Nemad Jäävad

Since 1962 the youth of Estonia has been gathering in our capital city of Tallinn wearing traditional clothing and putting on a folk dance performance to remember. Offspring of the now almost 150 years old Song Celebration and over 80 years old Dance Celebration, the Youth version was organized in order to accommodate even more eager participants who would have otherwise overcrowded the tiny dancing stadium fitting "only" 8 500 dancers of all age groups during the General Celebration. One could think that after such a long period this type of tradition would start to fade especially among the younger generations. However after witnessing first hand how our youth rallied within hours after poor weather conditions forced to cancel one of the performances by organizing a free for all dancing event in our capitals main square that was ultimately jam-packed with spectators it speaks pretty much itself about the current status of our folk dance tradition. I can only hope that these sets of photos honor that spirit and determination as much as possible.