Estonian Folk dance as EACH student

The first year of the EACH program takes place in Estonia, the northest of the Baltic countries. During their studies, the EACH students also explore Estonian nature and culture. Maico Lechner (EACH intake 2021) tried out one of the most important traditions – Estonian Folk dance.

Maico: “Prior to arriving in Estonia, I was deeply moved by the country’s turbulent past and the resilience of its people to retain their language and culture, especially in their tradition of singing and dancing. This enabled them to partake in an unarmed resistance to the Soviet occupation, which was eventually brought to a close in 1991 with the singing revolution.

Consequently, I was determined to join either a choir or a folk dance group, and it was through a friend that I was able to find the dance group Metsik Mõtsik and receive approval from their dance teacher, Robin Gielen. From then on, we were devoted to training for four hours each week, as well as attending multiple weekends in Vara, a small village, to train our dance act. Our first performance was at the Tartu Christmas celebration, where we danced together in public for the first time. This was an incredible experience and we all had a lot of fun demonstrating what we had learned.

Our aim became to take part in the South-eastern Folk Dance Festival “Kagu-Eesti tantsupidu” in the city of Põlva, and our rehearsals were geared towards this. The festival theme was “heating the sauna”, and as such all the dances referenced Estonian sauna traditions. Over 1000 dancers participated, and we enjoyed 9 hours of training in the rain before performing in the sun on Sunday afternoon.

I am delighted that I chose to join this group, as it enabled me to connect with Estonians as well as many other international students. We had a wide range of activities apart from folk dancing and I am so appreciative to have met such wonderful people through this experience. I encourage any future students to explore this demanding yet rewarding sport, which has constantly presented me with unique challenges outside of the lab. If you take pleasure in dancing and music, Estonian folk is a great way to immerse yourself in the culture and community of Estonia.“

Here are also some videos from the dance festival: Intro, Metsik Mõtsik Mul pole mõisa, Metsik Mõtsik Kumõska.