The “Norse Four,” from the Twin Cities, entertained and educated us on May 12 on the history of old Norse courting & wedding customs. The event featured the SG Syttende Mai royalty, grand opening of “A Welcome Home” pop-up exhibit featuring local Nordic collections and crafts, and Norwegian food and drink samples!
Where: Giants of the Earth Heritage Center
163 West Main Street
Spring Grove, MN 55974
Schedule:
6:30pm—Welcome and Passport stamped by SG Royalty, viewing of pop-up exhibit.
7pm—Program with The Norse Four began in Immigrant Hall
7:30–Wedding Toast, continued program
7:45–we served Old Norse Wedding food and drink, mingled, Q&A time, more viewing of the pop-up exhibit with local curators Jillellyn Storlie, Rachel Wiste Mattson, and Lee Grippen.
The Norse Four:
a talented Nordic Folk Dance and theater troupe from the Twin Cities, presented “Courting and Marriage Traditions of Norway” as our May Passport to Other Cultures celebration. Current Syttende Mai Royalty and court greeted and stamped attendees passport, and made sure they sampled the traditional wedding foods and drink (according to old records found by Nordic historians and researchers) after the presentation. The May pop-up exhibit features local handiwork, art, textiles, and other private collections on loan by community members like you!
About the members of The Norse Four pictured on the right:
Carol Sersland:
Carol grew up in Minneapolis, immersed in the Norwegian folk music and dance community that her immigrant father was at the heart of. They danced his rural Norwegian Telespringar at the first Smithsonian Folklife Festival in 1976. Carol is the Artistic Director of the Norwegian Folk Dance Club and started Fjell og Fjord children's group when her own daughter was young. Carol performs in communities throughout the United States and on stages such as the Guthrie Theater. Carol wears the traditional bundad (folk costume) from her father’s home town in Telemark.
Ron Mathisen:
Ron is a folk dancer whose skills and company are always sought in dance circles throughout the US and Norway. Ron and Carol have danced together in the community for decades. His bunad is also in the Telemark style and he himself did the intricate needlework.
Kari Tauring:
A musician, scholar, and story teller of ancient Norse poetry, Kari joined Det Norske Folkedanslaget (The Norwegian Folk Dance Club) in 2008 in order to learn traditional Norwegian folk dance from Carol Sersland. Kari and Carol study the intersection of Nordic runes from 160 CE and dances such as Halling (with roots in the Bronze Age) and Telespringar (a 400 year old rural dance) and other Nordic movement such as skiing. The two perform together throughout Minnesota. Kari will play the Nevelur, a birch wrapped horn dating to 800 CE. She wears a folk costume based on the style of Gudbrandsdal, Norway. https://KariTauring.com
Rachel Ulvin Jensen:
Rachel is a well known player of Hardingfele (Hardanger Fiddle) within folk music and dance communities as well as on stages such as the Guthrie Theater. Hardingfele is the Norwegian National Instrument dating to at least 1651. It has drone strings that vibrate in a nature magical way. The sound is trance inducing and drives the dances. Rachel is part of Twin Cities Hardingfelelag (Twin Cities Hardanger Fiddle Club), seeking to preserve this instrument and its tunes through performance and teaching. She wears a traditional bunad from North Trøndelag. https://tchardingfelelag.org/
Norsk Four (right to left): Carol Sersland, Ron Mathisen, Kari Tauring, and Rachel Ulvin Jensen
There are many ways to give to our #uplifting fundraiser!
- Stop in to our gift shop with a check, cash, or credit/debit gift between 10am-5pm Monday through Saturday
- Mail your gift to us: PO Box 223, Spring Grove, MN 55974
- Use PayPal right now! https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=96LL6Z7KWGMTE
- Visit our GoFundMe page:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/uplifting-giants-restoring-our-gathering-space
5. Larger gifts spread over time: call our Community Outreach Coordinator Rachel Storlie (507-458-1255) to discuss multi-year giving options! This type of giving enables individual, group, or business donors an option to sponsor an upper floor exhibit room, the kitchen, or the new Welcome Center room for a period of three or more years. We will work with you to set up an annual gift to cover the sponsorship amount. 6. Appreciated Stock Options! New to Giants is this wonderful opportunity to work with our broker to make your favorable stock investments pay off for our community, with NO capital gains! Please call Karen at 507-450-1373 to set it up!
The Century Project: What Was the World Like 100 Years Ago?
We Collect, Create, Educate, Preserve and Protect the Past for the Future!
Sign your kids up for Norwegian Ridge Language Camp Today!
Camp is only a few weeks away but there is still time to register. Campers will be learning how to live as the Vikings did with our special guest teacher Kari (a Viking Iron Age specialist), and other friends and connections who teach traditional life skills in the "old ways." Clink on the button below to fill out the registration from.