VALIK RAHVAKULTUURIORGANISATSIOONE EESTIS 
Different folklore organizations in Estonia
  Väike ja põgus seletus Eesti rahvakultuuriorganisatsioonidest
  We have in Estonia many folklore organizations for folkdancers and folkmusicians and others
  Estonian Folkdance and Folk Music Association
Eesti Rahvatantsu ja Rahvamuusika Selts
  Estonian Song and Dance Celebration Foundation
Eesti Laulu ja Tantsupeo Sihtasutus
  Estonian National Folklore Council
Eesti Rahvuslik Folkloorinõukogu
  Estonian Traditional Music Center
Eesti Pärimusmuusika Keskus
  The Estonian Dance Agency
Eesti Tantsuagentuur
  Estonian Folk Culture Development and Training Centre
Rahvakultuuri Arendus- ja Koolituskeskus
  Estonian Folk Art and Craft Union
Eesti Rahvakunsti ja Käsitöö Liit
  Estonian Choral Association
Eesti Kooriühing

Väike ja põgus seletus Eesti rahvakultuuriorganisatsioonidest:
(rahvatantsijatele ja rahvamuusikutele)

Selle lehekülje avamise vajaduse tingis mitmete riikide Europeade liikumises osalevate kollektiivide suurenenud huvi Eestimaa vastu ja korduma kippuvad analoogsed küsimused.

Kuna Eesti Europeade Komitee on loodud ülesandega korraldada Eesti rahvakultuurigruppide osalemist Europeade ja muudel rahvusvahelistel festivalidel, siis esmalt väike sissejuhatav selgitus just Europeade senisele organisatsioonilisele korraldustegevusele
Alates 2006 aastast on moodustatud iseseisev selts Eesti Europeade Komitee, kes võttis "Kandalilt" üle kogu asjaajamise. Eesti Europeade Komitee peaeesmärk on rahvusvahelise festivali Europeade eesmärkide propageerimine Eestis, Eesti kollektiivide viimine Europeade festivalile ning Tartu ning edaspidi teiste linnade abistamine Europeade festivali Eestisse toomisel ja korraldamisel. Sellega oleme tegelenud ja tegeleme edasi. Eesti Europeade Komitee on iseseisev üleriigiline organisatsioon, kes ei dubleeri ühegi teise organisatsiooni tegevust.

Erinevad rahvakultuuriorganisatsioonid Eestis: 
Eestis on palju erinevaid rahvakultuuriühendusi, mida nimetatakse ühing, liit, selts, keskselts, nõukogu, agentuur, keskus, sihtasutus, fond, komitee jne..
Sisuliselt on nad kõik mittetulundusühingud (väljaarvatud Rahvakultuurikeskus, mis on riiklik asutus).
Igal organisatsioonil on oma töövaldkond, millega tegeleb. Osadel õnnestub tegevus aktiivsemalt ja paremini, osadel passiivsemalt ja vähemtulemuslikult. Osad dubleerivad teineteist, osad on aga kindlas tegevussuunas iseseisvad.
Meil pole Eestis olnud vajadust kõiki organisatsioone kokku liita ja loodetavalt seda vajadust ka ei tule. Osade organisatsioonide vahel on samades valdkondades ka konkurents, mis on igati hea ja edasiviiv.
Lisaks paljudele üleriigilistele on peaaegu igas maakonnas omad organisatsioonid, kes maakondlikke tegevusi koordineerida püüavad. Need on iseseisvad organisatsioonid. Lisaks neile on ka üleriigilistel organisatsioonidel oma maakondlikke või piirkondlikke allstruktuure.
Lisaks neile on Eestis veel mitusada juriidilist mtü-d rahvakultuuriseltsi ja ühendust. Paljud väiksed kohalikud seltsid tegutsevad absoluutselt iseseisvalt ja pole ühegi maakondliku või üleriigilise organisatsiooni liikmed.
Mitmed organisatsioonid täiendavad teineteist ja teevad head koostööd.
Osade organisatsioonide puhul on raskusi eesmärkide õige seadmise ja nende tegeliku täitmisega. Osadel õnnestub kõik väga hästi. Kõik on suhteline.
Seega on Eesti organisatsioonide kaart väga tihe ja kirju ning need, keda teile täna tutvustame, on vaid väga väike osa. Samas on nad kõik oma valdkonna silmapaistvamad tegijad.

We have in Estonia many folklore organizations for folkdancers and folkmusicians and others

The explanation:
The independent society Estonian Local Committee of the Europeade was founded in 2006 and the committee took over all procedures. The main idea of local committee is publicizing of goals of international festival Europeade in Estonia, bringing Estonian groups to the festival and helping TARTU city with organizing Europeade 2011. We have dealed with these things and keep going on this road. The Estonian local Committee of the Europeade is independent nationwide organization whose activity don’t coincide with activity of any other organization (chairman mrs. Irina Pärila; project manager Valdo Rebane)
The folk dance society Kandali has organized the arranging of Europeade both financially and organisationally in 1993-2006. The folk dance society Kandali acts in Tallinn since 1978.

Different organizations in Estonia:

There are a lot of folk culture organizations in Estonia what are called differently like association, union, society, council, center, agency, foundation, committee etc. But they all are non profit organizations basically. Every organization deals with his branch of work. Some of them work quite actively, some act more passively. The work of some organizations coincide with each other but some are independent in his own course of action.
We haven’t had the nessecity to add together all organizations and hopefully the nessecity will never come. There are a competition between some organizations what is actually good and impelling.
There are also a local folk culture organizations in almost every county who try to coordinate local activities. They are independent organizations. Some of them have his regional subunits. There are some hundreds folk culture societies acting as legal NGOs. A lot of small local societies act totally autonomously and don’t belong to any bigger organization.
Several organizations follow up each other and make a really good cooperation.
Some organizations have difficulties with setting their sights and accomplishing them, some organizations manage well in every area. So everything is relative.
As You see, the landscape of Estonian culture organizations is very varied and we introduce You today only a small part of them.

Estonian Folkdance and Folk Music Association
Eesti Rahvatantsu ja Rahvamuusika Selts
E-post: errs@errs.ee   www.errs.ee 

(abbreviated ERRS) is the association of folk dance, folk music teachers and amateurs.
ERRS is the central association in the area of folk dance and folk music. The central association consists of bigger and smaller units – various different kinds of national associations, societies, unions of the same area, also county and regional associations.
Estonian Folk Music Association was founded on 10.12.1988. The chairmen: Anti Kalamees (1988-1989), Ülo Luht (1989-93, folk dance), Ahto Nurk (1989-93 folk music), Valdo Rebane (1993-2002) and Kalev Järvela (since 2002).
ERRS is one of the initiators of folk dance reward. ERRS has its own badge of honour. *Estonian Dance Leaders’ Folk Dance Group and *Estonian Folk Music Orchestra of Conductors belong to ERRS.
ERRS is a co-operation partner for Estonian Song- and Dance Celebration Foundation in the preparation and directing of nationwide dance festivals and youth dance festivals
The main aim of ERRS is the preservation and development of folk dance and folk music. In co-operation with the Folk Culture Development and Training Centre we arrange training sessions, seminars, courses (annual summer courses for folk dance and folk music leaders) etc.

Estonian Song and Dance Celebration Foundation
Eesti Laulu- ja Tantsupeo Sihtasutus
E-post: laulupidu@laulupidu.ee     www.laulupidu.ee 

Estonia and Song and Dance Celebration – these two belong together like Norway and skiing, Russia and bears or England and the Oxford-Cambridge boat race.
The Song Celebration tradition started in the middle of the 19th century and it has survived all of the twists and turns in Estonia’ s history.
It has defied the hardest of times like a frail plant that pushes its way through concrete with its inner strength and then bursts into bloom. Preceded by some local Song Celebrations, the first nationwide Song Celebration was held in Tartu in 1869.
At the time this was seen as the first attempt at national self-determination, manifested before the Baltic-German rulers: See, we can do something too! Fifty choirs and musical ensembles from all over Estonia performed before an audience of thousands, who experienced a blissful sense of belonging, enhanced by the beauty of the music and the songs.
This celebration evolved into a tradition that still flourishes today. The small nation which started the tradition has had to prove to foreign authorities, even in the 20th century, that they are a fully fledged nation with its own rights and resolves.
Song and Dance Celebrations were not just big festivals of singing and music but a way to demonstrate the national spirit and to strengthen the sense of belonging.
The age of foreign rulers is past but Song and Dance Celebrations are still alive – both local and nationwide.
And this proves how deep and strong is the core, spirit and meaning of Song and Dance Celebrations. It is definitely not only the spirit of protest and resistance that brings hundreds of thousands of Estonians – and an increasing number of guests from around the world – every five years to Tallinn.
Rather, it is the unique combination of the sublimity of music, dance and human warmth that a rather distrustful northern nation dares to show during Song and Dance Celebrations, much to the surprise of others and its self..
Song and Dance Celebration - this is a joy. Because Song and Dance Festivals are irreplacable and unique, they can only be experienced on site.

Estonian National Folklore Council
Eesti Rahvuslik Folkloorinõukogu
folkloorinoukogu@folkloorinoukogu.ee     www.folkloorinoukogu.ee 

Estonian Folklore Council is a non-governmental organization, set up on an interdisciplinary basis and acts as the roof-organization for all institutions, which are practically, organizationally and scientifically engaged in folk culture, folk art and the cultural heritage and function in accordance with the aims of the Council – to safeguard, transmit and diffuse of traditional culture.
The Estonian Folklore Council (EFC) was founded in 1992. EFC represent Estonian Republic in the International Council of Organizations for Folklore Festivals and Folk Art (CIOFF® – NGO in formal consultative relations with UNESCO) in the rights of the Estonian National Section (CIOFF® Estonia) and belongs in the Northern-European Sector of CIOFF®. EFC is fully acknowledged by the Ministry of Culture of Estonia.

Estonian Traditional Music Center
Eesti Pärimusmuusika Keskus
folk@folk.ee    www.folk.ee

Estonian Traditional Music Center
This is the website of Estonian Traditional Music Center. The non-profit organisation Estonian Traditional Music Center is an open and innovative non-government organisation which supports and organises traditional music hobby education and promotes live traditional music performances across the country. Estonian Traditional Music Centre is located in Viljandi in a contemporary cultural centre where concerts, performances, training sessions, seminars, etc. are organised all year round.
The cellar hall of the centre houses a Traditional Music Library which holds a collection of sound recordings and an information centre. August Pulst School which focuses on teaching and introducing traditional music through live examples aka organises training sessions and courses is also located in the centre. NGO Estonian Traditional Center organises one of the biggest music festivals in the Baltics – Viljandi Folk Music Festival...

The Estonian Dance Agency
Eesti Tantsuagentuur
E-mail: info@tantsuagentuur.ee     www.tantsuagentuur.ee

The Estonian Dance Agency was established in 1998 by young choreographers and dancers.
The goals of the Agency are to co-ordinate and develop the situation of Estonian dance and to offer better conditions for creation and work for the dancers and choreographers.
The Estonian Dance Agency has collaborated with many Estonian theatres and other institutions connected to performing arts. They also organise School Dance, the biggest dance festival in Estonia with its 6000 participants.
The Estonian Dance Agency has also three dance studios, where different dance styles are taught and practised.

Estonian Folk Culture Development and Training Centre
Rahvakultuuri Arendus- ja Koolituskeskus
E-post: keskus@rahvakultuur.ee     www.rahvakultuur.ee

... was founded on October 1st 1994 incorporating the Folk Culture Training School and Folk Culture Developing Center. Our main function is consulting and training in the field of folk culture.
The target group is the personnel of public culture centers, libraries and museums, leaders of amateur theatre groups, dance groups, music groups, handicraft societies etc. Through consulting and helping them we try to inprove the preservation and development of regional folk life. Identifing the repertoire has always been the greatest challange. We have been trying to help solve this problem. There have been published dance books, notes for family music groups, register of plays. Recently the dance books Kristjan Torop’s “Kontratantsud”, “Maie Orava’s Dances” and “The Dances of the turn of the century” and a memuar book of a grand old man in Estonian dance life “Remainding of Kristjan Torop” were published.
Folk Culture Center offers training and continuous education in your profession, as well as courses in general and cultural education.
Each year you can choose between ca 50 different courses. During 13 years of existence more than 14 500 people have participated.

Estonian Folk Art and Craft Union
Eesti Rahvakunsti ja Käsitöö Liit
e-mail: info@folkart.ee    www.folkart.ee

Established 1929 (abolished during the Soviet occupation). Re-established 1992.
Estonian Folk Art and Craft Union is a non-profit organisation that brings together regional folk art and craft organisations as well as individual craftsmen and craftswomen.
The aim of the Union is to value, preserve and develop the traditions of Estonian handicraft and to treasure the regional characteristics of these traditions. The Union works to preserve folk craft as a cultural phenomenon as well as a source of subsistence.
In order to reach these objectives the Estonian Folk Art and Craft Union: represents and unites individuals and organisations connected to handicraft in Estonia and in the rest of the world;
organises handicraft fairs and workshops, including Estonia’s largest traditional handicraft event, the St. Martin’s Day Fair in November and the Medieval Market in July;
organises courses for the regional coordinators, small handicraft entrepreneurs and others;
organises handicraft competitions and exhibitions;
publishes a newsletter twice a year and various other information materials and books on handicraft traditions;
various other activities.

Estonian Choral Association
Eesti Kooriühing
E-mail: kooriyhing@kooriyhing.ee      www.kooriyhing.ee 

Estonian Choral Association (founded in 1982) is the umbrella organization for all choirs, wind orchestras, choral conductors and music teachers in Estonia. Its goals are to foster the choral and wind music tradition, to find and spread repertoire, to create new contacts, to organize international choral festivals, competitions, concerts, educational programs, seminars, one-day choral singing events and other occasions for choirs, singers and conductors.
There are 6 societies belonging to ECA:
Estonian Male Choirs Association
Estonian Society for Music Education
Estonian Mixed Choirs' Union
Estonian Female Song Society
Estonian Chamber Choirs' Union
Estonian Wind Music Association
Association of Estonian Choral Conductors
etc. and etc.