ON THE DOORSTEP OF THE WORLD TREE
Friday, June 29 At 7 p.m. on Kalevi stadium Saturday, June 30 At 11 a.m. on Kalevi stadium Sunday, July 1 At 9 a.m. procession There are opened workshops of music, dance, folk tales and games on Tallinn Song Celebration Grounds in order to search and find the roots of the World Tree. From June 27 to July 1 there is opened an exhibition of all Estonian youth handicraft in the Estonian Fairs Centre. Curator of the exhibition “ÕUEPUU” is Anu Raud. SONG CELEBRATION joins people, generations, eras and environments as a mythic WORLD TREE. World Tree is a symbol of song celebration being right in the center of Estonian cultural life. It reaches from roots to the top of the branches, from folk songs to contemporary music. Thus combines World Tree generations and connects different people on song celebration to be one bole of this tree, to be one in that moment. All through our lives we are standing ON A DOORSTEP of something…
Opening of the 10th Youth Song and Dance Celebration
1st show of the Dance Celebration
2nd show of the Dance Celebration
At 4 p.m. on Kalevi stadium
3rd show of the Dance Celebration
At 1 p.m. on Tallinn Song Celebration Grounds
Song Celebration
DANCE CELEBRATION “ON THE DOORSTEP” reflects young people’s desire to see the world, to search, experience, feel. Everyone chooses his own path through successes and unsuccesses. Everyone’s path is unique, fresh and none has walked that road before. From doorstep to doorstep.
Doris Kareva
Estonia and Song and Dance Celebration – these two belong together like Norway and skiing, Russia and bears or England and the Oxford-Cambridge boat race.
The Song Celebration tradition started in the middle of the 19th century and it has survived all of the twists and turns in Estonia’ s history.
It has defied the hardest of times like a frail plant that pushes its way through concrete with its inner strength and then bursts into bloom. Preceded by some local Song Celebrations, the first nationwide Song Celebration was held in Tartu in 1869.
At the time this was seen as the first attempt at national self-determination, manifested before the Baltic-German rulers: See, we can do something too! Fifty choirs and musical ensembles from all over Estonia performed before an audience of thousands, who experienced a blissful sense of belonging, enhanced by the beauty of the music and the songs.
This celebration evolved into a tradition that still flourishes today. The small nation which started the tradition has had to prove to foreign authorities, even in the 20th century, that they are a fully fledged nation with its own rights and resolves.
Song and Dance Celebrations were not just big festivals of singing and music but a way to demonstrate the national spirit and to strengthen the sense of belonging.
The age of foreign rulers is past but Song and Dance Celebrations are still alive – both local and nationwide.
And this proves how deep and strong is the core, spirit and meaning of Song and Dance Celebrations. It is definitely not only the spirit of protest and resistance that brings hundreds of thousands of Estonians – and an increasing number of guests from around the world – every five years to Tallinn. The total number of performers in the last Song and Dance Celebration in 2004 was 34 000 and they performed before an audience of 200 000.
Rather, it is the unique combination of the sublimity of music and human warmth that a rather distrustful northern nation dares to show during Song Celebrations, much to the surprise of others and its self..
Song and Dance Celebration - this is a joy. Because Song Festivals are irreplacable and unique, they can only be experienced on site.
Many thanks to all who have contributed to this Celebration!
Do not be sad, the next Youth Celebration of Song and Dance is in 2007 and nationwide Song and Dance Celebration in 2009.
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