Dance ensemble Daiļrade

was founded on November 14, 1990, with the support of Valdis Grimze, Director of Production Association. Until the end of 2011, it was led by the ensemble’s founder Silva Štelfa, soloist of the National Dance Ensemble Daile. From January 2012, the ensemble is led by the artistic director, the chief conductor of the Song and Dance Celebration Iveta Pētersone-Lazdāne.

The ensemble successfully competes with traditions and experience-rich folk dance ensembles, succeeding in folk dance competitions, as well as representing Latvia in various high-level events abroad:

• In 2015 at the opening ceremony of the Green Week organized by the Latvian Presidency of the European Union (Germany, Berlin);
• Latvian Culture and Tourism Presentation (China, Beijing).

Since its foundation, the ensemble has participated in all Latvian Song and Dance Celebrations. Dance ensemble Groups A and D are the Grand Prize winners of the XXVI Latvian Song and XVI Dance Celebration, it is the highest award in Latvian folk performing arts. Also in 2013, the ensemble became the winner of the final competition , winning the 1st place in the country.

For the opening ceremony of the World Choir Olympics held in Riga in 2014, choreographer Agris Daņiļevičs created the performances of a new choreographic genre of Latvian stage dance Jāņu nakti lietus lija and Aiz Daugavas vara dārzs; they were created especially for the dance ensemble Daiļrade and were based on the music by Elektrofolk .This choreographic story has risen up not only the thousands of international audience in Arena Riga, but also in China, in the prestigious Beijing Opera House, in the Lithuanian dance show Kadagys, and also international high-level juries in various competitions. World-class industry professionals claim that the ensemble is successfully showing the future development of the stage dance, and expresses its satisfaction that it has been found.

Both performances Jāņu nakti lietus lija and Aiz Daugavas vara dārzs were danced at the international competition of professional choreographers and performers Riga Spring 2017, where Agris Daņiļevičs won the 1st place, while dancers of dance ensemble Daiļrade received jury prize for professional and high artistic performance.

In 2016, a choreographic performance was created for the 25th anniversary of the ensemble. It was a dance performance aimed at accentuating Latvian identity, folk dance traditions, to show the future vision of the ensemble and its vision of future development; where the most important thing is to strengthen the development of the folk ballet genre in Latvia and the world by promoting a modern interpretation of folk art.

2016. The development of the dance ensemble Daiļrade was promoted by its artistic directors and dance teachers such as Andis Staļevskis, Juris Lainis, Andris Bergmanis, Ignats Ančans, Intars Jundze, Zane Teikmane, Konstantīns Koļesņikovs and Vladimirs Ponomarjovs and Antons Freimanis, and concertmasters Alvīne Eriņa and Sarmīte Plaude.With the growing number and interest of dancers, the ensemble has become larger and has succeeded in creating a new group of dancers in the Group D (middle generation), who annually announce themselves with outstanding results in annual folk dance competitions, at various national events. Currently there are about 80 dancers in the ensemble, in two different age groups:
      • Group A – about 50 young people from 18 to 30 years;
      • Group D – over 30 middle-aged dancers from 30 to 45 years.

      The dance ensemble’s Daiļrade repertoire includes dances from ensembles Gold Fund and several dances, created especially for Daiļrade, which have already gained wide recognition at local and international concerts, and in Latvian Creative Dance Contests. All of these dances have been important to every dancer of Daiļrade and not only, are most of them included in a common dance repertoire and even in the Latvian Song and Dance Celebration. Who knows, maybe they will become part of the folk cultural heritage, but one thing is clear today, that they represent a new style of dance – folk ballet.

      The ensemble considers essential not only the improvement of the artistic quality of dance under the guidance of professional dance teachers, but also strives to promote a sense of unity, awareness of one’s self, the development of culture through the values and identity of the Latvian nation.