University of Tartu Folk Art Ensemble

It was founded in 1945 and as of 2015 there were around 150 dancers, that makes it one of the oldest and biggest folk dance groups in Estonia.

[2] As of spring 1953 only four pairs had remained and they merged with Tartu Teachers Institute group whose leader was Helju Mikkel.

[1] Mikkel retired in 1978 and Henn Tiivel, who had started dancing in ensemble already in 1966, took the role as the art director.

[1] Restoration of the Estonian independence after Soviet occupation meant hard times for the ensemble as it lost its place for training.

Opening up of new possibilities reduced the interest for folk dance and the number of students in ensemble started to shrink rapidly.