Photo: Emilie Hjartholm
The first RaspeKlubb was sold out. Now we will Førdefestivalen and Teater Vestland make folk music and folk dance a permanent part of nightlife in Førde .
It was crowded on the dance floor when RaspeKlubb opened its doors for the very first time in September. Some knew folk dancing before. Others tried it for the first time. What they had in common was that they threw themselves into it.
It was beyond all expectations. Dense, sweaty and greasy!
Sølvi Lien , director of Førdefestivalen , don't hide your excitement after the premiere.
– It was so fun to see everyone throwing themselves onto the dance floor, trying out what they had learned in the crash course, or just playing and having fun.
Now it's ready for a new round on October 30. And the plan is for there to be more.
Folk music meets club culture
RaspeKlubb is a collaboration between Førdefestivalen and Teater Vestland, inspired by concepts such as Tuvas Blodklubb in Oslo and Klubb Komle in Bergen.
Here, Hardanger fiddle, harmonica and accordion meet electronic rhythms, bass and DJ. The evening starts with folk dancing and live music, before the lights dim and the club atmosphere gradually takes over.
– The folk music is the same, but when we add bass lines, beats and electronics, the rhythm and groove are lifted even more. Then it takes off on the dance floor. This music is made for the club! says Lien.
She wants RaspeKlubb to be a place where people can discover folk music without knowing it before.
– We want to make it easy to go out into the city in Førde and dance. Without knowing anything. Just being taken into a new world.
A party the audience creates itself
For theatre director Aslak Moe at Teater Vestland, RaspeKlubb is about more than the music.
He himself was involved in the start-up of Klubb Komle and brought the enthusiasm from there into the collaboration in Førde .
People help build the party themselves. They participate, dance together and become part of something bigger. It is the opposite of individualism.
And perhaps this is precisely what makes RaspeKlubb a little different from a regular night out on the town. Here, the audience is not just spectators. They help create the party.
The first evening brought together people of different ages, with different backgrounds and experience on the dance floor.
Will do Førde to a cooler place to live
After the sold-out premiere, Førdefestivalen and Teater Vestland to establish RaspeKlubb as a permanent concept.
For Moe, it's also about what kind of city Førde should be.
– We have done something right when people come and have fun. We want to help make Førde to a cooler place to live, he says.
Lien also hopes that more people will open their eyes to the energy that lies in folk music.
– People who would never go to a traditional dance party with skylights and coffee service can feel at home here. We open the doors wide to folk music and folk dance.
Ready for round two
On Friday, October 30th, RaspeKlubb is back at Teater Vestland. There will be live music, folk dancing and clubbing, with DJ Sissyfus behind the scenes.
And when the dance floor has done its thing, dinner awaits from Signe's Raspeball.
Last time it was a full house. Now it's just a matter of finding your dancing shoes again.
RaspeKlubb – Friday, October 30th at Teater Vestland.