December 6, 2022
Bessa: My friends used to go to dances in Lyngdal and the bus would come in and take them. I said to Mama, Can’t I go with them? I know how to dance. I would love to dance. Mama said, No, no, no. You’re too young. Yeah, but so-and-so is going, everyone is going.
So Mama went over to Tonnes’s mother’s house and said, Bjorg wants to go to the dance with the rest of them. Will you ask Tio and Tonnes to keep an eye on her? Then I will let her go. Yeah, they would do that. So she came back and said I could go.
Boy was I happy. Got dressed and onto the bus to Lyngdal to the dance. I remember going in, I was so nervous going into that dance hall, Kristen.
Kristen: By yourself?
Bessa: No, I was with my friends, but I had never been to a dance before. The way it was, there was one man playing the accordion – he was sitting up on the stage, whatever stage there was, you know?
All the girls had to go on the left and sit against the wall. All the boys had to sit on the right-hand side. When the accordion started to play, I will never forget it. It was a waltz. I’m looking and see this – I knew who he was – this guy come walking right across towards me!
And – (in Norwegian – Shall we dance?)
I almost died but I got up. To this day, we are best friends. I had my first dance with Jon. His name was Jon.
Kristen: So at your very first dance, you got asked, on the first song?
Bessa: Mm-hmm. A lot of them were wallflowers and never got off the seat – I was never a wallflower. I can say that.
Kristen: Did the girls ever say no?
Bessa: No, they were dying to dance, but somehow the boys knew which girls could dance.
Because we danced at home – Mama would show me steps and we would dance in the hallway in Drange. Mama would wind up the phonograph and we would dance. But I’ll never forget that. What a good feeling.