A zero-budget folk dance video filmed in just hours in Tallinn topped a million views nearly overnight, pairing Estonian spirit with Atlanta rapper Future's viral "Mask Off."
While no stranger to social media, Tallinn University (TLÜ) folk dance troupe Soveldaja's latest video took off online this week as they joined the Born From Culture trend, which pairs different cultures worldwide with music from popular artists in unexpected combinations.
Credit for the original concept and videos goes to choreographer James Fenwick, whose efforts include a Māori video set to Kendrick Lamar's "N95" and Bolivian Caporales and Diablada dancers moving to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody."
The project, said Soveldaja dancer David Truusa, "aims to showcase different cultures through dance, traditional dress and various beautiful locations."
The trend gained momentum after Fenwick posted a video this summer of Georgian dance ensemble Apkhazeti performing to Future's "Mask Off."
Baltics join in
Responses soon followed from across Eurasia and beyond, featuring Armenian, Kazakh, Mongolian, Crimean Tatar, Sakha and other cultures.
The trend has continued in the same spirit. Choreographer Elo Unt explained that each country or culture using "Mask Off" also features the same opening, but from there decides how to present its own identity.
The Lithuanian version, posted about a month ago, finally spurred the Estonian dancers into action.
"With so many countries already taking part, we decided to go with the flow," said dancer Anna Leena Tae.
A few hours, a phone call and no budget
"Anna and Elo pulled everything together over a couple of days, a few hours and one long phone call," Truusa said. "Anna called me and said we needed to figure out how to pull it all off technically, and I said, 'Alright, let's do it.'"
The Estonian video took about a week and a half to produce, with filming completed in various locations across Tallinn in just eight hours.
Unt said the team had no budget, relying instead on enthusiasm and the skills of videographer Kevin Kohjus, with Velle Tamme helping with lighting and equipment.
"We hauled a generator around the city," she recalled.
With little experience choreographing for video, the dancers built their routine around the music, incorporating various familiar elements of folk dance. The Estonian version even features scenes of dancing with sauna whisks.
"I think what came through even better was the Estonian spirit — what makes us who we are," Unt said.
Watch Soveldaja's Estonian video below.
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