous Bingsjö
fiddler Hjort Anders.
Cajsa Ekstav, from Vendels parish in Uppland, is a
multi-talented musician who plays fiddle, nyckelharpa and who also
sings. She received the title of Riksspelman in 1990. Her repertoire
includes tunes from Vendel’s most famous nyckelharpa player, the
legendary Eric Sahlström. Cajsa has traveled exten-sively
performing and teaching the music of Uppland.
Details are not yet complete, but mark that weekend on your calendar.
Their visit is sponsored by the Northern California Spelmanslag.
Finnish Dance Workshop with Milla Korja
& Petri Kauppinen
Milla Korja and Petri Kauppinen, professional dance
instructors from Finland, have been living in the Los Angeles area
while working on
advanced degrees in dance at UC Irvine. They will return to Finland in
March, but will give a last Northern California work-shop on Saturday,
January
18th, 2003 at the Gladys Lemmons Senior Center, 450 East A Street,
Oakdale,
CA. Events are planned from 10 AM to 11:30 PM. The cost is $35 for the
entire day, or $10 per event (advanced workshop: 10-12; social dance
workshop:
2 - 4; dinner: 5 - 6:30; and dance performance and dance party: 7 -
11:30). For information, call Janet Kenworthy at (209) 578-5250 or Mark
Ward at (209) 669-9096. Registration forms will also be available on
the NCS webpage at http://members.aol.com/jglittle/ncsnocaevents.html.
Completed applications should be sent to David Raube, 4455
Roeding Rd, Ceres, CA 95307.
And in Oakland — Korja and Petri will visit the Scandiandans
regular Thursday night, Jan. 23rd in Oakland. §
Scandiadans Late New Year’s Potluck &
Party
– with live music
Thursday, January 2, 2003, $4, 5:30 - 10 pm, (dancing to start ~ 7 pm)
Oakland Nature Friends, 3115 Butters Dr., Oakland CA
Directions: take Hwy 13 to Joaquin Miller Rd, east 2 blks
, rt onto Butters Dr., driveway is to rt after 0.4 mi
Contact: Jane or Frank Tripi, (510) 654 - 3636, email:
<fjtripi@juno.com>
Check Out Our Webpage! -
If you haven't investigated the NCS webpage at
<members.aol.com/jglittle/ncs.html>,
you really ought to check it out. We maintain it for our members and
others interested in Scandinavian dance and selected cultural
activities in Northern California. We also list information about
events in other
areas of the US and Scandinavia which we feel will be of interest to
our
community.
On our webpage you can find:
(The "boring" stuff)
• current and past issues of this newsletter,
• information about the NCS and its purpose,
• Annual Reports - required for all California non-profit organizations,
• a list of our Organizational Affiliations
(The practical stuff)
• a list of NCS officers and board members, and how to contact them,
(How to propose an idea or get NCS sponsorship for an event)
• NCS Guidelines for Discussions and Decisions,
• NCS Board Guidelines for Proposals for Events,
(Great information)
• a Calendar of events for Northern California, the US,
& Scandinavia - calendars are updated as information arrives,
• a list of web-links to webpages in the US & Scandinavia.
These linked-to pages are full of useful information for planning
trips, learning new music or dances, or finding out about Scandinavian
culture and customs. §