Estonian Folk Dance

Pillerkaar, Greater Washington, D.C. Metro Area

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Estonian Folk Dance History

                   Estonian Independence Day celebration at the Calvary Lutheran Church - Feb. 1984

History of Pillerkaar, Estononian Folk Dancers of the Greater Washington, DC Area

Pillerkaar came together under the auspices of the Estonian Society of  Washington, DC for the first time in the fall of 1971 with Anu Oinas as the founder and instructor and Maria Pedak Kari as the public relations person and events coordinator.  The goal of this folk dancing endeavor was to keep alive the forgotten art of Estonian Folk Dance (as Estonia was under communist control) and to enlist Estonians young and old to come together to renew a part of their culture and tradition with dance.  As Anu had already taught folk dance in New York, she was the perfect candidate to pull through such an endeavor. 

 There was another short term goal in mind – to perform as a group at ESTO 1972 in Toronto, Canada – which they did, 24 couples strong!  They were ages 10 to 50+ and many moms or dads danced with their teen aged kids!   In the years that followed, the group grew so large that Anu had to split then into three:  kids, adults, and seasoned dancers.   They each practiced once every other week but on different days – Anu had to drive 60 miles round trip six times a month to teach.  That’s dedication!

 

Originally, they danced at the Lutheran Church on Gallatin Road in NW Washington.  Later,  Rima Vesilind, who worked at one of the Fairfax County schools, offered the school for dancing practices but it was sporadic and they needed a permanent place.   In the middle 70’s, Silvi Valge, who  worked at Calvary Lutheran Church, in Silver Spring, MD, offered the church basement hall to Pillerkaar for their practices.  It is there that they practiced for 20 years under the kind gratitude of the church!  Since the group was so big, Anu enlisted help from others who helped with dance instruction, Sven Roosild, Raivo Vest, Reet Kaseoru, Karin Shuey, and Arvo Vercamer.  For the first 25 years, dances were taught from written instructions (in Estonian) in Ulo Toomi’s folk dance book.  It was a difficult job translating each toe  and finger movement from Estonian to English!

 

The 70’s and 80’s were spent learning new dances for each ESTO, every four years, and for performances for various folk festivals, Estonian Independence Day, and Jaanipaev (Celebration of Light).  From 1984-88, Pillerkaar’s dancers selected its current name (from many choices) and established its formal identity as Pillerkaar, Washington Folk Dancers.   Pillerkaar has been performing 3-10 times each year since then.

 

ESTO 88 brought a big change in the group since a large percentage were young people who went to college or got married and had children in the next few years.  The group took a hiatus for a year and then started up again – this time in Virginia (and closer to Anu).  It branched out to include friends of the dancers as well and since then have had quite a few Americans join in our practices and performances.  We practiced at the local high school for close to ten years until they required a $500 insurance policy to use the facilities.  In the next few years, practices were held weekly at various dancers homes and at Anu’s home in Virginia.  In the last year, we have been practicing more centrally, at the World Bank, where Anu currently works. 

 

The current group consists of about 20 Estonians and their spouses and friends.  In the last five years, more and more new dances are coming from Estonia and videotapes have become available to make teaching a lot simpler.  Pillerkaar itself has seasoned and a new dance can be learned during one practice!  The people love to dance, keep up the tradition of their forefathers, and have made a weekly commitment to attend practices.  We performed 8 times in 1999 and 10 times in 2000 and 12 times in 2001!  Since then we have averaged about 8 performances per year.

 

 

                                                            Prince Georges County Library Heritage Festival 3-8-86

 

Events for which we have performed include: Baltimore Historical Society; Celebration of Light; Essex, Fairfax, Arlington, Montgomery, and Gaithersburg Heritage Festivals; Australian and Estonian Embassies; Estonian World Festivals; Sports Events; Maryland University; Ronald Reagan Center; Smithsonian Institution; Wolf Trapp; World Bank; weddings; and parties.

 

Estonian Folk Dance Origins

Estonian Folk Dance Origins[1]

 

As early as 1584, Kroonik Balthasaat Russow wrote in his memoirs, “Chronica der Provinz Lyfflant that Estonian farmers with their wives and kids on Saturday nights gathered together to dance, drink, and revel in delight to the music of the “torupill” (something like a bagpipe).  It was said that if they left church (the next morning) as smart as they were they got there, then the dancing and carousing would continue!

 

In 1774, A. K. Hupel wrote in his “Topographische Nachrichten aus Est- und Liefland” that each person, old or young, would find a partner, often men with men and women with women and step into a circle to begin to dance.  Estonians, in their dancing, use the 3/4 time or the 3/8 time, step in short, slightly dragging steps, and on the third beat they stomp their foot on the floor. 

 

At Estonian weddings, the groom and a few of his best men always carried an uncovered sword, even while dancing.  At every door entrance, they would lift the swords so that two would touch over the archway of the door.  After heavy partying in to the night, the bride is taken to the groom’s house (pannakse pruut tanu alla) and the evening is ended, the bride sits on her brother’s lap while the groom, father-in-law, and best men dance around them hitting the ends of the swords together above them. 

 

In the old folk songs sung by the Setu people, there is mention of a kind of “kontratants” which was danced in the barnyards and farm fields.  It consisted of four long rows of girls facing one another while dancing.  Dances which developed from this were Ingliska (Kaberneeme, near Harju), Kassari (from Vihterpalu, near Haapsalu), Kuusalu kadrill, (from Kuusalu, near Loksa). 

 

After Estonia's independence proclamation in 1918, many began to take the old folk dances and choreograph them to their own taste and style..  These are the new dances and not traditionally considered the true “folk dance”. 

 

Estonian Folk Dance Groupings 

Estonian folk dance may be grouped into 4 basic types[1]: 

 

      1.    circle and line dances

            ·         unlimited number of dancers

·         the oldest of all the dances

 

      2.   kontradances and kadrills; the number of dancers is designated as well as the choreography

            ·         kontradances:  row dances; ingliska’s and threesome dances

·         kadrills (done in sets of four groups together)

·         setukargused (jumping steps from the Setu area)

     

      3.   couples dances; usually in circles moving counterclockwise

 

     4.   single dancer performances

 

 


[1]Tampere. 1975, p.50

 

[1]Väljalõige raamatust?,”Vanast Rahvatantsust”, p. 21-24. 

Estonian Traditional Folk Dances

 

Hüppetants  

    Folk dance arranged by Anna Raudkats in the 1920’s in Tallinn.   Music arranged by Ullo Toomi, piano arranged by B. Korver, and harp by J. Kotkas. 

 

Ilusti kenasti  

     Folk dance choreographed by Salme ja Ott Valgemäe.

 

Jämaja Labajalg (Jämaja Flatfoot) 

            From Saaremaa, in the town of Jämaja.   One of the oldest (1900) and most distinctually Estonian couples dances; said to have been danced by the “Jämaja” manor blacksmith (Jämaja mõisa sepp Easte-Jaak[1]).  It is a flat footed, non-bouncing waltz step in which the dancer never rises on the toes. 

 

Jooksupolka (Running Polka)

Couples dance from the Suure-Jaani kihelkond, choreographed by Ullo Toomi, music by Peeter Parbo, harp by Kandle Juss in 1928.

 

Kalamies (Fisherman)

          From the island of Kihnu.

 

Kanga kudumine (ehk Kanga koomine)

Old Swedish dance made into a Latvian dance by H. Suna.  In the mid- 1900’s this dance was refined by Kristjan Torop.

 

Kiigemang (The game of the Swing)

Choreographed by Salme ja Ott Valgemäe in Tallinn in the mid 1900’s.

  

Kiigetants (Swing Dance)

Chorepgraphed by H. Mihkel in 1949 in Tartu.  Music by H. Mihkel and D. Ounapuu.  Piano arranged by H. Korvits.

 

Kivikasukas (Stone Jacket)

          From Kiiu-Ablalt, near Loksa.  This dance developed in the late 1700’s.  The story behind the dance was that a man who had done wrong to his master was to beaten.  To make the beating less painful, the man put a sheepskin under his shirt before the beating.  When the man did not flinch during the beating, the one who was doing the beating was said to say, “What tricks do you have up your sleeve, do you have on a jacket made of stone?”  Later, at the inn, the man bragged to his friends about he fooled the master.  his friends, full of ale, then began to act out the scene of the stone jacket beating.  This dance was danced later in a circle by old men, very clumsily, as to accentuate the beating.

 

Kosjatants (Wooing Dance)

Dance arranged by Ullo Toomi in 1948 in Tallinn to depict a proposal of marriage.  Music was arranged by H. Korvits.   It is dance full of youthful movements taken from older dances:  Vana voortants (Old circle dance), Mustjala korge (Mustjala High), Viru valss (Waltz from town of Viru), and Jamaja labajalg (Flatfooted waltz from town of Jamaja). 

 

Krakovjakk

Old European folk dance from early 1900’s originating from Kumalu kihelkond, Hirveli kula (village).  Arranged by K. Torop in the 1950’s.

 

Kungla Polka (Choreographed dance of the Canadian group called “Kungla”)

         A dance choreographed in the early 70s by Thomas Metsala, Toronto, Canada.  He was so inspired by the lively Finnish polka music that he made the dance to the lively music using traditional Estonian dance steps. 

 

Sabatants

           Setumaa (near Loksa).   One of the songs the Setu people sang in the old days was called “Kirmaske laulu”.  The author of the song has made a note at the end of the music to say that as the girls are singing this song, they should stand one behind the other like geese (hannad) in a row and dance while singing.  The dance was later called “Hannatants (Sabatants). 

 

Targa Rehealune

         This is a dance is from Muhu and is danced only by women.  It has slow moving steps with bending up and down as if praying while moving in a circle.  The women mutter two words “iidamta, aadamta” in a seemingly purposeless fashion   It is speculated that it was a time when the men could have been away at war or if many had died in battle. 

 

 

 

[1]Toomi, p.147

Estonian Dance History in Washington DC

Estonian Folk Dance History in Washington, DC prior to 1970

Eesti Rahvatantsu Rühm Washington, DCs, USAs

Autor, Camilla Kuus, 1.märtsil 2004

 

Saksamaal pärast sõda UNRRA (United Nations’ Refugee Relief Administration)ja hiljem IRO (International Refugee Organization) poolt loodud põgenike laagrites asunud noored olid koorilaulu ja spordi harrastuse kõrval ka rahvatantsu viljelenud.  Kui ühendriikide väravad meie kodumaalt tulnud põgenikele lõpuks 1949 aastal avanesid siis selgus peagi, et paljud neist olid Washingtoni ja Baltimore rajoonis omale uue kodu leidnud. 

 

Mõte rahvatantsu loomisest tekkis tõenaoliselt Mihkel ja Ann Valge külalislahkes kodus, 1951. või 1952. aastal.  Selle pere kolm poega – Jüri, Madis ja Ado, ning nende kaasaegsed, teised eesti noored, nagu Arne Pessa, Ingrid Bütner, ja juba natuke hiljem, koorijuhi ja muusikaõpetaja August Nieländeri tütred, Carmen ja Silvi, olid rahvatantsust osa võtnud Saksamaal ja tundsid huvi rahvatantsurühma asutamisest. 

 

Camilla Kuus tundis seejuures huvi rahvatantsu õpetamise vastu.  Tema esimesed mälestused rahvatantsu õpetamisest ulatavad tagasi lapsepõlve kui ta ühes laste suvelaagris oli viibinud.  Hiljem oli võimalik suvevaheaegadel Naiskodukaitse pooltkorraldatud üritustel rahvatantsurühmas esineda.  Rahvatantsurühma õpetamisele tuli ka kasuks, et Camilla oli Tartus Tiina Kapperi Balletikooli lõpetanud.

 

Siinkohal tuleb tänuga meenutada Washington Christ kiriku tolleaegset õpetajat, Rev. William F. Brueningut, kelle juures meie vaimuliku Rudolf Troosti poolt asutatud EELK Washingtoni kogudus kodu oli leidnud ja kes meie kodumaa saatuse vastu huvi tundis ja meisse niivõrd hästi suhtus, et ta lubas vast-asutatud rahvatantsurühmal kiriku seltskondlikke ruume igal ajal harjutuseks kasutada.

 

Meie noorte auks peal ütlema, et nad suure heameele ja innuga harjutusteks ja esinemisteks kokku tulid.  Nende vanemad tundsid seevastu headmeelt, et nende lapsed  endile meeldiva tegevuse olid leidnud.  Lisaks sellele andis kõigist raskustest, ülesaamiseks jõudu teadmine, et rahvatants oli eriti ühendriikide pealinnas toimuvatel üritustel, heaks vahendiks meie kodumaa tutvustamisel. 

 

Esimesed esinemised toimusid meie kaasmaalastele kirikus peetud üritusel Washingtonis ja Baltimores (1950’s?), seal tihti koos Baltimore Eesti Rahvatantsu Rühmaga, kuid samuti Washingtonis asuvates organisatsioonides nagu seda olid YMCA, Pan American Club, The Baltic-Scandinavian Society, Congressional Country Club, the George Washington University ja USO Club.  Kutseid saabus nii palju, et rahvatantsurühm ei suutnud kõiki noorte õppetöö või täiskasvanute ametisoleku tõttu vastu võtta. 

 

Saatemuusika eest hoolitsesid Mihkel Valge, Silvi Nieländer Valge, Jüri Täht ja Madis Valge.  Kasutati ka heliplaate, mis stuudiotes klaveril või akordeonil olid ülalmainitud muusikute poolt “sisse” mängitud.

 

Üheks Suuremaks ürituseks oli esinemine Washington linna poolt igal aastal korraldatud Kõigi kohalike rahvuste “Folk Dance Festivalil”, mis pidi andma tunnistust ühendriikide pealinna asunud rahvustest ja väljendama nende kultuuripärndit.  Nendes kolm päeva kestvatel esinemistel oli üle 20-e rahvusgrupi esindatud. 

 

Kõige tähtsamaks kõigist esinemistest tuleb aga meie osavõttu igal aaastal jõulude ajal Valge Maja juures asuval Ellipsi pargis Pagent of Peace pidustusi lugeda, kuna sellel, kolm nädalat kestval, üritusel USA President isiklikult selekohasele nupule vajutades jõulupuul küünlad süütab ja jõululäkituse ette kannab.  Esimene sellesarnane üritus toimus 1954 aastal.  Juba järgmisel aastal lisandusid sellele üuendriikidega diplomaatilistes suhetes olevate maade poolt ehitatud jõulupuud, mis teed Ellipsile palistasid.  Nende seas oli ka meie rühma poolt ehitud jõulupuu, mille sponsoriks oli Camilla Kuus palunud, meie diplomaatilise esindaja New Yorgis peakonsuli saadiku ülesannetes Johannes Kaivu. Mitte ainult ajalehtedes ja televisionii saadetes, vaid ka “Ameerika Hääle” saadetes osutati sellele üritusele suurt tähelepanu.  Pärast Pagent of Peace-l esinemist andis selle president, kes oli ähtlasi ka Washingtoni Kaubanduskoja presidendiks, Camilla Kuusile üle kolm tänukirja, millest üks oli määratud peakonsul Kaivule kui meie esinemise sponsorile, teine Camilla Kuusile, kui rahvatantsurühma juhile, ja kolmas kiri rahvatantsurühmale. 

 

Peagi avanes meie rahvatantsurühmal võimalus ka televisioonis esineda.  Esimene sellesarnane esinemine toimus 1955 aasta mai kuul Baltimores seal korraldatud “World Trade Folk Festival” raamides, kus Washingtoni rahvatantsurühma esinemine 15 rahvusgrupi hulgas ühe Baltimore televisióni jaama poolt edasi anti.  Järgmine esinemine toimus 1955 aasta esimesel jõulupühal kui CBS tund aega kestnud saates ka rahvatantsu esinemise Pageant of Peace üritusel, nime all “Let’s Take a Trip”, esitas.  

 

Järgnevatel aastatel asendati teiste maade jõulupuud ühendriikide osariikide jõulupuudega.

 

Iga organisatsioon peab paratamatult ka järelkasvu peale mõtlema.  Nii loodi 1956 aastal ka Washingtoni rahvatantsurühma juurde noorte rühm ja hakati lastele rahvatantsu õpetama. 

 

Pärast üle viie aasta kestnud tööd rahvatantsurühma juures pidi rahvatantsu juht, Camilla Kuus, 1956 aasta kevadel Hispaaniasse asuda.  Seejärele jätkas rahvatantsurühma oma tegevust Silvi Nieländeri, Madis ja Ado Valge, ning Elgi Kääride juhtimisel; rühm töötas jõudsalt edasi kuni 1959. aastani.   

 

Peale 1958. aastat olid mitmed rahvatantsurühma liikmed kohalikud koolid (keskkoolid, ülikoolid) lõpetanud, väljaspoole Washingtoni ülikoolidesse siirdunud või sõjaväkke kutsutud, mis omakorda rühma tegevuse vaibumisele kaasa aitas.

 

1970 a sügisel, hakkas Anu Oinase juhatusel, “Pillerkaar-e” nimega Washington Eesti Rahvatantsu rühm, ellu äratama järgmist Eesti noorte generatsiooni. 

 

Panuse eest meie kodumaa tutvustamisel, eriti ajal mil meie probleemid olid suuremale osale ameeriklastele täiesti tundmatud, väärivad alljärgnevad rahvatantsurühmast osavõtjad, kes kunagi, olgu pidevalt või ühel või teiselkorral rahvatantsurühma koosseisus esinesid, ära märkimist.  Kõik nad on jäänud tõsisteks eestlasteks ja paljud neist on omal alal väljapaistvatele kohtadele jõudnud.  Kes oleks meie Pageant of Peace-l esinenud rahvatantsurühma liikmetest võinud arvata, et selle pidustuse juhtmõte 40 aastat hiljem ka meie kodumaa suhtes täitub ja, et ühel selle rühma liikmetest, nimelt arhitekt Madis Valgel võimalik on 1994 aastal Esti vabariigi poolt Eesti saatkonnale Washingtonis ostetud maja taastada, mis 19. oktoobril 1995 Eesti President Meri poolt pidulikultavatuks kuulutati. 

 

Esimesse Washingtoni Eesti Rahvatantsurühma kuulusid:  Bütner, Ingrid; Ciupak, Kugen; Hantsoo, Paavo; Hantsoo, Sirja; Kalvik, Kiira; Kitzberg-Osteraas, Leena; Käärid, Elgi; Käärid, Jaanus; Loger, Helmi; Loger, Jaan; Luhaste, ülo; Nieländer-Täht, Carmen; Nieländer-Valge, Silvi; Oinas, Vello; Pessa, Arne; Rauam, Naadi; Saarepera-Kuus, Camilla; Sibul, Leon; Teemant, Uno; Valge, Ado; Valge, Jüri; Valge, Madis; Väli-Ottenbacher, Viia; Williamson, Roger.

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