“Written into Dance” - choreographer Ilmārs Dreļs turns 60!
Choreographer, dance teacher, and chief artistic director of the Latvian Nationwide Dance Festival, Ilmārs Dreļs, invites you to his 60th anniversary concert “Written into Dance” on January 8, 2027, at 6:00 p.m. at the Latgale Embassy GORS in Rēzekne.
Dance is joy!
Dance as a conversation with oneself, with the dancers and the audience, dance as a link between the ancestors and today, dance as celebration. “When a person dances, they rejoice,” says the jubilarian Ilmārs Dreļs. When people meet, they celebrate being together. The anniversary concert is Ilmārs Dreļs’ expression of gratitude to God and to the people around him for living in dance, because “dance is joy.”
In dances, life stories, values, and deeper meaning are revealed through movement, rhythm, and patterns, burning in the dancers’ eyes. “Dance begins with the heart, not with the movement of the feet or hands. If a dance comes from the heart, then it can be truly enjoyed,” the jubilarian is convinced. The concert will bring together both the folk dance ensembles led by Ilmārs Dreļs, as well as like-minded friends and guest ensembles from Norway.
The following will perform dances choreographed by Ilmārs Dreļs:
Rēzekne middle-generation folk dance ensemble “Dziga”, director Ilmārs Dreļs,
Viļāni senior folk dance ensemble “Kūmys”, director Ilmārs Dreļs,
Rēzekne senior folk dance ensemble “Vadži”, director Rasma Akermane,
Rēzekne middle-generation folk dance ensemble “Dzymta”, director Inga Žirgule,
Vērēmi middle-generation folk dance ensemble “Kūzuls”, artistic director Vineta Āboliņa,
Rēzekne youth folk dance ensemble “Dziga”, director Inga Žirgule,
Viļāni youth folk dance ensemble “Austra”, director Lūcija Kukaine,
Rēzekne children’s folk dance ensemble “Dziguči”, director Gunta Sidorova,
Rēzekne Catholic Secondary School folk dance ensembles “Nexilis” for grades 5-7 and 1-2, director Vineta Āboliņa,
Rēzekne Secondary School No. 6 folk dance ensemble “Sprigulīši” for grades 3-4, director Natālija Sprukte,
Ezernieki Primary School folk dance ensemble “Cīruļi” for grades 1-4, director Natālija Sprukste,
Latvian folk dance ensemble “Ziemeļmeita” from Oslo, Norway, director Alise Hjelmtvete Pļaveniece,
Latvian folk dance ensemble “Karmīns” from Stavanger, director Kristīne Lāce,
Bergen middle-generation folk dance ensemble “Lietuszeme”, director Alise Viduce.
Music by: Rēzekne kapela “Dziga”, director Dace Baltkāje, pianist Marts Dreļs, Rēzekne.
Opening act: Rēzekne breakdance crew, also known as Breakers from Mad Force Team, director Edgars Jukna.
Let us celebrate joy together!
The jubilarian invites you to the concert!
