we dance because folk dances are cool / Article

Some have been dancing together for several decades, others for just a few years, and still others for just over a week, but that doesn’t stop anyone from enjoying dancing and being together.

The state of New York is very widely represented in this holiday. Both the New York “Jumis” collective of the middle generation and the New York “Mazais Jumis” collective of the Latvian elementary school Jonkeros are dancing.

Since August of last year, young people Mara and Anthony have been dancing together every Friday night in Manhattan.

“We are here to dance and meet new people and have a good time on Friday evenings. We have 28 people in the group who are learning to speak Latvian and are already fluent in Latvian, like Anthony,” said Mara.

Major dance and choral concerts take place in the spectacular Ordway Center for the Arts. There, in the corridors, the dancers also use the time for rehearsals. However, there are those who delight passers-by in city parks with dancing.

“Luznava Dancis” started dancing together only eight days ago. 2×2 is a group of young people from around the world, whose dancers have actually met from all over the world – Washington, New York, Riga, Minneapolis, Ohio, Alabama, Jelgava, the Netherlands, Washington. They are united by language and joy.

“Movements, cooperation and the fact that we can do it together as a group of friends, yes, it’s cool,” emphasized dancer Valdis.

On the other hand, even an American dances in the Indianapolis collective “Jautrais paris”, who has no connection with Latvia, just the joy of dancing. Jeff Sherman said that he has been dancing in the group for more than 20 years. When he started dancing, he didn’t know anything about dancing or Latvia, but he liked it and he continues to dance.

The line for the concert at the Fitzgerald Theater in the evening wound around the block. Dance collectives from New York, Los Angeles, Riga, Milwaukee and Indianapolis also met here in a special Yaundeju show.

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