We create the holiday ourselves. How Kurzeme residents are preparing for a school song festival / Article

The e-song festival is started and will run until 31 October. It is a different holiday, which allows us to document exactly the moment we live in, as well as to put an end to the long process of rehearsals, because a year ago the pandemic disrupted the planned celebrations in person. In Kurzeme we meet with the participants of the 12th Latvian School Youth Song and Dance Festival from Liepaja and Kuldiga. Folk and contemporary dance dancers, folklorists, theater players, creators of visual plastic art and choirs share their feelings. –

Liepaja City Festival coordinator Ineta Klāsone assesses in the Latvian Radio program “Let’s meet, sing, dance” that the decision made so late about the course of the festival and its format influenced many decisions – to participate or not.

However, 1607 Liepaja residents – most of course, singers and dancers, but also representatives of visual and visual plastic art – will be among the participants of the e-song festival,

participating in the exhibition, song festival video greeting, concert film, video concert and other events.

A sense of community and a repertoire of abilities

Commenting on the participation of folk dance dancers in this year’s festival, Liepaja Children and Youth Center (LBJC) folk dance methodologist Eva Krētaine praises the artistic team in this field: “The team really works according to how we can. But it is very, very interesting that the children can still work together and keep the team in such a bundle together. ”

Crete highlights the video project “Celebrate the Sun” as unique, where the most welcome opportunity to involve all the children came true – although the dancers danced individually, they could still film and be together.

Aina Apene, the head of the dance studio “Rotaļa” and a contemporary dance methodologist at LBJC, says that her dancers are preparing for the big concert “Above the Earth”. It would have happened in person in the hall of Ķīpsala Exhibition Center, but now a cinema story is being made: “In July, the contemporary dance creative team travels around Latvia, in 19 municipalities and comes to each group. Collectives do not intersect, all requirements are met. ” A total of five dance groups will start from Liepaja.

“Modern dance is very versatile, very saturated with elements of acrobatics – the degree of complexity is very high.

The contemporary dance repertoire of the big concert also has a very high bar. Maybe that’s why not everyone collectively participated and learned this repertoire, ”says Apene.

The usual processes and feelings remain

Along with the dancers, Liepaja residents are also represented at the festival by a large group of folklorists, and their involvement in the festival has been very versatile throughout the year, reveals Solveiga Kūlaine, the leader of the folklore group “Ķocis”. There has been both an annual storytelling competition and an anecdotal marathon throughout the day. There were also competitions for making music and dancing folklorists.

So, in terms of events, nothing has changed, only the form has changed – the events were conducted remotely, via video or online.

Katrīna, a member of “Ķoča”, adds that working together in folklore is cool and will always be so. Their folklore is especially associated with songs and games.

300 Liepaja choirs are actively involved in the festival, says music methodologist Evija Ruibe. Filming of the greetings is currently underway. Singers’ participation in the festival, which is solved in e-format, is first of all motivated by the leaders of the groups – they maintain the joy of singing and the spirit of the festival.

Equally motivated for choirs is the opportunity to get together.

“It simply came to our notice then. Those who have it in their hearts to the end, neither “e-” nor any other options will stop it, we will continue to sing and the song will continue to sound, “

considers Ruibe. At the same time, she makes no secret of the fact that there are both choirs and band leaders who do not want to take part in this year’s other celebrations.

New formats also unleash and inspire

It is another song festival, but students who work in theater groups have also found another way to participate in them, says theater methodologist Marina Vikaine.

For example, stage speech competitions have been held via video this year, and many children who have not participated so far have responded this year precisely because of the new format.

Unleashing creativity, in a remote life, a show was made.

Vikaine reminds of the importance of involving minority groups in the celebrations.

It is important for children to participate and perhaps for the first time go on a festive procession with Latvian groups. Unfortunately, there will be no march this year.

Ineta Klāsone, the coordinator of the Liepāja City Festival, says: “Whatever the festival, we will adapt and participate.”

Continuation of tradition in a historical moment

Out of 80 collectives from Kuldīga region, 30 participate in the e-festival. In total, they are more than 400 students who represent all fields of cultural education. Agate Ūdrene, a representative of the Kuldīga Children and Youth Center (BJC), denies that during remote work there were concerns that participation in the festival would have to be postponed, but when the opportunity to meet in person reappeared:

“The end result is quite successful, and it’s really gratifying that so many of our students and team leaders are representing this holiday.”

Zita Serdante, the head of the folk dance of the students of Kuldīga region, the children’s dance group “Stariņš” of the Kuldīga Culture Center and the leader of the folk dance ensemble “Venta”, says that the year has been active and has tried to pass this activity on to its dancers – every new opportunity has come together. With her dancers, she has participated in the filming of the video project “Celebrate the Sun” and praised her in the virtual Song and Dance Festival procession. Now we are preparing for the next step – dancing in the sun sign. Kuldīga residents help with filming.

“We can turn our noses, say that this is not a Song Festival, but the situation is as it is. There are opportunities, and we are taking advantage of those opportunities.

If I think deeper, it will be historical material. We want to make these historical materials beautiful, because maybe someday these young people will tell their grandchildren what song festival they took part in. ”

The head of the collective “Stariņš” and “Venta” shares his thoughts.

Serdante’s students Emilija, Krists and Elisa are also happy to participate in such festivities. There is no other thing that Emilia would like to dance.

Singers of the region participate in e-festivals as actively as dancers. To make a video, the 4th-9th grade choirs of Kuldīga Secondary School No. 2 woke up to the sun and went to the Venta hub. The early rise has somewhat recalled the experience of the previous song festival, says the choir director Jana Paipa. She is also in charge of the Kuldīga Culture Center youth choir “Lai top!”.

Paipa believes that this year’s holiday is a continuation of the tradition, only in a different format: “We create the holiday where we are.”

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