Over the last couple of months, the Estonian House has been filled with dancers doing polkas and waltzes. In the last couple of years, Kungla had quietly faded away, but the board found that there were whispers from people who were still interested in dancing. Everyone kept asking: “Why isn’t Kungla active any more? Can’t we start Kungla up again?” Taking those questions to heart, the Kungla board slowly began to discuss starting up again, wondering if there really was enough interest in the Toronto community. The question was also raised regarding the interest of children and their parents, and whether a children’s group could be started on Saturdays after Estonian kindergarten and brownie and cub meetings.
Practices started in mid-January. There was an abundance of children – over 20 – and our Wednesday night group has close to 30 people!
There is a large contingent of people who are helping to teach both groups. Andres Kolga has been instrumental in leading the way. We are lucky to have him, as he has recently danced with both groups in Estonia and in Vancouver and brings new dances to the table that we have not done in Toronto, nor has the public seen. Lydia Van der Veen has also been a huge help. She has recently moved to Toronto from Estonia. Her daughters take part in the children’s group, and are already great dancers! Along with Lydia and Andres, teachers also include Taimi Marley, Heili Furniss and Paul Marley.
If you are interested in dancing, please do not hesitate to contact us. The children’s group on Saturdays consists of dancers who are 4-10 years of age, and the Wednesday group is comprised of people who are 11 and older. If you have any questions or want to dance, please contact us through the Kungla webpage:
www.kungla.ca. Speaking Estonian is not a prerequisite; we teach in both English and Estonian. All you need to bring with you are running shoes,
