The Story of the Norwegian Dancers
A
group of high school students brings a little bit of Norway to America.
By
Polly Goepfert
In 1952, the town of Stoughton, Wisconsin held its first Syttende
Mai celebration. This recognition of Norwegian Independence Day was
to become a tradition in the community. The administrator of the schools
at the time, Albert Molderhauer, was of German ancestry, but he felt
that because the area was primarily populated with second- and third-generation
Norwegians, the schools should play an active part in supporting ethnic
pride in Stoughton.
Mr. Molderhauser approached Jeanne Reek (who was of English ancestry),
the girls' physical education teacher at Stoughton High School,
and prevailed upon her to begin a Norwegian dance group made up of
students. The group would be expected to perform in future Syttende
Mai celebrations. Ms. Reek was at first reluctant to undertake this
task, as she had limited folk dance background and little knowledge
of Norway and its customs. However, because she was convinced of the
value of such a group, she began the program by choosing six girls,
who in turn chose their partners to form the first group.
___________________________________
He
felt that because the area was primarily populated with second- and
third-generation Norwegians, the schools should play
an active part in supporting ethnic pride in Stoughton.
___________________________________
The group began practising during their lunch hour. In order to put
in more time they then began holding practices at 7:00 a.m. From the
early years, the group has grown to include twenty dancers and three
keyboardists. Practices are now held every morning at Stoughton High
School.
By the third year of the dance group's existence, the interest
of the school and community grew to such an extent that Ms. Reek felt
she must uncover all there was to know about Norway and its customs.
She advanced the performance level of the troop through discussions
and interviews with Norwegians but found very little recorded information
about folk dancing.
In the summer of 1964, she went to Norway to gather information first-hand.
She spent seven weeks there filming folk dances, getting translations
to accompany the films, exploring costume shops and taping music.
Other people in the community helped in developing these authentic
folk performances. Shirley Ralph, who was of Welsh ancestry, worked
on recording on paper the music to accompany the dancers. In the early
years, accordions were used, but today the dancers are accompanied
by keyboardists. Alma Tenjem played an important role in copying,
designing, embroidering and constructing costumes. The first costumes
were all hand made in Stoughton. Now the girls' bunads (Norwegian
traditional costumes) actually come from Norway and represent different
regions of the country, while the boys' bunads are made in Stoughton
with material ordered from Norway.
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In
1968 they were asked to dance for King Olaf of Norway when he visited
Madison.
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With the support and assistance of talented community members, school
personnel and parents, the Stoughton Norwegian Dancers have become
"good will ambassadors." They have performed for millions
of people and toured all over the United States. They have participated
in several national folk festivals. Each spring they go on tour to
a different part of the country. In 1968 they were asked to dance
for King Olaf of Norway when he visited Madison. Ms. Reek returned
to Norway in 1971 to do more research. The following year a highlight
in the dancers' career occurred when they were invited to perform
in Norway in and around the cities of Bergen and Oslo.
Each year many students in Stoughton try out for the nine to ten vacancies
in the group left by graduating seniors. Being a Norwegian dancer
is held in high regard among the students and community. The members
of the group are pleased to have the opportunity to bring to each
of you a little of the traditions of Norway.
This article was republished with the kind permission
of Polly Goepfert. More information on the dancers can be seen at her
website at http://www.thermaldesign.com/dancers/default.htm.
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