Discover Nordic Dance! A joyful monthly gathering celebrating the rich traditions of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland through music, movement, and community. No partner or experience needed. Just come ready to connect, learn, and share in the spirit of Scandinavian dance!
Nordic Dance | Second Sundays
6:30-7 pm Lesson
7-9 pm Dance
Studio & Pricing
SMALL STUDIO
$15 General Admission
$12 Tapestry Member
$8 Young Adult (Ages 18-30)
$5 Young Adult Member
$4 Youth (Ages 10-17)
Under 10 - Free
Upcoming Schedule
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Dance Instruction: Kari Tauring teaching the Telegangar
Music - Hour One: Jim Bannon on hardingfele and fiddle playing tunes old and new. Jim is a dancer as well as musician and strives to play music that he would love to dance to. You will have ample opportunity to practice your Norwegian village dances such as Telegangar, Setesdalgangar, Pols, and Rudl. He will throw a few gammeldans tunes (waltz, shottische, and polka) and even some Swedish Polskas!
Music - Hour Two: The Button Boxers! This accordion-centric ensemble evolved from the Nisswa Stamman opening parade. They will play a variety of gammledans or old time dance tunes as well as some village dance tunes that really excite us to dance!
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Dance Instruction: Carol Sersland teaching the Røros Pols
Music - Hour One: Lauluaika, Finnish for “Song Time”. Their repertoire includes Finnish couples dances such as waltzes, polkas, humppa, jenkka, mazurkka, and hambo, as well as lively group dances for all ages to enjoy. Lauluaika musicians play a variety of instruments including mandolin, two row button accordion, violin, guitar, bass, octave mandolin, harmonium, jouhikko, kantele, nyckelharpa, and percussive instruments such as tambourine, and pimpparauta.
Music - Hour Two: The Twin Cities Hardingfelelag (TCHFL) was founded in 1995 by Olav Jørgen Hegge, a tradition-bearer of fiddle and dance from the Valdres area of Norway. Norway’s National Instrument, the Hardingfele is trance-inducing and compelling. Today the TCHFL includes multiple generations, teens to grandparents, as well as fiddlers from a variety of traditions including classical and Swedish. You will have plenty of opportunity to practice your Røros Pols, Telespringar and gangar, Setesdalgangar, and many other Norwegian favorite dances!
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Nordic Dance breaks for the summer months. Stay tuned for its return in September!
Learn first steps to take when dancing Nordic
Learn more about Nordic
Frequently Asked Questions
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Join us for a monthly gathering that brings together the rich traditions of Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland through dance, music, and community.
Whether you have Nordic heritage or are simply curious to explore, all are welcome. No partner is needed, and dancers of all ages and skill levels will find a place to belong. Come, dance, and discover the joy of Nordic Dance!
Musical Guests: ASI Spelmanslag and Lillalag, TC Nyckelharpalag, Hardingfelelag, Lauluaika, Skandibears, Button Boxers, Hutenanny, Renee Vaughan, Art Bjorngjeld, Kvinnekraft, Rachel Jensen Ulvin, and more.
Dance Instructors: Carol Sersland, Elise Peters, Kari Tauring, Martha Olsen, Jaana Tutilla. -
Comfortable, lightweight clothing and soft-soled shoes are recommended; non-marking soles are required. Whether you're brand new or a seasoned dancer, you're warmly welcome—just bring your curiosity, your energy, and your dancing feet!
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What should I expect?
Feel the pulse of live music performed by local Nordic bands and musicians, creating an atmosphere of joy and connection. -
If you have any accessibility needs you'd like addressed by Tapestry Folkdance Center, please let us know by emailing staff@tapestryfolkdance.org.
Nordic First Steps
Meet Some of the Talent leading Nordic Dance at Tapestry!
Kari Tauring
Kari Tauring is a culture bearer of Norwegian and Nordic music, dance, and folklore. Joining the Twin Cities Nordic Dance community in 2006, Tauring teaches, creates performances, and entertains full time in the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota. She travels to Norway frequently to learn from and perform with friends and relatives there. She teaches with non-gendered language and for all ages. Her primary dance teacher and teaching partner is the Telemark tradition bearer, Carol Sersland. The two travel widely to teach Scandinavian dance. They did a school residency in Minot, North Dakota and a long dance weekend at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, North Carolina in 2025.
Photo Coming Soon…
Carol Sersland
Carol Sersland is a tradition bearer of dance and song from Telemark, Norway. She started dancing with her father as a young girl. Her father, Harold K. Sersland, was a life-long folk dancer who immigrated from Telemark. Carol grew up in an environment where Hardanger fiddle music and Telespringar were a common part of the family’s social activities. Their first performance of Telespringar was at Vesterheim’s Nordic Fest in Iowa in 1968 with the Hardanger fiddler Anund Roheim playing. Carol and her father were invited to perform at the Smithsonian’s Folk Life Festival in 1974 and 1976. Carol studied and skied at Rauland Akademiet Folk High School. In 2023, after receiving a Fellowship from the American Scandinavian Foundation to study folk dance groups in Norway, Carol brought the dance “back” to Norway when she danced with her cousin, Jon Inge Særsland, in Landskappleiken, the national folk dance and music contest. She continues to share this legacy through performances, teaching, and the HK Sersland Scholarship for Young Dancers through the Hardanger Fiddle Association of America.