The New York folk dance group has been continuously active since 1967. The current dancers are mostly third-generation Estonians, meaning their parents and often grandparents were born far from their homeland. Despite this, there is interest in and effort to preserve their ancestors' culture and traditions. Since 1971, the group has carried the name "Saare Vikat." "Saare" symbolizes the two New York islands (Long Island and Manhattan) where most of the dancers were from, and "Vikat" symbolized the group's high level compared to other groups (a scythe cuts everyone's legs out from under them). The intensity of Saare Vikat's activities has varied over time; in some years, we have had many performances and activities, while in others, not as many.

The group has performed at nearly every ESTO: Toronto '72, Baltimore '76, Stockholm '80, Toronto '84, Melbourne '88, New York '92 (Saare Vikat’s former leader Mari Teedla was the general leader of the '92 ESTO light festival "Ajarattas"), Toronto 2000, San Francisco 2013, and Estonia 2019. We have also performed at the West Coast Estonian Days, the Midwest Estonian Youth Organization Conference, the New England Folk Festival, Dance Festivals in 1994 and 2014, and numerous gatherings and celebrations in New York and its immediate surroundings.

In 2025, "Saare Vikat" is ready to dance again, this time in their dearly beloved homeland of Estonia.