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This article examines the role of dance of the Skolt Sámi in Finland in negotiating their history, identity and agency. The Skolt Sámi are a culturally and linguistically distinct group of the Eastern Sámi. Originally, they lived in a wide area, from Lake Inari eastward to the Russian city of Murmansk. Today, most Skolts live near Lake Inari in Finnish Lapland, where they were relocated after World War II. The multiple identities of the Skolts are actualized in many ways, in language, music, religion, but perhaps most distinctively in their dancing. Their dancing traditions, especially the quadrille, separate them from other Sámi in Finland and connect them to Northern Russian culture. Despite their dramatic past, the Skolts have preserved their culture and distinctive, yet ever-changing ethnic identities. Their identities are characterized by many points in their social and personal histories, and dancing is a part of the routes they have traveled within these experiences.

The tradition of Estonians’ cultural festivals is a rich topic and may be considered profoundly distinctive for Estonian people. It is a unique way of maintaining and advancing the traditions of national heritage through a variety of activities. Since after World War II a forced separation took place in Estonian national culture and many citizens of the former Republic of Estonia escaped from the Soviet occupation to the Free World (thereby splitting geographically into the groups of homeland Estonians and Estonians abroad), the tradition of cultural festivals continued on both sides of the Iron Curtain, in an effort to maintain traditions under different circumstances. This special issue of the journal is the outcome of a project begun in 2012, to investigate the role of folk dance hobby activities and festival traditions in the maintenance of national culture. During the compilation of the special issue the focus shifted towards the question of the role of Estonians’ traditional festivals in the ever-changing world – their viability and transmission of the traditions of national identity both in Estonia and abroad. This issue covers the experiences of hobbyists in traditional cultural activities, their involvement in festivals, and their cultural contribution, both in Estonia and in communities outside it. Among the basic themes of the articles the following deserve special attention: the place of the Baltic countries’ song festivals in the world cultural heritage and the relationship between new and traditional songs; the role of dance festivals in the preservation and transmission of traditional dancing skills in contemporary Estonia and the nature of cultural heritage being maintained at dance festivals; the role of folk dance among the Skolt Saami, our neighbours in the North, in shaping their history, identity, and future, as well as the connections between contemporary Skolt Saami folk dance and identity; the revitalisation of old folk musical instrument traditions both in Estonia and among the Estonian diaspora; the split and repression in the realm of choir music, due to the forced separation by a foreign power; the recording of World War II refugees’ cultural events on narrow gauge film in Sweden and the identification of the filmed individuals by a group of experts. Another and not less important goal of this issue is to stimulate a more wide-ranging discussion in Estonian society about the role of hobbies and traditional festivals, especially outside Estonia, which are an integral part of Estonian national culture and Estonian folk culture.

Big festivals and folk culture events have been a centuries-old tradition in Estonia. Today, alongside the preservation of national traditions and being cultural events, these events have also become popular leisure activities. Leisure activities are known for their positive effect on humans’ subjective wellbeing through emotional, social and psychological effects. This article focuses on adults’ motivation, both in Estonia and abroad, to engage in folk dance activities and their possible impact on subjective wellbeing. The study was carried out among Estonians living in Estonia and abroad, and it was designed as a mixed methods research. The results indicate that social factors play an important role in motivating adults to engage in folk dance, but also educational aspects are involved, which contribute to the general wellbeing of a folk dancer.

The article is written to unveil the important values and understandings accepted in our deepest subconsciousness, which form the basis for speaking about traditional folk dancing as a ‘natural’ way of motion, and for the desire and suggestions to dance ‘naturally’. In contemporary urban culture, various dance styles have been described as ‘natural’, but the topic of this article is traditional folk dance today. My dance ethnographic fieldwork for this research was carried out in Estonia during the years 2008–2014, at the main traditional folk dance events such as festival dance nights, concerts, group rehearsals, and workshops, as well as in other dance learning environments. Spoken and written statements about traditional folk dance during the research period are also taken into account. In general, one can say that the ‘natural’ qualities of traditional folk dance in today’s Estonia spring from the fact that the individual freedom of the dancer is highly valued. The meaning of ‘naturalness’ is based on the dance knowledge and experience of each dancer or speaker, and may consist in * the sense of gravity and optimised work of muscles when the dancer has decided that it is sustainable and best for his/her living body; * posture and manners acquired by training in any other dance style if the dancer perceives it as comfortable, familiar, and normal; * goal-oriented imitation of parents or other cultural models when the dancer thinks this is the essence of learning the tradition; * spontaneous, unconscious, uncontrolled movement, which the dancer thinks to be with no rules and no need to learn or know something special. Various combinations of these meanings and their reasons are also possible. The study proves that today the ‘naturalness’ of traditional folk dancing is constructed by each dancer in light of their own beliefs and convictions, including faith in the primacy of individual freedom. This result is usable in ethnochoreological research into any more concrete issues concerned with traditional folk dances, but even more important for dance learning and teaching processes, with reference to the need to always ask and explain in detail what is meant by doing something ‘naturally’. Additionally, the analysed data also reveal the ambivalent position of traditional folk dance among other cultural practices in present-day Estonia. For one group of people interest in traditional folk dance and music is related to other aspects of ecological-organic lifestyles, such as place of residence, food, clothing, re-use and reduction of consumption; also there is another group whose traditional folk dancing is just an alternation in their mainstream urban lifestyle. In both cases, traditional folk dancing is considered more ‘natural’ than other dance styles due to its origin in peasant culture, allegedly unspoiled and cleaner than our contemporary environment. Thus, in present-day traditional folk dance practices, forgotten peasant dance texts are actualised again, but with new aspects emphasised, which refer to characteristic ideas in our society today, for example, a search for some fixed points in the general urban uncertainty. Through learning and performing ancestors’ dances people raise their self-awareness, sense of security and physical and mental well-being. Direct ways for improving and maintaining physical health are also seen in the ‘naturalness’ of traditional folk dancing, especially when compared to stage folk dance or other stage dance styles with higher risks of overload and injuries due to their external requirements or strenuous workout. Different perceptions are similar in the recognition that dancers today feel traditional folk dancing raise their subjective well-being. In spite of different reasons, in general, the cultural proposal that traditional folk dance can be a lifelong and healthy way of movement, has been accepted as cognitively adequate. Today, topics related to physical and mental health are usually rather intimate, and this once more explains the deeply individualistic character of ‘naturalness’, which traditional folk dancing seeks to achieve.

This paper consist an analysis of the music and dances of Kuusalu coastal area culture during the first half of the 20th century. Kuusalu parish is known as one of the richest in the North-Estonian folk culture. About two hundred instrumental tracks and notations,mostly dance music, and hundreds of dance manuscripts have been collected from this region. The collected material is located mainly in the Museum of Estonian Literary in the department of the Estonian Folklore Archives, Estonian Theatre and Music Museum in the department of the Music. Content and quality of the dancerecordings are essentially very different. They vary from full transcripts to more general descriptions if the dance is known or not. Recorded music and written materials from the archives are from the period of 1905–1938. My goal is to find out where, how much and what were the dances and instrumental pieces in Kuusalu parish. The data are presented by the villages. As a result, I got a versatile overview about the variation of the dances. It turned out that some villages had clearly different dance repertoires. In the villages where there were good musicians, there was also active dance culture.Comparison of both instrumental and dance music is essential to understand their development. This can be used as a tool to evaluate spreading and development of different folk music pieces.

Kihnu is a small island off the western coast of Estonia, where a number of traditional cultural phenomena have been preserved. Quite a number of traditional dances are kept alive in the traditional and modern context. These dances are danced at traditional family and calendar events: pre-wedding rituals and weddings, gatherings on the eve of St Catherine’s Day, as social dances at different festivities, during organized performances for tourists, and at festivals and other events on the Kihnu island as well as in Estonian towns and abroad. The dancers are mainly members of the amateur group Kihnumua, which has been active for more than 30 years under the guidance of Katrin Kumpan. The groups have no fixed membership, as most of the island’s inhabitants know the tradition. Dances were taught also in the local school and dance club. Some old round and partner dances have disappeared, but about 10–15 dances, mostly partner dances, are still in active use. All partner dances (incl. waltz and polka) are danced in a circle. Couples can be mixed, though women often dance among themselves. Many widely known dances have specific regional style variants. The main musical instrument nowadays is accordion, which is often played by women. Bagpipe music is forgotten, and good fiddlers were found up to the mid-20th century. Also, hand harmonica, the most popular musical instrument of the late 19th and early 20th century, has become rather rare by now.

The current article is based on the research carried out among expatriate Estonians living in Germany. The aim of the research was to obtain an general understanding of the evolution and development of Estonian folk dance groups and the inception of these groups in the Federal Republic of Germany after the Second World War. The first target group was the Estonian expatriates in Germany, since German war refugee camps were the first stop for many refugees on their journey. Interviews were conducted with 13 expatriate Estonians in Bocholt, Bonn and Hamburg in 2007. The study attempts to answer the following questions: What gave rise to such active hobby activities, including the establishment of folk dance groups, in German refugee camps? Why were these groups formed also in different places in Germany later, after people had left the refugee camps? What could be the main reasons for and the general context of such a phenomenon?The article describes the motives for practicing folk dancing as a hobby, the everyday activities of folk dance groups – repertoire, practicing, music, folk costumes and performances, what has become of the folk dance groups since their establishment and the role of folk dance in the life of expatriate Estonians. Aside from the previous aspects, the functions which describe the role of folk dance – preservation of continuity; organisation of community; social interaction and welfare; preservation of Estonian language; self-determination – also stood out in the analysis of the interviews. Cultural pursuits formed a positive link between the past and the present, taking on a balancing role in the tragic understanding that seeking temporary asylum had become a constant state in exile and this prevented people from being trapped in the disconsolate condition of a refugee. Folk dance was not purely a hobby but a place where the Estonian language was spoken and learned; it helped people to stick together in difficult times, define themselves in the wind of changes and introduce Estonia in a foreign country by means of dance and folk costumes.

Copyright of Maetagused is the property of Estonian Literary Museum, Department of Folkloristics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Maetagused is the property of Estonian Literary Museum, Department of Folkloristics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Maetagused is the property of Estonian Literary Museum, Department of Folkloristics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Maetagused is the property of Estonian Literary Museum, Department of Folkloristics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Maetagused is the property of Estonian Literary Museum, Department of Folkloristics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Maetagused is the property of Estonian Literary Museum, Department of Folkloristics and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)