The XXI Estonian Dance Festival wrapped up on Friday night in true Estonian style — with precision, passion and just a hint of party sparkle. After five long days of joint rehearsals, 11,000 dancers lit up Kalev Stadium with the final performance of “Iseoma”, the 2025 dance spectacular that moved both hearts and hamstrings.
Over 44,000 people came to see the magic unfold across three performances, including the final show, which opened with an oak wreath ceremony for the festival’s group leaders — a touching tradition led this year by Ene Jakobson, mother of chief director Helena-Mariana Reimann.
The event even drew Baltic presidential power: Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian presidents were all in the audience, snapping selfies and soaking up the spectacle.
And what a spectacle it was. From blazing sun to cheeky drizzle and the kind of gusts that could lift a skirt or two, Estonian weather made its usual cameo. But the dancers? Glorious. As Reimann herself said, the joy on their faces made it all worth it.
Let’s not forget the sheer logistics: 57,000 meals (23 tonnes of soup!), thousands of plasters for blistered feet, and a stadium transformed with gorgeous wave motifs. Some of those decorations travelled on to adorn the Song Festival Grounds — because why waste good design?
And because no true Estonian event is complete without a bit of romance: yes, once again there was a marriage proposal mid-festival. Love and folk dance go hand in hand, after all.
But for the Australian Estonian crowd, the magic didn’t end at the stadium where our folk dance groups, Folkroos and Virmalised, danced up a storm (they were soo good, it was a joy to watch!). There was more.
Afterparty
On Friday night, as the moon rose over Tallinn’s Old Town, the real afterparty began — at Fotografiska, no less. Yes, that Fotografiska: the stylish museum-bar-gallery hybrid where hip meets heritage. There, members of Australia’s Estonian folk dance groups — still buzzing from the week’s events — gathered with fellow Aussie Estonians from all corners of the country to toast to an unforgettable festival.
Fuelled by music that made us all feel like kids again — the kind you’d hear on old cassette tapes at grandma’s — the night burst into spontaneous dancing. But not just any dancing. Tuljak!
Suddenly, the pub floor was packed with perfectly synced pairs performing one of Estonia’s most technically demanding folk dances — and doing it flawlessly. If you know, you know: Tuljak is no casual shuffle. Watching it performed so joyfully, mid-party, with beers in hand and smiles all around? Pure poetry in motion.
As the night wore on and the last chords of familiar tunes faded into the small hours, one thing was clear: whether on stadium turf or bar floorboards, Estonians — including our spirited crew from Down Under — know how to dance, connect, and celebrate what makes us uniquely “Iseoma.”
I’ve loved being part of this epic extravaganza. No words — you just had to be there.
