Lapskaus 2012

Just what is Lapskaus? Brilliant wikipedian minds have toiled over this issue for years and have yet to arrive at an agreed up on answer. However, when the days get short in Stoughton, Wisconsin, many Norwegians get hungry. Luckily, the Stoughton Norwegian Dancers are always there with one of the group's biggest fundraisers and the answer to every Norwegians yearning for good old beef stew. The above mentioned wikipaedian minds really can't even agree on that, but beef stew is what we serve every year at our dinner.

Wayne and Nancy Krantz along with all the other parents pitch in and either prepare the food or clean up after the dinner is done. Ken Gulseth provides his secret recipe and donates his labor every year to get it all going the night before. The dancers serve the food and provide the entertainment. Everyone else buys ticket and eats. This year was a great turnout, just a bit bigger than last year. So word must be getting out that Stoughton Lapskaus is worth driving for. It was an enjoyable evening at Christ Lutheran Church where the event was held. The church gym was crowded with hungry Norwegians and even a few non-Norwegians who snuck in after hearing how good the food was.

The dancers showed off their dances in what is still the early season for the group. Many of the dances are still being perfected during the daily early morning practices. It turns out that the dances the group performs are from all four of the Scandinavian countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland). Each country's culture kicks in its own particular stylistic flair.

P.S. The picture that is part of the Wikipedia entry (linked to above) for Lapskaus shows a road-side Lapskaus stand in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. Maybe they are on to something up there......

Dancers in Action

Most people when picturing a folk dance think of something calm, or at least a dance where everyone's feet stay on the ground.  The SHS Norwegian Dancers like to occasionally dispel that myth.  The picture below is taken from an elementary school performance where the boys are performing a dance based on the dances found in xx.  Hundreds of years ago, dancing was one of the ways that young men in the Scandinavian countries could "show off" and hopefully impress the eligible young women in their village.  That is the basis for this aerial maneuver that the three dancers are doing. The move itself is hard enough to do alone, doing it in time with two other dancers is even more impressive.  Lots of early morning hours spent practicing this!