A talented dancer with a divine creative talent
Our stage folk dance tradition grew out of the very demanding ballet tradition – Jānis Ārglis is also a former ballet soloist, the artistic director of the State Dance Ensemble “Daile” and a student of choreographer Uldas Žagats, and, by the way, later these positions from the Great Teacher – as Ārglis calls Žagats – He also inherited “Daile”, being the artistic leader of the professional national dance ensemble.
Describing the importance of Ulda Žagat, dance professionals tend to say that Žagat is in folk dance what Raymond Paul is in “light” music. On the other hand, colleagues call Jānis Ērgli a worthy successor of the Žagata tradition and a choreographer “with a divine creative talent”.
But it all started with dancing, and if someone wanted to count the length of steps performed by Jānis Ārglis on different stages, it would probably be much longer than the distance to the Prussian land of his famous dance, while the total number of dances created by him is over 200.
“I rode the land of the Prussians” star hour
“This year was the first time that the dance was performed at the big festival,” says Erglis about his most popular dance. “In 1998, I started directing “Teiksma”, and in 1999 I produced “Prussian land” as part of the cycle, which is a love story of two young people, in which the dance about the Prussian land is the moment when the guy drives to his bride.
“I rode through the land of the Prussians” 3 min
Erglis is happy that the dance, although late, has gained such a response among the people: “The story of the popularity of the dance in social networks is just one of many,” laughs the choreographer, who was even more pleased by the fact that the dance, just like a social action, was performed by various representatives of professions: “For example, firefighters, policemen and representatives of other professions, as well as people at weddings. Not to mention our fellowship parties after concerts: as soon as this really magical music by Ainara Mielava comes on, the guys are hungry to dance,” comments Jānis Ārglis and continues: ” Why? What is this? – I asked myself. Most likely, the synthesis of dance and music, because the choreography came to me thanks to Mielav’s great music, the call of his voice – it inspired me so much that putting on the choreography was no longer a problem. Now it is so much has become so popular that sometimes TV announcers announce it not as my dance, but as a folk dance, and you can say that I no longer associate it with myself, it has become folklorized.”
Son and colleague Dāvis Ārglis
The son of Jānis Erglis also has his own story about the famous dance, now a professionally trained choreographer, still a dancer and tutor of the dance collective “Teiksmas”, which confirms his father’s statement that no “Teiksmas” party is complete without “Prūšu zeme”: “When you hear the music, in all the men in the group want to get up and go to the dance floor to enjoy this dance with manly power, while the girls’ eyes also sparkle with joy watching the boys dance, it somehow connects us all. By the way, the dance is very simple, anyone can do it, and it’s good,” confirms Dāvis. Really! How else could it have spread among representatives of various fields?
Jānis Ārglis with his son Dāvi dances on the podium of the chief conductors of the festival
Photo: from a private archive
Eagle, junior: about “Prussian land” and curiosities
After the program “Congratulations, jubilee!” invitation, Dāvis Ārglis shares his memories from his childhood: “I was a little boy when my father created this dance, dancing its steps and making choreographic drawings. It happened in our home, I remember it well. It inspired me a lot, and I told my friends, others I made the boys who came to visit dance this dance,” laughs Dāvis. “I had watched my father in rehearsals and training, and I noticed that I also like to command, and I put this emotion on my friends.”
Son and colleague Dāvis Ārglis4min
Jānis, listening to his son’s video narration, also remembers this moment: “I couldn’t understand at the time: the door of Dāvja’s room was closed, there was a noise behind it, I thought: what are those boys doing there? Dāvīz was still in kindergarten at the time. My wife and I opened the door: everyone was jumping “Land of the Prussians” (laughs). I was surprised: and not so much that he was making out other boys, because he had seen that by looking at me. But more than that, those friends also listen to him.”
Excellent teacher
The son, having inherited not only his father’s behavioral models, can also read the features of Jānis Erglis in Dāvja’s face – he admits that he likes his father’s firm, masculine voice, as well as the fact that he can be trusted: “Father has always been by my side, never never been lonely. I practiced basketball seriously for many years, and he and my mother always came to my games, despite my father’s busy schedule. My father is also an excellent teacher who never did anything for me. For example, if the chain fell off the wheel, he showed , how it should be put on. He removed the chain and told me to try it myself, saying: “You will do it yourself, then everything will work out!””
“Fable”
The folk dance ensemble “Teiksma” is one of the oldest in Latvia, it turned 75 last year. It is interesting that it was born in the same year as the Dance Festival. The anniversary was celebrated with the performance of ensemble leader Jānis Ārglis’s “Trejdevinas pāleni”, for which the choreographer received the “Dance Award 2021-2022”, which is the highest award in the professional art of dance, given every two years for achievements in the creation of new productions and dance events, teaching and research at work.
“Teiksma” was once founded as a dance group of the Vagona factory back in 1946. Artistic level collective grew upwhen it started to be managed by Viesturs Tīle, from whom Ārglis also inherited the team: “My idea was to build a proper machinery, in which all generations are involved, so that both parents and children, as well as big children – young people can dance. This means creating a very family environment: so that the family can be together also in the collective. And we would also go hiking together, play sports. It has also succeeded. We only need a group of seniors,” reveals the leader of “Teiksma”, who has created not only an artistically strong, but also a very sincere, mutually helping, tradition-rich association of dancers.
“Good person” – is it a profession or not?
It is understandable that “a good person is not a profession!”, as the old saying suggests, but it is undeniable that every person’s personality affects the works he creates. And what else! “Jānis is very family oriented,” admits his wife Aija Ergle. “Family means everything to him! It’s not for nothing that he creates such an environment in the dance team as well!”
There is no need to doubt the truth of what the Eagle’s wife said, because the Eagle couple themselves are proof of it: both of them share with Jānis not only family responsibilities for years, Aija is also a tutor in “Teiksma”.
Jānis Ārglis with his family
Photo: from a private archive
“Beauty”
Aija and Jānis met in the national professional dance ensemble “Daile”, led by the legend of stage dance, the outstanding choreographer Uldis Žagata. Both Aija and Jānis were used to iron discipline, because, being a great and sincere person in everyday life, Žagata did not tolerate the words “I can’t!” in his profession. and “I don’t have time!”: “There simply shouldn’t have been such an objection,” recalls Erglis, laughing. “Everything had to be done at the highest level. Žagata came from a ballet background, and his demands in art were very high,” recalls Erglis, who tried to maintain the quality bar set by the great teacher in his art as well.
Jānis Ārglis with his wife Aija and head of VDA “Daile” Uldi Žagat
Photo: from a private archive
Love
In “Daile” Ārglis also met his wife Aija: “Like Uldi Žagat, I have had one wife all my life,” laughs Ārglis and says that he made the decision about marriage very quickly: “During the Soviet period, the new programs of “Daile” had to be found by the commission, the philharmonic to the management, who might not have accepted them. At one point, the committee was already sitting in the hall, and they let us, the young dancers, into the balcony. I saw the girl and thought: she will be my wife! And that’s what happened!”
It is very likely that one of the reasons for the success of the Eagles’ marriage is their work ethic, discipline and ability to adapt, which “Daile” demanded, but of course no one knows the formula for happiness: “We are not bored: we work in the same team, and when I share in my thoughts, there is a person in front of me who understands me. I can call my wife my friend. By the way, before the interview, I already sensed that you would ask for a wife and I thought: yes, we really do everything together! The wife has her own dance too collectively, I also have creative jobs. But we spend our whole life together, we also cook together, only if I forgot something, then I run to the store. I can bake pancakes and potatoes, but Aija cooks more. During the student dormitories I already learned it,” assures Erglis.
A successful career for a happy man
It is said that behind every successful man there is a wise woman. Judge for yourself: Jānis Ārglis is an authority in the world of scenic folk dance, he was the head of the Dance Festival in 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, 2013, 2018 and, of course, this year as well. The author and innovator of many dance performances, the author and artistic director of the concept of the Dance Festival’s grand performances, he performs in Latvia’s centenary: “Māras zeme”, as well as this year: “Eternal engine” (both together with choreographer Jānis Purviņa).
XV Dance Festival Final Competition. Won the Grand Prize.
Photo: from a private archive
Educator and sensitivity
One of the greatest values of Jānis Ārglis, which certainly supports professional success, is his fine talent as a teacher, which, together with a loving attitude and the ability to collect his emotions, is reflected in the dancers’ motivation.
This is also confirmed by the stately dancers of “Teiksma”: “Jānis definitely has external firmness and masculinity, but he is also very sensitive, responsive and reliable. This is the real masculinity. He is the center in the team, around which everything revolves. And when he explodestad explodes, but he also knows that we will understand. Because never without a reason. Other times, at such a moment, his voice goes into falsetto – and he himself laughs. And we have also understood the message, and the atmosphere is very positive!”
Jānis calmly maintains what the girls said: “As a leader, I have to understand the situation of my dancers: they have come from work, from school, tired and it is quite logical that carelessness sets in. That is why other times explosion I also do it as diplomacy: they wake up when I do explode!” smiles the experienced diplomat and continues about the challenges of stage dancing. “I understand that amateurs come to the dance group to relax. Since the liquidation of “Daile”, we no longer have state-paid, professional dance groups, but the level of stage dance is approaching that of professionals. So I have to be smart about getting it out of them. In fact: I can’t get mad at my dancers at all, and they already understand the bar they have to hold. But when they get sloppy, I have to watch it.”
2023-11-18 07:12:38
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