Kivajat Dancers to perform at Music on the Menu June 20 at Portage Library

HOUGHTON -- The Portage Lake District Library invites everyone to bring a lunch and enjoy traditional Finnish folk dancing by the Kivajat Dancers at Music on the Menu from noon to 1 p.m. on Friday, June 20, on the dock outside the library.

In the Finlandia Gallery at the Finnish American Heritage Center, Kay Seppälä, right, directs her Kivajat Dancers. At noon this Friday, June 20, they will perform outside the Portage Lake District Library at Music on the Menu. (Keweenaw Now file photo)

The Kivajat Dancers began in the fall of 2004 under the direction of Kay Seppälä. Sponsored by the Finnish American Heritage Center at Finlandia University, children ages 8 - 13 learn the dances and perform in colorful peasant costumes funded by a grant from Finlandia Foundation National.

The children performed for the President of Finland, Tarja Halonen, at FinnFest 2008 in Duluth, and they have danced in festivals in Finland, Canada, Minnesota, and Michigan. Translated, Kivajat means the "Merry Makers."

Everyone is invited to eat and relax during the lunch hour while enjoying the performance. In the event of bad weather, the program will be held in the community room.

This event is free and everyone is welcome. For more information, please call the library at 482-4570 or visit www.pldl.org.