Norwegian dance troupe Symra to perform in Poulsbo Aug. 11

POULSBO — One of the most active Norwegian dance troupes will be doing the Viking jive in Poulsbo on Monday.

Symra, a folk dance group from Norway, will be presenting a workshop and performance Aug. 11. Sandwiched between the two will be a potluck dinner, and Sons of Norway youth director Joanne Graves said all are welcome to attend the evening’s activities.

“The workshop is particularly fun because it is a workshop — it’s active, people get up and learn the dances,” she said, adding no experience is necessary.

“We invite everyone to come. It’s a family activity, so children, adults, grandparents — everyone is welcome.”

Symra has been dancing together since 1960, and is hosting a workshop at Camp Brotherhood near Mount Vernon before making its way to Little Norway.

Graves said last year Poulsbo’s Sons of Norway lodge sent 50 dancers to learn at Camp Brotherhood. Each year the group presenting there does a demonstration in the Viking City afterwards.

Symra boasts about 100 members, most of whom live in Oslo and its surrounding areas. About 50 of the group’s dancers are currently active. They specialize in folk dances born of Norway’s western coast, from where many of Poulsbo’s founders hailed. Many of their dances come specially from More og Romsdal, a county in Norway’s northernmost western part.

The group is bringing live music and the members of the troupe will talk about their various costumes, for which they are also known, Graves said. Previously, they have traveled in the United States, Iceland, and to the Baltic countries. They perform regularly at competitions and festivals throughout Europe.

The suggested donation is just $5 per person, accepted at the door; school-aged kids are invited for free.

Graves said the lodge is hoping the public attends, and has worked to keep it an affordable event.

“It’s going be a really fabulous show on Monday,” she said. “It’s not every day that you have a group of this caliber that comes through Poulsbo.”