Folk Dance

Since 1971, the group has carried the name Saare Vikat. “Saare” represents the two New York islands—Long Island and Manhattan—from which many of the dancers originated, while “Vikat” (meaning “scythe”) reflects the group’s ambition to maintain a high standard of excellence among folk dance ensembles.

The intensity of Saare Vikat’s activities has varied over the years. Some periods have been filled with frequent performances, festivals, and cultural events, while others have been quieter. Throughout these changes, the group has remained a vibrant and enduring part of the Estonian community in New York.

Over the decades, Saare Vikat has performed at nearly every ESTO festival, including Toronto (1972), Baltimore (1976), Stockholm (1980), Toronto (1984), Melbourne (1988), New York (1992), Toronto (2000), San Francisco (2013), and Estonia (2019). Notably, Saare Vikat’s former leader, Mari Teedla, served as the artistic director of the 1992 ESTO folk dance festival, Ajarattas.

The group has also performed at West Coast Estonian Days, the Midwest Estonian Youth Organization Conference, the New England Folk Festival, the Estonian Song and Dance Celebrations in 1994 and 2014, and numerous cultural events and community gatherings throughout the New York metropolitan area.

In 2025, Saare Vikat proudly returned to Estonia to participate in the Estonian Dance Celebration, continuing a tradition that has connected generations of dancers to their ancestral homeland for nearly six decades.