Festival of the Oaks

For the 76th anniversary of the Festival of the Oaks, there will be a morning workshop with Liina Teose, followed by optional lunch, a dance performance, and an afternoon dance party.

Refreshments will be provided. Oh, and be sure to shop at (and/or donate to) the pre-owned folk dance costume sale (12:30 pm – 4:30 pm). For members of the Folk Dance Federation of California, there will be a membership meeting during the lunch hour.

Schedule

Time	Event	Price
9:00am	Doors open
9:30am-12:00pm	Institute with Liina Teose	$20
12:00-1:00pm	Lunch	$15
1:00-5:00pm	International Folk Dancing with dances from around the world, dance performance, and Institute reviews & contras	$20

Special all-day Institutes and Folk Dance evening party package is $35.

Liina Teose

Liina was born in Portland, Oregon. At two years of age, she made her debut as a folk dancer in Tulehoidjad (‘Torch Bearers’), the Portland Estonian folk dance troupe led by her mother. Her mother was born in Estonia and fled in 1944. Liina learned Estonian folk dances in the displaced persons camps in Germany, where she lived for five years before migrating to the US.

Liina became the leader of Tulehoidjad in 1985 and has continued as its director for 38 years. The troupe, founded in 1950, has performed at all of the West Coast Estonian Days, many world-wide ESTO festivals, mass folk dance performances in Estonia, as well as countless local and regional festivals. It is truly bearing the torch of Estonian dance, culture, and traditions.

In 1999, in Tallinn (Estonia) City Hall, she was awarded the Ullo Toomi Award for her work. This award is given by the Estonian Folk Dance and Folk Music Association each year to the most outstanding Estonian folk dance director of the year. Liina is the only folk dance director living and teaching outside of Estonia to receive this award.

In 2016, Liina, together with her mother, was awarded the 2016 Outstanding Achievement Award by the Estonian American National Council in recognition for her work in promoting and preserving Estonian folk dance and music. Through folk dancing and music, Liina and her mother have been instrumental in keeping Estonian culture alive in the United States, Canada, and other locations outside of Estonia. Liina’s first year teaching at Stockton Folk Dance Camp was in 2024.

Register

Contact Ruthie Gasser for more details or to send dance requests for the afternoon party.