# AMAZING Norweigan Military Show **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 11, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-norweigan-military-show/640715 "2012-11-11T20:48:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Simple\_Linctus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Simple\_Linctus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simple_Linctus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-norweigan-military-show/640715/1 "2012-11-11T20:48:44Z")
I just got sent one of those glurgey emails you get sent by older and/or clueless aquaintances/friends/relatives (and I want to make it clear on this occasion it was sent by a very honourable, wonderful and wise old man who is not a relative, although he is not very computer savvy) but this time it’s great. Not the email itself, which I reproduce below for you, but for the astounding vid attached which you can see here: [Brilliant Vid](http://sorisomail.com/email/16993/exibicao-de-banda-militar--um-espectaculo-imperdivel.html) > [@Glurgey Email](#): > > This is the Norwegian Royal Guard Regiment (equivalent to the British > and Canadian Guards regiments). These guys give the USMC Band and Honor > Guard and the Army’s 1 BN 3d Infantry (The Old Guard) a run for their > money. It is interesting how a cheesy Hollywood theme (from “The Good, > The Bad, and The Ugly”) can sound impressive when played by an elite > military band. > > This is “River Dance” with boots and rifles! I can’t remember ever > seeing a display of precision to beat this!! > All the precision drill is being performed on ICE!! > Those are US made Garand M-1 rifles (WWII), and they are heavy weapons > (9 POUNDS EACH). > > When that one fellow goes on his own - YOU’VE NEVER SEEN A RIFLE SPUN > THAT FAST! > > Unbelievable!!! ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-norweigan-military-show/640715/2 "2012-11-11T21:12:50Z")
Good video. But I think I have to object to describing anything composed by Ennio Morricone as “a cheesy Hollywood theme.” ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-norweigan-military-show/640715/3 "2012-11-11T21:37:04Z")
You had me at “Ecstasy of Gold.” If it’s cheese, it’s good cheese. Something cave aged, probably. Garands, eh. I think they’re a little more than 9, and the bayonet isn’t included in that figure I don’t think. Impressive, so much could go wrong. I could weigh mine but my scale sucks. In Akershus Fortress, Oslo, there are a bunch of troops around. They carry some sort of way more modern .223 though. They kind of remind me of the various guards in England, except way less ridiculous looking, and it’s still a working military installation of kind (and museums. In a castle!). Although I do admit that at certain parts I wanted them to say “Yo e Oh, Yo Ho!” ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-norweigan-military-show/640715/4 "2012-11-11T21:37:56Z")
Are we sure that’s ice, and not a veryveryvery polished floor? I can’t imagine ice giving that nice solid stomp at each executed step… plus it sort of seems like a recipe for disaster, what with all those rifles and bayonets and tubas. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![MoodIndigo1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e8c25b/32.png) [@MoodIndigo1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MoodIndigo1)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-norweigan-military-show/640715/5 "2012-11-11T21:58:50Z")
I found many references online of this precision Norwegian military band marching on ice. ---
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-norweigan-military-show/640715/6 "2012-11-11T22:03:18Z")
Cool video. My dad used to take me to stuff like this when I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-norweigan-military-show/640715/7 "2012-11-11T22:21:17Z")
> [@MoodIndigo1](#): > > I found many references online of this precision Norwegian military band marching on ice. Yes, but it’s all just repeats of the email that the OP quoted… nothing official from the RGR that says “These guys are on ice.” In fact, I found two posts on different message boards that say they’ve seen the RGR perform, can identify the hall in the video, and it’s not ice. Hence my question. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-norweigan-military-show/640715/8 "2012-11-12T02:28:11Z")
At first, I thought the title was “AMAZING Norwegian Military Chow”, how does one make lutefisk exciting? Anyone else? ::d&r:: ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-norweigan-military-show/640715/9 "2012-11-12T03:22:21Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > But I think I have to object to describing anything composed by Ennio Morricone as “a cheesy Hollywood theme.” Agreed, definitely not cheesy. And I take issue with marching bands that try too hard to use non-march music. I suppose you can take any song and bash it with a club until it’s in 2/4 time, but that doesn’t mean you should. Morricone suffers less than most from the attempt, though. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-norweigan-military-show/640715/10 "2012-11-13T04:09:34Z")
As a veteran of the United States Navy I’m gonna have to check in with this: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xWGU3mpfRoM/hqdefault.jpg "Navy Norway") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWGU3mpfRoM) ---
**Author:** ![cwthree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@cwthree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cwthree)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-norweigan-military-show/640715/11 "2012-11-13T22:09:01Z")
> [@bobkitty](#): > > Yes, but it’s all just repeats of the email that the OP quoted… nothing official from the RGR that says “These guys are on ice.” In fact, I found two posts on different message boards that say they’ve seen the RGR perform, can identify the hall in the video, and it’s not ice. Hence my question. 🙂 Maybe it’s a non-English idiomatic expression that doesn’t translate well, or an obscure regionalism meaning “These guys are extraordinary performers.” ---
**Author:** ![SecretaryofEvil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@SecretaryofEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecretaryofEvil)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2012, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-norweigan-military-show/640715/12 "2012-11-13T23:32:18Z")
They might be performing in an ice rink, but not actually on the ice. Perhaps that is where the confusion came from. ---
**Author:** ![FlyByNight512](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/82dd89/32.png) [@FlyByNight512](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyByNight512)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-norweigan-military-show/640715/13 "2012-11-14T03:45:50Z")
Very cool. If you’re a fan of that kind of thing, you might like a performing group called Blast! Similar idea, though fewer military uniforms and more dance. [Bolero](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSFe5MrudRE&noredirect=1) [Drumline](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4Jv5pIXSIQ&feature=related) Edit: > [@Peanuthead](#): > > As a veteran of the United States Navy I’m gonna have to check in with this: > > [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWGU3mpfRoM](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWGU3mpfRoM) Holy cow, does the drill leader get hazardous duty pay for that? ---
**Author:** ![malm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/278dde/32.png) [@malm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malm)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-norweigan-military-show/640715/14 "2012-11-14T16:09:36Z")
This appears to be from [Norwegian military tattoo in Oslo Spektrum](http://www.normiltattoo.no/index.php/no/), not sure which year. Probably 2004, 2007 or 2011 based on the flags in the background. It is not ice on the floor unless I am very much mistaken. I’ve seen Norwegian Military tattoo 4 or 5 times, never seen ice on the floor. There are some stories about them performing on ice, but I haven’t had it confirmed, probably hasn’t happened. Norwegian laws probably wouldn’t allow the bayonets on ice. Another impressive thing to remember is that they are mostly drafted soldiers (not necessarily all of them, it’s kinda complicated). This means they are in the army at the most 14 months, usually 9-12. Unless they sign up for one of Norway’s professional units. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2012, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazing-norweigan-military-show/640715/15 "2012-11-14T18:52:41Z")
It’s hard to beat the British army for [high-precision swanning about](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxs3gmewuhI).