The school youth song and dance festival is one event, but it, like the adult song and dance festival, intertwines the work of two groups. Some are singers who have been preparing a repertoire for several years, accompanied by their school choir conductors. The others are members of dance groups, who with the same passionate work and care of their leaders learn the discipline, various dance choreographies and movements.
If the choirs are children singing together in one large group with a view of the conductor, focusing on a smooth, lyrical and harmonious singing, then the dancers get together, often in pairs and often to happy and rhythmic music. Reflecting on my impressions of the School Youth Song and Dance Festival and the activities of our choir and dance group, I remember that there was always a more cordial relationship and strong group dynamics between the dancers.
It was like their own clan.
Also, in the preparation of big dance concerts, according to the memories of my acquaintances, it was very important to get to know other members of dance groups and joint parties that took place after rehearsals and concerts.
The content of the Latvian School Youth Dance Festival in the LTV archive begins in 1984. By watching the concerts created in different years, you also manage to travel in time and in the themes and values characteristic of each holiday year. 1984 – togetherness, brotherhood, 1995 – search for national identity, 2000 – growth story, 2005 – approach to nature, nationality, 2010 – dance and nature relations, 2015 – dialogue between modern and national . The 1984 concert was dominated by the diversity of the dances themselves, coming from different nations, ornamentation and demonstration of togetherness in motion. From 1995, scenography and the story of the concert became important, as well as the scenographic attributes of the story, creating the so-called “performance”.
V School and youth dance festival concert “Let’s wear a bright golden belt”. 1984. (Fragments)39min —
The titles of the photographs of the 5th 1984 V School Youth Song and Dance Festival in the archive specifically mention: “V Soviet Latvian School and Youth Song and Dance Festival, dedicated to the 115th birthday and 40th anniversary of Lenin VI since the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War” . This year’s dance concert “Let’s Wear a Bright Golden Belt” will be opened by a march, and it will feature dances in colorful costumes not only of Latvians, but also of multinational republics friendly to the Soviet Union. Among them are Polish, German, Belarusian and Hungarian dances. Some dances seemed to lack the enthusiasm of the participants, either because this year the Daugava stadium was particularly muddy after heavy rains, or because their rhythm was slower. The muddy stadium also had its effects on the participants’ costumes, shoes, white socks of the little dancers, as well as on the danced forms, which were often deformed so as not to stand in the puddles. It should be noted that the effects of the weather, puddles and the sliding stadium hall often created fun for both big and small dancers. I think this concert has been unforgettable for every dancer. V School Youth Song and Dance Festival or V Soviet Latvian School Youth Song and Dance Festival, dedicated to the 115th birthday and 40th anniversary of Lenin VI since the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, dance concert at Dinamo Stadium. Riga, July 1, 1984 Photo: Māris Bērsons and Imants Prēdelis. Latvian National Archives Latvian State Archive of Film and Photophono Documents, 1 f., 115167N l. – The repertoire includes German, Belarusian and other peoples’ ring dances and the dance “Friendship Bonfire”, one of the most important attributes of which is the red scarf. Special mention should be made of the dance “What in the Garden?”, Which, unlike other dances of this concert, is accompanied by a song of popular music. Both very small and big dancers took part in it.
VII School youth dance festival concert “Sprīdītis seven days white”. (Excerpts)57min —
In 1995, the title of the dance concert of the VII Latvian School Youth Song and Dance Festival was “Sprīdītis seven days white”. This dance masterpiece was created as a story, imitating the rhythm of the day on a farm and creating a dialogue with the characters and main motifs of Anna Brigadere’s novel. VII Latvian School Youth Song and Dance Festival dance concert “Sprīdītis seven days white” in the stadium “Daugava”. 1 July 1995 Photo: Author unknown. Latvian National Archives Latvian State Archive of Film and Photophono Documents, 1 f., 14799N l – The story of the concert consists of two main characters, the conductors of the concert – a small actor of the role of Sprīdītis and the White Mother. The concert is characterized by folk, folklore motifs, teachers and children – all dressed in Latvian folk costumes. At the beginning of the concert, a white t-shirt can be seen in the middle of the stadium. The first days of the performance are danced by the youngest dancers, but the last – by the oldest. This concert ends with a song by Imants Kalniņš with the words “Milk Road” by Māra Zālīte.
VIII school youth dance festival concert “Golden Ball”. (Excerpts)1h 3min —
In 2000, the 8th School Youth Song and Dance Festival dance concert “Golden Ball” took place. The main motif of this concert is a ball as a symbol of folk experience, preservation and transfer of knowledge. The concert is designed as a story about growing up – from preschool children – “sun bunnies”, primary school “why” to high school students – “princes and princesses”. Screenshot of the 2000 School Youth Dance Concert “Golden Ball” – This concert is divided into five parts, each part is danced by a group of dancers of their age. The concert is attended by more than 12 thousand participants, characterized by “Cuckoo” songs and a wealth of forms danced by the participants. In between, the concert also features dancers dressed in various animal costumes – hedgehog, owl, bee, mouse.
IX School Youth Song and Dance Festival. Dance concert “Ritums”2h 18min —
More than 14 thousand participants performed at the IX School Youth Song and Dance Festival Dance Concert “Ritums” in 2005. This year, the big dance concert approached natural processes. LTV ambassadors Lauris Reiniks and Inga Spriņģe, who have been correspondents at the School Youth Song and Dance Festival since 2000, said in the introduction of the dance concert that the dancers in this performance dance the rhythm of one year of the sun in nature and people’s lives. The concert is divided into four parts, according to the seasons. Its musical accompaniment consists of the folk group “Iļģi” and the group “Cosmos”, and others. During the concert, a circle is played, which is danced in several variations – as a symbol of the rhythm of the year, the sun and cyclicality. The scenography of the concert is grandiose, the large, round light motifs that make up the scenography of the performance play an important role.
X School youth song and dance festival dance performance «Dance Climbs to the Sky»2h 20min —
In 2010, the X School Youth Song and Dance Festival and the dance performance “Dance Climbs to the Sky” took place. The concert was inspired by the motifs of different regions and seasons of Latvia. Among the dancers’ performances, bird songs and their imitation and aerobatic dances. The dance climbed into the sky thanks to the birds, trees, sun and nature, and, of course, the endurance of big and small dancers, as the beginning of July 2010 was marked by a special heat wave. Valters Friedenbergs and Kārlis Būmeisters, ambassadors of this year’s School Youth Song and Dance Festival, mentioned in the introduction of the concert that firefighters sprinkled their children with water before the concert to cool them down. The concert dances unite both large and small dancers and the dance program is created according to the regions of Latvia – Vidzeme, Zemgale, Latgale, Kurzeme and the capital Riga.
XI Latvian school youth song and dance festival. “To the rainbow”2h 20min —
More than 16 thousand seven hundred participants took part in the 2015 Dance Concert of the 11th School Youth Song and Dance Festival “Until the Rainbow”. The main motif of the concert is a fairy tale about a long bean. Concert hosts – a little girl and a man of letters (Renārs Kaupers). The scenography of the concert also includes everyday motifs – buses, their connection with “Long Bean” remained unclear. The concert consists of a dialogue between contemporary dances staged by Agra Daniļevičs, which are performed to the accompaniment of music composed and sung by Renārs Kaupers and folk dances. Basic song themes – reading, writing, nature. An interesting choice is to include a football game in the dance choreography, because at some point in the concert the bus “takes” the participants to London, where a fictional Latvian football team and a “Chelsea” club game “take place”. In this dream world, the Latvian team wins with Agri Danilevics as a team coach. After this amazing insertion, the dancers continue to dance folk dances. Looking at the recordings of the various dance concerts, it is clear that a lot of work has been put into the preparation of each grand performance, conceptually and practically, no matter what year it took place. The most beautiful dance performances are related to the accuracy of the forms danced by dancers, as was the case, for example, in 2000 and 2010. Original and colorful scenographic solutions, as well as the harmony between the form and the story of the performances are also of great value. In general, these concerts are another important and unique testimony of the time, in the creation of which tens of thousands of Latvian children participate. A collective, moving and dynamic work of art created by children. –
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