Revontulet, meaning the "Northern Lights", is a Finnish Folk Dance group that has been performing for the past 55 years in the US and abroad. They are dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Finnish folk dance traditions. The dances, music, and traditional costumes are examples of those used in Finland during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Folk dancing in Finland originated with both peasants and the gentry. The most important common characteristic is that they have always been social dances, not competitive or show dances. Finland, a peace-loving nation, also does not have any war or sword dances that often popular in other nations.
The 1970's folk dancing in Finland had a renaissance. The Finnish Folklore Association of Helsinki is credited with its revival, spreading interest to students and intellectuals, who started collecting old dances and costumes thus rescuing them from oblivion. The Revontulet recently hosted a teaching session that brought new dances and music to their own performances.
The Finnish folk music group, Oivan Ilo ("Oiva's Joy"), was named for Oiva Anderson, who was from New Ipswich, where he grew up speaking Finnish at home. At first, his daughters had a small family group that played the traditional Finnish folk music, and they called themselves Oivan Tytöt (Oiva's Daughters). But as other friends got involved, including a few males, the name was changed to Oivan Ilo.
Admission: Adult $12, Members $10, Child/Student $5.
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