It seems that there is no corner in the Skrundas Culture House where there is no activity, there is excitement in the air that alternates with joy – just a moment and 13 dance groups of Kuldīga district will appear before the jury to show how they have mastered the repertoire of the Song and Dance Festival. First the dance drawn by each team, then the selections.
Out of 13 collectives of young people in the region, there is one – Folk Dance Ensemble “Venta”.
“I think it was quite good, all the stress went away, and I was happy dancing, I think it was very good,” admitted “Venta” dancer Alice Abolte.
Kristīne Miķelsone, a dancer from the “Suiti” collective, said before the performance that “we are trying not to get excited, it will be fine, a hundred for everyone, when then, if not now”.
And the middle generation dance collective “Suiti” goes to their drawn dance “Zintnieki”. Last year, the collective celebrated its 40th anniversary and is still full of dancing joy.
“Yes, it seems that it happened, it was cool – excitement, elation, emotions, cool,” admits Kristīne Miķelsone after the performance.
In the meantime, the leader of the “Virši” collective, Dita Nyunevic, emphasizes: “Dancing yourself is something completely different, and when your dancers [uzstājas]it’s a completely different feeling, and it seems like everything inside is spinning so fast that you can’t keep up with it all.”
The leader of the “Bandava” collective, cycling ultramarathonist Arvis Sprude admits that he “had to put all his plans related to cycling aside and focus one hundred percent on his work with dancing, because it is work three times a week, and to prepare. I am happy, I am proud of them.” .
Collectively, they also thought about new stage costumes, but the dancers of “Bandavas”, attracting the project “Do it ourselves!” funding, under the guidance of textile artist Baiba Rīteres, they wove a new collective flag with which they will march.
The jury evaluated the technical and artistic performance of the dances, rhythmicity, the culture of wearing folk costumes and the overall impression.
“Of course, it is very important for us to make sure that the lines are straight and that the steps are accurate, so that we can create those drawings more accurately at the Daugava Stadium, but the most important thing, in my opinion, is emotions. I wanted to smile along with myself, and those sparks in the eyes , and for those gray-haired gentlemen, especially,” admitted the chairman of the jury, Jānis Purvinņš.
The screenings of joint repertoires will end at the beginning of May. A total of 707 dance groups are preparing for the festival.
CONTEXT:
The XXVII General Latvian Song and XVII Dance Festival will be held in Riga from June 30 to July 9, 2023, its main focus will be the one hundred and fifty year anniversary of the Song Festival tradition. The festival is organized by the National Cultural Center of Latvia, which is a state institution subordinate to the Ministry of Culture.
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