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Inspired by the City of Marquette’s Sister City friendship with Kajaani, Finland, the Marquette Area Sister Cities Partnership welcomes the Kivajat Finnish American Folk Dance group of the Finnish American Heritage Center in Hancock, MI, for a traditional Finnish folk-dance workshop and performance!Learning, preserving, and interpreting traditional Finnish folk dances has been the focus for the Kivajat Dancers, who are now celebrating their 20th year. The youth, ages four to 17, perform lively Finnish dances in colorful Finnish peasant costumes – supported by grants from Finlandia Foundation National. The group, led by western UP native Kay Seppala, perform at summer events and local nursing homes. They have danced at regional festivals and have traveled to Finland three times.
“The Kivajat Finnish Dancers’ main goal in dancing is to preserve Finnish heritage and tradition in a fun, joy-filled way,” says Seppala. “Many of our performances end by teaching our audiences simple dances, sharing our love of dancing with others. The group initially was created to have a Copper Country children’s presence at the 2005 Finn GrandFest in Marquette. It is a delight to have this go full circle as we return to Marquette this summer.”
Kivajat and the MASCP invite community members ages 6-96 to the Marquette Commons from 3:00pm-4:00pm to learn some traditional Finnish folk dances. No prior experience nor partners needed! The focus will not be on dance steps, but on the dances themselves.
Then, at 7:00pm, Kivajat will return to the Commons for a special Art Week performance! The performance will last a little under one hour.
**NOTE: Attendees are strongly encouraged to bring their own chairs or blankets for seating for the performance
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This workshop and performance and free and open to the public, supported by the Marquette Area Sister Cities Partnership.
This activity is part of the City of Marquette’s 2024 Art Week.
For more information on Art Week, visit https://www.mqtcompass.com/artweek/
For a full listing of this year’s events, visit https://www.mqtcompass.com/blog/art-week-2024/art-week-2024-event-schedule/
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Marquette Commons, 215 Jackson Cut Aly, Marquette, MI 49855, United States,Marquette, Michigan
