Today’s
Enlightening Entertainment
will be presented
in Finnish and English,
with subtitles in Arabic,
Aulacese (Vietnamese),
Chinese, English,
(Finnish,) French,
German, Indonesian,
Japanese, Korean,
Malay, Persian,
Portuguese, Russian,
Spanish and Thai.
Apart from
rhythmic movements
and pulsing music,
it is said that the core
of Finnish dance
is the message:
“I am happy
just to be with you.”
Welcome artistic viewers
to today’s
Enlightening Entertainment,
where we will explore
the charming Finnish dance
featuring the Katrilli
Folk Dance Group and
the Tsuumi Dance Company.
Founded in 1975,
the Katrilli
Folk Dance Group
is known as a pioneer
of modern folk dance.
It is also one of the most
respected folk dance
ensembles in Finland.
Performing both
traditional works
and new choreographies,
Katrilli’s dances arise
from the participants’
enthusiasm as well as
skill and artistry.
Their diversified costumes
and live music
played by folk musicians
are also acclaimed features
of Katrilli.
Mr. Eero Hietanen,
an instructor of the Katrilli
Folk Dance Group,
and Mr. Panu Helke,
musician and artistic
director, explain to us
what Finnish folk dance is
and how it has been
evolved through
the creative work
of the company.
Finnish folk dance is
a very large diversity of
different kinds of dances
and Finland is a mixture
from east and
from western cultures.
First pair dances
came to Finland
in the 17th century
and they came
from Eastern Europe,
Polska (Poland), and
from France, this minuet,
and they came through
Sweden to Finland.
And then contra dances
came both from east
and west and there are
a very large scale
of different kinds of
contra dances,
like Katrillis in Finland.
Later came new dances
like polka and waltz.
And they came
in 19th century, so that
there are a very large scale
of different dances.
One unique feature
in Finnish dance is that
men and women parts
are very equal.
Everybody dances together.
Finnish folk dance
you can say
it’s an art form.
Traditionally,
Finnish folk dance
which is on stage
and the stories are mostly
from tradition
and the stories tell about
wedding traditions,
or something
like work traditions
from older lives,
and love stories are
often told in folk dancing.
Also modern stories are
told in folk dance way.
When we come
to folk music,
I think one thing
that is quite unique
is the song,
the singing culture.
For example, those poems
that are in our national
epic, “Kalevala,”
that kind of song music
is quite unique in Europe.
That is part of
the older tradition.
Then, when
instrumental folk music
that they nowadays play
has come to Finland,
it has come through Sweden
and also many of
the instruments like violin
and clarinet have come
through the west.
We have these both,
this western and
eastern tradition.
The Tsuumi Dance Company
was founded in 1998.
It is a Finnish dance group
that combines traditional
and modern folk dancing.
Tsuumi’s professional
dancers and have presented
more than 20 premieres
and performed
on numerous Finnish
and international stages.
Tsuumi performed
at the Eurovision Song
Contest 2007 Semifinals
at the Helsinki Arena.
Combining skill
and competence with
sensitivity and humor,
Tsuumi artists seek to
incorporate various dance
traditions and elements
to create new
and exciting experiences.
Their motto is
“roots in tradition,
head in clouds.”
Ms. Reetta-Kaisa Iles,
a choreographer and dancer
with the Tsuumi Dance
Company, also shares
about Finnish folk dance
and her group’s
innovative work.
Folk dance is always
a social dance, so
we take this social thing,
but we can add different
kind of movements in it.
We try
to see the folk dance
from different angles.
From Russia side
comes these rhythmic
characteristic styles,
and we use those,
like lots of stepping,
and lots of rhythms.
And from the Sweden side,
we have these
more softer things,
things that go around
and continue, and
there’s this magic feeling
of just going and floating.
In Tsuumi
we have this wish
to go over of the border
of the audience
and the performer,
somehow to get
this feeling of dance, and
feeling of movement, and
feeling of being together,
to go over this line, so that
people can relate to that.
They recognize something
from themselves, kind of
like, “Oh this is familiar,
this is part of me.”
When we return,
we will find out more
about the universal appeal
of Finnish folk music
and dance today.
Please stay tuned
to Supreme Master
Television.
Folk music was
from the beginning
very nice
because I found that
we could play it anywhere.
We could go
just in the park to play,
we could go to a café
and start to play, or
to some company where
people are doing their work.
And a kind of surprise
people with that,
but they find out
that they really delighted
to hear this music.
That’s a good point
in this folk art.
Welcome back to
Enlightening Entertainment.
The beauty of folk music
and dance may be found
in their inclusive spirit.
Through this art form,
everyone can participate
in celebrating with
the whole community.
This is no less true
for Finnish folk dance,
past and present.
Folk dances are
originally social dances
in communities
and in villages
in all over in Finland.
And they have a big role
in different festivities
like weddings,
the midsummer fests.
We want to bring
this dancing more like
to our everyday life
because people should
have time together
in this modern society and
dance is very good way
to spend time together.
I think the dance
has been really important
to Finnish people,
because that’s the place
where they can open up
to each other, and relax.
So when you dance
with people,
you get this feeling
of relating to each other,
and communicating
without words.
You can start folk dancing
very easily
from very easy steps.
Everybody can join dancing
even if they know
only a very little about it.
Many dances
are very formal and
you have a certain steps
you make in this dance
and you do it
in a certain style.
Everything
is very organized.
But when people are just
dancing for their own fun,
it doesn’t have to be
so much formalized
and strict, that everybody
can do it in their own style
and be together.
You can have
a certain element
of its highly stylistic way
of doing it, but then also
this folksy way
of just having fun.
So, what place does
Finnish folk dance have
in modern-day society?
The artists
of Katrilli and Tsuumi
share their insights.
I think the art is the best
way to celebrate this life.
When you go to see
a performance, you can
relate to the people,
and you can see yourself
and this is life, and you
get different things out
from it.
And you can leave
your worries outside.
Then you can kind of
like go through them and
see them from outside
and then maybe
realize something
about life and yourself.
The role of
the folk music and dance
is the expression
of the inner self
of the people like
with any art,
and bringing that to
contact with other people
and to their inner selves
also through the expression.
It’s quite important,
because much of these
emotions and other things
are not so evident
in everyday life.
But through these kinds
of art forms you can
really bring yourself out
and see that, well,
all the people are the same,
there’s no need
to be afraid and so strict
about the behavior.
And it’s easier to understand
also other people
through this kind of ways
of expression.
This brings the true values
of human life.
Folk dance is dance
for everyone.
Let us now enjoy
this performance
by the Katrilli Folk
Dance Group of Finland.
Our appreciation
and best wishes to the
Tsuumi Dance Company
and the Katrilli
Folk Dance Group
for bringing feelings
of joy and harmony
to your audiences through
the wonderful living world
of Finnish folk dance.
For more information
on the Tsuumi Dance
Company and the Katrilli
Folk Dance Group,
please visit
and
Tsuumi Dance Company
Katrilli
Folk Dance Group
Thank you viewers for
your pleasant company
on this edition of
Enlightening Entertainment.
Up next is
Words of Wisdom
after Noteworthy News
here on
Supreme Master Television.
May your spirit
always be happy
throughout the dance
called life.
HOST (IN FINNISH):
Apart from rhythmic movements and pulsing music，it is said that the core of Finnish dance is the message: 『I am happy just to be with you.』 Welcome artistic viewers to today’s Enlightening Entertainment，where we will explore the charming Finnish dance featuring the Katrilli Folk Dance Group and the Tsuumi Dance Company.
Founded in １９７５， the Katrilli Folk Dance Group is known as a pioneer of modern folk dance. It is also one of the most respected folk dance ensembles in Finland. Performing both traditional works and new choreographies，Katrilli’s dances arise from the participants’ enthusiasm as well as skill and artistry. Their diversified costumes and live music played by folk musicians are also acclaimed features of Katrilli.
Mr. Eero Hietanen， an instructor of the Katrilli Folk Dance Group，and Mr. Panu Helke，musician and artistic director， explain to us what Finnish folk dance is and how it has been evolved through the creative work of the company.
(Interview in English) Eero Hietanen (m):
Finnish folk dance is a very large diversity of different kinds of dances and Finland is a mixture from east and from western cultures. First pair dances came to Finland in the １７th century and they came from Eastern Europe，Polska (Poland)， and from France， this minuet，and they came through Sweden to Finland. And then contra dances came both from east and west and there are a very large scale of different kinds of
contra dances，like Katrillis in Finland. Later came new dances like polka and waltz.