This August, Salinieki joined forces with Londona Dejo to take part in this year’s “Dziesma Dejo Deja Skan” — the dance epic “Düna” — performing alongside 8,000 other participants at the Mežaparks Grand Stage.
Preparations took place not only on Mondays, but also at Londona Dejo’s Tuesday rehearsals, plus additional rehearsals on two Sundays, since we were also simultaneously learning the repertoire for the ELKS concert. We danced four pieces: “Līku loku upe teka”, “Alku deja”, “Gapsis” and “Rūnu raksti”.
Once the dances were learnt, all the dancers — led by Aldis and Anna — set off for Latvia, to rehearse from 6 August and then perform on 8–9 August. Latvia greeted us with typical summer weather: sun for swimming in lake Ķīšezers, and rain to refresh us and wash away the sweat from rehearsals.
Wednesday and Thursday were spent in joint rehearsals, learning how the dances fit on the huge stage — how to enter the field following the winding bends of the river, and how, after the dance, to transform into the trees of a silver grove swaying in the wind. And when there were no joint rehearsals, we headed to the assembly hall of the English Gymnasium to polish our own dances and learn the choreography for the closing dance, set to J. Stībelis’s song “Upe”.
Thursday evening was the dress rehearsal in front of an audience; Friday and Saturday brought two concerts. After the Saturday concert, once the spectators had gone home, the performers all gathered for a shared party.
It is hard to put into words the emotion of dancing at the Mežaparks Grand Stage alongside 8,000 dancers and singers. It does not matter that the dance field is sloped and that you have to dance the polka uphill, or that we only got home late at night after the concert. What stays with you is the lift you feel as you line up to dance “Līku loku upe teka”, and the feeling of flow while dancing “Rūnu raksti”.
Unforgettable too was the solemn moment at the end of the concert when, all dancers arranged in the sign of Dievs (the Latvian dievaszīme), we sang “Saule, Pērkons, Daugava” — which turned into joy as we danced the closing piece “Upe” (which is neither the Venta, nor the Irbe, nor the Gauja).
For dancers who had already taken part in the Song and Dance Festivals, this event brought back memories of the summer of 2023. For the newer dancers, it was their first experience of performing in a grand concert and dancing in Latvia.
And so the Salinieki season came to an end. See you in the new season, on 29 September!