Days of Latvia in Vitebsk to be centered on folk dances

The concert “Dedication to Latvia” starring folk dance companies Saime and Laismena will be the culmination of the Days of Latvia in Vitebsk, BelTA learned from the Vitebsk Cultural Center.

The Days of Latvia are traditionally held in Vitebsk in November. By the way, on 18 November Latvia celebrates its national holiday - the Proclamation of the Republic of Latvia. The festival is organized by the culture department and the Latvian Cultural Center of Daugavpils, Latvia’s Consulate in Vitebsk and the Vitebsk Cultural Center. This year the organizers of the festival decided to make a special emphasis on dancing and invited two folk dance teams from Latvia.

The both teams are based at the Latvian Cultural Center of Daugavpils. They regularly take part in local and national events, competitions and all-Latvia song and dance festivals. The dance teams celebrate ancient dancing traditions and willingly embrace modern trends. Saime toured Lithuania, Slovakia, France, Turkey and Italy. The repertoire of Laismena features both traditional dances, classical choreography and contemporary flamboyant foot-tapping dances.

The dance teams will give a concert at the Vitebsk Concert Hall on 13 November. The audience will be treated to an original and spectacular show.

The same day the Marc Chagall Art Center will host an exhibition of graphic works by Maris Cacka from Daugavpils. The exposition will feature over 20 works. A personal exhibition of another Latvian painter, Osvalds Zvejsalnieks, is already running at the Vitebsk Art Museum.