Stoughton High School Norwegian Dancers

Stoughton High School Norwegian Dancers Beginning in 1953, the Stoughton Norwegian Dancers have been entertaining the young and old alike through traditional Norwegian dance. And so the dancers began.

In the spring of 1953 there was a Physical Education Demonstration scheduled for the public in Stoughton. A month before the big event, Ms. Reek, a phy ed teacher for the district, selected six junior girls and told them to find six boys for a folk dance group that would go public for the upcoming Phy Ed demonstration. The group was accompanied by a single accordian player. They performed two danc

es before a packed gymnasium, a schottische and the Reinlendar. Their second and final performance that school year was at the second annual Syttende Mai program following the Sunday parade. That event was held in front of the side bleachers on the athletic field at the old high school. Immediately the next fall, 3 more couples were added to the group. The Dancers were in high demand almost from the very beginning. In 1960 the group went on tour for the first time outside the midwest when they performed at the National Folk Festival in Washington D.C.. Ms. Reek had exhausted all sources of information in the United States and so in 1964 she spent a summer in Oslo at the International Summer School and researched Norwegian dance and costumes. Thus in 1964-65 more dances were added to the group including today's signature dance, the Norwegian Halling. The Norwegian Dancers continued to grow in popularity and demand and continued to make themselves more and more authentic with costuming from Norway. In 1971 Jeanne and Kay Seamonson traveled to Norway to learn more dances there but then also traveled to Sweden, Denmark and Finland to increase the Dancers' repertoire to include all of Scandinavia. Contacts in the Folk Dance world were made thru that trip which enabled the Dancers to tour to Norway for the first time in 1972. Performances were held in Bergen and Oslo. Jeanne Reek retired as director of the Dancers in June of 1999 after 46 years of dedicating her life to this group. The Dancers were then aptly led by Polly Goepfert for the next 12 years. When Polly retired in June of 2011, Staci Heimsoth became the current director. The Norwegian Dancers have performed all across the United States, Canada, British Columbia and have made four tours to Norway.

We are so thankful for Eddie Brognano Photography and the amazing photos he captures throughout Syttende Mai! Thank you ...
06/01/2026

We are so thankful for Eddie Brognano Photography and the amazing photos he captures throughout Syttende Mai! Thank you Eddie🇳🇴❤️🇳🇴

We are so excited about the summer tour with a stop Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival Oregon🇳🇴🇳🇴
06/01/2026

We are so excited about the summer tour with a stop Astoria Scandinavian Midsummer Festival Oregon🇳🇴🇳🇴

05/17/2026

Final performance of Syttende Mai! A beautiful dance that the students and crowd enjoys 🇳🇴🇳🇴🇳🇴 Syttende Mai Festival of Stoughton, WI

We’re heading out for the parade! Will we see you there? Syttende Mai Festival of Stoughton, WI 🇳🇴🇳🇴🇳🇴Be sure to come to...
05/17/2026

We’re heading out for the parade! Will we see you there? Syttende Mai Festival of Stoughton, WI 🇳🇴🇳🇴🇳🇴

Be sure to come to the high school at 3:45 for the final performance. We will be saying goodby to our amazing seniors🇳🇴🇳🇴🇳🇴

WOW… you all showed up BIG for the Norwegian Dancers this weekend! 🇳🇴❤️Our concessions and bake sale at the Stoughton Hi...
05/17/2026

WOW… you all showed up BIG for the Norwegian Dancers this weekend! 🇳🇴❤️

Our concessions and bake sale at the Stoughton High School are officially COMPLETELY SOLD OUT and will not be open tomorrow. Thank you so much to our incredible supporters and community for supporting our dancers!

Still hungry? Head downtown to the Norwegian Dancer trailer Starting at 11 AM, we will have a VERY limited number of meatballs available, along with:
❄️ Snow cones
🥨 Brats in pretzel buns
🌭 Varme pølse
🍬 Cotton candy
🫓 Lefse

—all while supplies last!

Be sure to catch the Norwegian Dancers one last time this weekend with their final performance today at 3:45 PM 💃🇳🇴

And don’t forget to line the streets and cheer on the dancers during the parade today at 1:30 PM! 🎉

05/16/2026

Meatballs are not sold out yet!!! Come get them before you do!

🇳🇴 The Norwegian Dancers Syttende Mai shirts are BACK ON SALE! 🇳🇴Missed the original presale? Don’t worry — you’ve got o...
05/16/2026

🇳🇴 The Norwegian Dancers Syttende Mai shirts are BACK ON SALE! 🇳🇴

Missed the original presale? Don’t worry — you’ve got one more chance to grab your 2026 Stoughton High School Norwegian Dancers apparel just in time for the festivities! 🎉

❤️ Adult Shirts: $25💙 Youth Shirts: $15

🗓️ Store Open: May 15, 2026🗓️ Store Closes: May 17, 2026

While you’re downtown celebrating Syttende Mai, be sure to stop by the Norwegian Dancers trailer! Grab some delicious meatballs, cotton candy, snow cones, or a varma pølse 🌭🇳🇴 while you’re there — and don’t forget to scan the QR code or order your shirt online!

https://stoughtonnorwegiandancecommunityshirt2026.itemorder.com/

We LOVE seeing the community decked out in Norwegian Dancer gear all weekend long. Thank you for continuing to support our dancers and this amazing Stoughton tradition!

Online ordering for Stoughton Norwegian Dancers Community Shirt 2026 ends on Sun, May 17, 2026 (11:59 PM CDT)

Corner of Division and Main! The Norwegian Dancer truck is open for business. The meatballs sell out quickly. Hope to se...
05/15/2026

Corner of Division and Main! The Norwegian Dancer truck is open for business. The meatballs sell out quickly. Hope to see you soon🇳🇴🇳🇴🇳🇴

05/15/2026
Last night was one of those moments that reminds us what this group is all about ❤️🇳🇴A huge THANK YOU to all of our amaz...
05/15/2026

Last night was one of those moments that reminds us what this group is all about ❤️🇳🇴

A huge THANK YOU to all of our amazing Norwegian Dancer parents who came together to butter lefsa last night! Between the laughs, teamwork, and LOTS of butter, it was another reminder that Syttende Mai truly takes a village.

So much love and hard work goes on behind the scenes to make this weekend special for our dancers and community, and we are so grateful for every helping hand. 💙

Now the countdown is REALLY on… and we can’t wait to celebrate with everyone this weekend! 🇳🇴✨

Address

600 Lincoln Avenue
Stoughton, WI
53589

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