Dances of Telemark ,Norway
Tapestry Class Series
April 1, 8, and 15 l Wednesdays 8-9:30pm
Tapestry Telemark
The Beauty of Telemark Dance
Come learn about the village walking and running dances of Telemark, Norway. Kari Tauring presents three sessions of history, movement, and joyful celebration. Her teacher, Carol Sersland, learned these dances as a child from her father, Harald K. Sersland. He brought them with him to Minneapolis as an immigrant in the 1920’s. Father and daughter danced them in Washington DC at the first Smithsonian Folklife Festival!
For twenty years, Kari has been learning Norwegian and other Nordic Dances and working closely with Carol in performance and teaching. In January 2026, Tapestry awarded their first dance scholarship to Kari so she could participate in an immersive weekend of Telemark dance in Vermont. The event is sponsored yearly by Tom Kringstad whose grandmother was HK’s dance partner! Two Norwegian dance champions came to teach along with award winning hardingfele (hardanger fiddle) players. Kari was able to learn from and dance with the best Norway has to offer…and her own teacher, Carol!
April 1
Exploring the Hardanger Fiddle and the rhythms of the dance. Our special guest, Rachel Ulvin-Jensen of the Twin Cities Hardingfele Association, joins us! Get a close up of the unique fiddle that is Norway’s National Instrument. Hear some history and lore. Feel the difference between the walking dance and the running dance. Start learning some of the figures used in both dances.
April 8
Exploring feet and figures. We will work with both the walking and running steps and continue to explore the basic figures. We will hear more about the history of this dance and these tunes. In this session we will use both recorded music and Kari’s voice, flute, and dulcimer.
April 15
We are really running now! Practice the unique rhythm of Telespringar and explore the traditional bunad or folk costume that goes with it. We will watch some videos and practice our dancing with guest musicians to be announced! Bring your new skills to Norway House on Thursday April 16 from 5-7 pm where Rachel and Kari will play and lead dancing for Hygge Happy Hour!