Hallingdans

Although I am breaking a lot of traditions with my wedding, I am very fond of my Norwegian heritage and would like to incorporate my heritage as much as possible into the details of my ceremony and reception. Although I am not the most agile dancer, I really admire Norwegian folk dancing. Since I was a child, my favorite traditional dance has been the 2,000-year-old hallingdans. The dance is usually (and conveniently, for my part) performed by young men at weddings and other special events.

Despite its overwhelming masculinity, the halling is an incredibly entertaining dance to watch and crowds often get involved by cheering on the dancer or one of several dancers. The halling is an acrobatic, athletic competition between male dancers. I imagine the groom had to prove his strength and agility in order to win over his bride. I wonder if Alex has the skills to dance the halling? Perhaps I should test him…

Hallingdans has several notable acrobatic dance moves, one of which is known as hallingkast. In this move, a woman becomes involved with the role of holding a hat high on a stick or something similar, and the male dancer is supposed to kick down the hat. Hallingkast is the ultimate test of strength and coordination, since the hat is supposed to be held 7-9 feet above the floor. Below is a video of a Norwegian dancer doing the hallingdans according to tradition.

The hallingdans recently witnessed a modern revival after Alexander Rybak won the 2009 Eurovision Song Contest. His winning song, “Fairytale,” was inspired by the traditional dance and is often performed in collaboration with the Frikar Dance Company, whose founder is known as the “reinventor of halling.”

The dance was also recently featured on the Norwegian version of "So You Think You Can Dance." The video is in Norwegian, so if you're like me, you'll be mesmerized by the language and Norwegian accents.

What do you think of incorporating heritage and family traditions into your wedding or reception?