SWY16 - Norwegian National Presentation

Each of the thirteen participating countries gets the chance to introduce their country during the time we spend together on the ship. The countries decide for themselves in what way they want to do this representation. Here is a short note about what the Norwegians chose to show the PY's.

The opening was a Norwegian Fashion Show. We entered the stage one by one, while Alexander introduced us. He said a few words about our national costumes (bunad from different places, Karasjokkofte, lusekofte and busserull), and during our entrance our names were put on the screen, telling where in Norway each and one of us come from.

After a brief introduction about the history of Norway, we invited the audience to join us in a trip along the coast from the north to the south. First stop was the northern part, where Stig told about the Sami people, their traditions and the joik. He also told about some of his ancestors. Pictures from the north were presented on the screen while Stig was talking and joiking. A big Japanese sigh spread through the audience when the first picture of the northern light was shown.

The next stop was Bergen, the gateway to the fjords and the city of culture. Rita introduced the way of greeting in Bergen : Hallaien! Edvard Griegs Holberg suite played by Alexander ended the presentation of Fjord-Norway. After this, commercials gave a break in our trip along the coast. The commercial told the audience about the Norwegian Inherited Stiffness Syndrome.

Stavanger was our next destination. Erik showed pictures from the oil-capital of Norway while playing the music from Kaizers Orchestra. Eric also invited the audience into his home in Ålgård, and to the great mountains of Kjerag.

After Stavanger, we went to Oslo, the capital of Norway. A virtual trip trough Oslo was followed by Therese's fairytale about the islands in the Oslo fjord. Therese gave the audience a glimpse of her everyday life on Brønnøya, and she ended her presentation by telling about the Norwegian tradition of skiing.

The last part of our national presentation was a traditional Norwegian dance, including Finns excellent hallingkast. We could have ended our presentation here, but considering the large number of Japanese present in the audience, we just had to end with inviting all the participants to join us in our Take on me dance. A grand finale with huge success!

One of our main goals in the presentation was to have a personal twist instead of showing a typical tourist-guide to Norway. And this is what people have told us after the presentation that they appreciated the most. Our personal touch represented an alternative way of telling about our country, and the audience really seemed to enjoy our presentation.

Ingjerd Helene Jøssang