No. 3: 2-4 July 1993

1993 Tanz&FolkFest was held in a time of escalating nationalism and shamelessly free right-wing hordes. It said in the foreword to the program booklet: From these outgrowths Rudolstadt has not been spared. The 32,000-inhabitant city on the river Saale’ “knees” is not an extremist-free island; but it is also not a brown center, as many (distant) observers after the Hess demonstration and Diehnel process gave the impression. Through the horrific events of last year, however, the Tanz&Folk festival Rudolstadt has an additional significance: that  place in Germany, where for three days different people and cultures meet, where the ideal that all men are sisters and all women are brothers, is held high, where guests from 28 countries will show off their traditions, that we may see, and hear, and understand -. and not least be happy to spend a few days together…it was so. The focus was on the music and dance of Romany, the Hurdy-gurdy (feat. Valentin Clastrier) was the magical instrument and the Folk Award this time went to Hölderlin Express (before Nure and the Bremer Straßenmusikohrkäster). And then there was still a novelty: to be able to represent the diversity of music from one country and comprehensibly, therefore establishing the Country in Focus (Landerschwerpunkt). This initially included an art exhibition, a craft market - and the hope, to be able to even encourage a country focus, therefore relieving the budget a bit. Hardly any of these ideas and hopes can be realized, nevertheless, the Country in Focus was to become an immovable cornerstone of the festival. Whereby equal to the first, Finland continued with JPP, Maria Kalaniemi, Nils-Aslak Valkeapää, Värttinä and others, a highlight in the series.