Heidecksburg Castle - for centuries, the residence of the princes of Schwarzburg - arches high above the houses in Rudolstadt. Where carriages once made their way up to the castle's court, a parade of incredibly diverse musicians now makes the trek during the first weekend of July for TFF Rudolstadt, which stands for the Dance and Folk Festival Rudolstadt. This year, they included Scotland's Eddie Reader, who won the BRIT Award for Best British Female for her 1994 eponymous release and has also received the Order of the British Empire from the queen. Or there's Kurdin Cigdem Aslan, who grew up in Istanbul and now lives in London, where he makes Greek music. Fellow London residents, the Puppini Sisters, brought back the sounds of the 40s - supported by a local symphony orchestra - while Tanzania's Kazimoto brought to Rudolstadt a style known as Mchitiku from his home just outside of Dar es Salaam.

Familiar faces, musical discoveries

The equally diverse audience includes Rastafaris, retired people, young families, tourists and locals. They form a kind of festival family, since many in attendance come year after year. It's not the big names that draw people to Rudolstadt - although they're also on the lineup - but, instead, musical variety. For three days, castle, town and nearby park are filled with music and dance, with artists from 45 countries in around 200 performances. Numerous street musicians add to the atmosphere.

Frequently, when guests are on the way to catch a star - such as ZAZ, reggae king Gentleman or Judith Holofernes, vocalist in Germany's popular band Wir sind Helden - they'll happen to pass by a band they've never heard of but instantly like.

Samba's 'a serious matter'

As with most festivals, the tough part is choosing among concurrent concerts and events. Someone might be in the mood for blues but curious about a choir from Zanzibar City with the name Tarbiya Islamiyya - but then end up getting drawn in by a spectacle featuring Dona Nicinha, a 70-year-old from Santa Amaro, who flew in with her troop from Brazil to teach people the samba de roda. She spins in a circle like mad, with a flowing white dress and turban adding to her eye-catching appearance. "Samba is a very serious matter," she says. "You can't take it too lightly. After all, we use it to honor the orixas, the gods."

Together with her husband, Mestre Vava, Dona Nicinha has been teaching the dance to children in her neighborhood for over 50 years - starting out in a run-down house that had once belonged to the owner of a sugar plantation. Today, the renovated architectural beauty is home to all of the region's samba groups, and nearly all of its members have been taught by the school's adamant matriarch.

"That's my son Guegueu," she says, pointing at a stately man. "He was already dancing the samba in the womb!"

Dona Nicinha comes from a poor background, but thanks to her engagement on behalf of the samba, which was named to UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2004, she has traveled widely beyond Brazil.

She was invited to Rudolstadt because each year the festival organizers try to illuminate a different dance in all of its facets. This time, the World Cup in Brazil offered a good reason to select the samba.

African hot spot and Indian magic

There's also a country in focus at TFF - in 2014 Tanzania. Numerous artists from the African country came to Rudolstadt to dazzle audiences by showing them how multi-faceted baikoko or taarab sounds can be. "Mambo Moto Moto" served as a kind of motto for the musicians, which means Hot Spot in Kiswahili.

Things turned magical around midnight on Friday (03.07.2014) as the Indian clan Mudiyettu demonstrated a ritual to the goddess Kali featuring plenty of spectacular fire effects, exotic masks and drum rhythms that sent the audience into a trance. Most didn't make it home before 3 a.m., but had little time to sleep before the next day's programming featuring the bass. Along with a country and a style of dance, an instrument is also highlighted at each edition of the festival.

Those playing bass violin, bass clarinet and bass trombone were happy to show that they're capable of much more than just the "Low C." Musicians from Greece, France and Mongolia rehearsed together for a week ahead of a joint performance titled Magic Bass.

"For our listeners, that's always a highlight," said the head of the project, Wolfgang Meyering. "Last year, we introduced the flute."

Unsurprisingly, workshops in which the musicians introduce visitors to the secrets of their instruments are well-attended.

Long tradition

When the TFF was founded as an East German dance festival in 1955, its organizers could have scarcely imagined that it would eventually transform into Germany's biggest folk and world music festival - including an arts and crafts market, clothing and jewelry stands and a craftsmen's row featuring instrument makers.

One older woman stops in front of a stand, listening as a man's melancholy song wafts from a CD player. "The music is beautiful - I haven't heard it in ages," she says dreamily.

"I have two copies of the CD at home," the merchant says with a smile, offering it to her for free - also a part of the spirit of Rudolstadt.