"Minu Arm" tells a story about a special week in the life of a folk dance group Vöör ja Ahter who took part of the 20th Dance Celebration in Estonia in June 2019.
This event usually takes place after every five years and participating in it has remained in high regard throughout the country as not every group makes it.
While documenting the last event five years ago I was able to witness close-hand the joy and camaraderie that radiated out of the vast number of dancers. And this just made me want to experience it myself. So I made a plan - Join a group and quickly learn how to folk dance basically from zero in order to have any chance of making it.
In my humble view there is no bigger thing in a folk-dancers life than participating in a Dance Celebration. However after the event is over the groups could also easily start an indefinite sabbatical. Luckily the group that I joined never got to a point where it would consider quitting although during these years there were occasions when we ran mostly on fumes. The lowest point was probably the fourth year as suddenly there weren't enough men to fill up eight pairs and on top of that we had to deal with a departure of our long term coach just mere months before the deciding season started.
Even after we solved these issues just in time for the long-awaited fifth season to commence the dances we chose to practice for the main event were quite literally testing the very limits of our skills. Luckily we found a real badass coach who had the tenacity and willpower to get us into sufficient shape for The Examination that ultimately paved the way for us to book a special summer vacation week into our calendars. Cheers Leaanika!!!
Those who have made it to this far know that this one week is like a constant dance practice that runs from dawn to dusk. And on top of that everything you have practiced before gets rearranged in some way or the other. In addition you have to deal with specific markers as well as other groups so that you would stay in line and be part of a larger whole/pattern thing.
But in the end it's all worth it. From my own experience I can say that it really is a blessed feeling when you manage to complete a dance without screwing it up.
"Minu Arm" was the theme for this year's Dance Celebration meaning "My Love" as well as "My Scar". After five years of practicing folk dancing I can say from the bottom of my heart that it has left a scar that I love on me.
The following video gives a rare inside view of the evolution of a dance performance from first practices to the examination and up to the 20th Dance Celebration. The dance is called "Pikseloits" meaning "Thunderspell" and it is performed by the men of the Vöör & Ahter folk dance group.