For more than three decades, the award-winning dance ensemble Daiļrade has been a leading force in Latvia’s Song and Dance Festival tradition, recognized with top honors at festivals and competitions in Latvia and beyond. The ensemble has also taken part in major national and international events in China, Greece, Germany, and other European countries.
For both the ensemble and its artistic director, Iveta Pētersone-Lazdāne, participation in the Latvian Song and Dance Festival in the United States in Grand Rapids will mark their first performance in the United States.
An interview with Iveta Pētersone-Lazdāne, Artistic Director of the dance ensemble Daiļrade.
You have led the ensemble since 2012. Given Daiļrade’s impressive record of achievements, one might assume the dancers are professionals. Is that true?
In fact, all of our dancers are amateurs. They are committed and energetic people who successfully balance studies, work, rehearsals, and performances.
Our regular rehearsal schedule includes two practices per week: three hours for the youth (A) group and two and a half hours for the middle-generation (B) group. The B group consists of dancers who have stepped back from highly intensive dancing but still cannot imagine life without dance.
There is no strict age limit. We usually look at dancers aged 18 to 30 as youth, while the middle generation begins around age 30 — a time when many start families and life naturally brings additional priorities alongside dance.
Amateur dance ensembles require a great deal of work. We organize our own concerts, produce performances, and even sew our own costumes — aspects that are not always fully understood in the professional dance world. We do receive some support from the city municipality and the state, which covers the artistic director’s compensation, rehearsal space, and partially supports the creation of our national costumes. Still, if we want to achieve something meaningful, everyone must invest a great deal of personal effort.
You have extensive experience working with children. Have any of your former students continued with Daiļrade?
I no longer work with the children’s dance group Auseklītis at the Riga French Lyceum — a place that was a significant part of my life for nearly 30 years. Today, the group is led by Paula Āboliņa, a dancer from Daiļrade and my assistant. I truly believe that the children benefit from having a younger leader — someone with the requisite energy, strength, and creativity to keep them engaged.
Because of the strong curriculum at the French Lyceum, many students choose to pursue higher education abroad. I once hoped that my students would finish school and continue dancing throughout their lives, but I understand that higher education often becomes their primary focus. I am always deeply touched when former dancers write to me and say they still remember me. Many of them tell me that dance helped them to see life more broadly and stay active and curious. After returning to Latvia, some of them find their way back to dance.
How would you describe the development of folk dance in Latvia today? Is there discussion about tradition and how it coexists with contemporary dance?
It is important to distinguish between folklore groups, which focus on researching and preserving traditional dance and music, and stage folk dance, which developed within the Song and Dance Festival tradition. These are different approaches.
Stage folk dance naturally incorporates elements of classical and folk dance. Today, contemporary dance has also emerged very strongly. Daiļrade has gained international recognition because we were among the first to combine traditional folk dance not only with classical dance, but also with contemporary dance elements. We feel this combination is more organic, as contemporary dance allows freer movement.
In 2017, we participated in the competition “Rīgas pavasaris” (Riga Spring), where the jury included noted dance professionals from around the world. Seeing us on stage, they described our style as folk ballet — a new branch of the stage folk dance genre — and emphasized that it deserves further development. It is the 21st century, and dance, like all art forms, must continue to evolve creatively.
What will you be bringing to the stage at DeVos Performance Hall in Grand Rapids on July 2?
In 2025, Daiļrade celebrates its 35th anniversary. To mark the occasion, we have created a large-scale concert production centered on the Midsummer celebration of Jāņi.
The creative team includes outstanding Latvian cultural figures: director Jānis Jonelis, composer Kārlis Auzāns, who wrote the music specifically for this production, choreographer Lillija Lipore, playwright Linda Rudene, and costume designer Ilze Vītoliņa. The vocal recordings were made by the beloved Latvian youth choir Sõla.
The choreography for the production is nearly complete, and we are now fully immersed in intensive rehearsals — refining, polishing, and bringing every detail to its highest level. There will be several performances in Latvia, but the grand finale is planned for the United States.
Will you also participate in the Festival Parade and the Grand Folk Dance Concert?
We plan to take advantage of every opportunity to participate in the festival. We in Daiļrade have also agreed to take part in the Grand Folk Dance Concert together with all the other dancers.
In addition, we will share an original choreography by Antons Freimans, set to music by Jēkabs Jančevskis — the title song Saule, saule, mēnestiņ! (Sun.Sun, Moon!) from the film Zeme, kas dzied (The Land That Sings).
The dancers are excited and filled with anticipation. We are coming to represent Latvia and to meet all of you with openness, warmth. We are truly looking forward to a meaningful experience together in the U.S.
Thank you for the conversation, and see you in Grand Rapids next July!
Photos courtesy of Daiļrade