1996

ESTO: STOCKHOLM - TALLINN


Members were
(top row:) Vanessa Livingston, Jesse Sorrell, Inge Faulds, Tuulika Mölder, Evelyn Koop, Don Calderwood, Michelle Bernstein, Clare McFarquhar, Liina Guiter,
(front row:) Susanna Wadsten, Heli Oder, Taimi Petersoo and Janine Romeiko.


Every four years, Estonians world-wide gather to celebrate their culture. This year was special, since it was designed to also celebrate the fact that Estonia is a free country and that many Estonians are returning to visit or live there again.

ESTO 96 began in Stockholm, with the Gala performance taking place at "Danshuset", the Stockholm dance theatre. A few days later, all participants boarded a ship that brought them all to Tallinn in Estonia, where the celebrations and performances continued.

It was a fantastic event and we are very proud and happy to have been part of it!


Last training before departing for Sweden and Estonia.
In Stockholm, Sweden:


"Danshuset"

Performing



(Above:) Michelle, Clare, Vanessa, Janine

Clare in front of the Drottningholm Castle, home of the Royal family
Estonians in Stockholm
Clare joining a street performer
In the subway
In Tallin, Estonia:

The company, together with Estonian performers

Estonians on stage: Tuulika and Janika Mölder, with Heli Oder

View over Tallinn

The famous Song Grounds with a mass choir

Above: At the banquet - On the right: Tuulika and Vanessa
In St. Petersburg, Russia:

"Ballet" in the train!

The Hermitage (Jessie and Susanna)

A beautiful city!

 

"FOUR SEASONS" 1996

 

 

 
In their first season, Evelyn Koop, together with her co-director Don Calderwood and ballet master Vladimir Yablakov, set about to create a series of routines with the common theme of "Four Seasons". Costumes were designed and apparatus selected to harmonize with each routine, and at the first public performance of the Company (on June 12, 1996, at the DuMaurier Theatre) Andres Raudsepp (picture below) tied the dances together, with songs, and poems to a beautiful celebration of nature's changes.

"Spring":
 
Susanna & the company

"Summer":

Susanna

Vanessa, Talvi, Veronica, Gloria
Vanessa

"Fall":


Jessie, Susanna, Vanessa, Gloria

Jessie
"Winter": 

Jessie & the company

End of the show at the DuMaurier Theatre with the competitors who performed in between sections,
including Evelyn Koop's granddaughter, Kerstin, and soloists Camille Martens, Gloria Hui,
Melissa Jung and Emilie Livingston:

The "Seasons" was later performed in Estonia and in Sweden during ESTO 1996, and on many other occasions.

The first Red Ribbon competition
was held 1996 in Ontario and the Expressions participated. As their free routine, they performed one of their most popular routines ever: "Starlight Express", choreographed by Brian Foley (featuring Vanessa, Susanna, Jessie, Gloria and Talvi in these photos). They also used it at a dance competition where they won the silver medal.

In addition, it has been used at many performances, e.g. in a two day fashion show at the Scarborough Town Centre (photo on the right).

Below are two photos from the routine done at a theatre performance:
Another popular routine was "Santorini" , choreographed by Don Calderwood:
Vanessa and Susanna in front of the company

1998-2012 K Wadsten