Reimann was awarded the 39th Ullo Toomi Scholarship, named after Estonian folk dance teacher and choreographer Ullo Toomi, at Tallinn Town Hall on Monday.

The scholarship, awarded since 1987 and considered the field's highest honor, recognizes outstanding contributions to Estonian folk dancing. Reimann said the honor means a great deal to her.

"Ullo Toomi was someone who didn't just leave us dances; he gave us a concept and tradition that we must preserve and pass on to future generations,"  she said.

Reimann has worked with young dancers in Tallinn's Sõleke folk dance troupe for more than three decades. Among other contributions, she has also been involved as a choreographer or assistant principal choreographer in every Estonian Youth Dance Festival and Dance Festival since 2011, serving as principal choreographer for the XXI Dance Festival in 2025.

The scholarship recipient said Estonian folk dancing is thriving, and infectious to boot.

"I like saying it's like a bug — once you've been infected, there's no shaking it anymore," Reimann said. She pointed to dancers in her own troupe who initially came together for a single dance festival but have now been dancing together for a decade.

'I love our Estonian dance'

Reimann said there is always something new on the horizon. Her troupe is currently working on a demo video for the next Dance Festival in 2028, for which registration just began.

She also simply enjoys both the dancing itself and creating new choreography.

"I really love being involved in folk dancing," she said. "I love dance, I love our Estonian dance, and I love creating new dances to wonderful Estonian music that sometimes just begs to be choreographed."

Previous Ullo Toomi Scholarship recipients include prominent folk dance figures such as Maie Orav, Mait Agu, Ilma Adamson, Helju Mikkel and Ülo Luht.

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