Introduction
The Vastseliina Community Center women’s group Naistepuna considers themselves spirited beginners, fueled by curiosity and the initiative to participate in as many events as possible to gain experience and enjoy each other's company. For the group, the most important thing is being together—there is no difficulty they cannot overcome by supporting one another and sharing a laugh.
History
After the long break caused by the pandemic years, when regional and local dance festivals were finally able to resume, a few mothers who had accompanied the children's group as chaperones felt a strong desire to dance themselves. From this desire, the Vastseliina women’s group Naistepuna was born in the autumn of 2022, simply by spreading the word among friends and acquaintances. Now, Naistepuna celebrates its birthday on October 4th. Annika Laanpere, who had started as the instructor for the children's group, was invited to lead them.
Although most of the women who joined were encountering folk dance for the very first time in their lives, the group—which has now grown to 12 dancers—has already participated in the Võru Winter Dance Days, the Võru County, South-East Estonia, and Seto dance festivals, and even the Tartu Gymnastics Festival, in addition to local performances in Vastseliina. In October 2024, they also took part in their first international festival, “The Costa Barcelona Folk Festival” in Spain.
One of their significant achievements includes a video filmed for International Dance Day together with other Vastseliina dance groups, which received a special historical award from the Estonian Folk Dance and Folk Music Association (ERRS) in the spring of 2024.
