Abstract

Theses of Estonian speakers

Ingrid Mänd and Karel Johannes Vähi

Overview of the number and age distribution of choral conductors and dance group leaders, along with the associated risks and opportunities.
The Song and Dance Celebration process as an important guardian of regional identity and cultural life.
Higher education institutions offer programs in choral conducting, music education, and choreography. However, further training is becoming increasingly important to ensure the professional development of choral conductors and dance group leaders.
Payment principles vary significantly across the country, depending on the policies set by local municipalities. A national salary support measure has been established, which is open to all active choral conductors and dance group leaders who meet certain criteria.
Schools and the artistic groups associated with them play a key role in supporting children and youth in these activities.
Observations on how to ensure that there are enough participants, along with educated and qualified choral conductors and dance group leaders, for the 2039 nationwide Song and Dance Celebration.

Aarne Saluveer

The Song Celebration is Estonia’s beacon of freedom, having twice in history guided us on a spiritual journey toward independence: first from being a province of Tsarist Russia to becoming an independent nation, and later during the Singing Revolution as we reclaimed our independence from Soviet occupation.

With a history spanning over 150 years, this grand musical event, which unites the people, has continually evolved, balancing tradition with modernity. Each of the three Baltic countries has its own distinctions as well as similarities in their Song Celebrations.

Enduring through time requires wise adaptability and flexibility in the ever-changing landscape of history. Let’s consider how we view the Song Celebration in today’s world — what are its essential traditional pillars, and what aspects are being modernized.

To adapt or not to adapt — and how to adapt. That is the question…

Theses of Latvian speakers

Anda Laķe. Latvian Academy of Culture (Session IV) Residents of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania about the Song and Dance Festival

The uniqueness of the tradition of Song and Dance Festivals in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for decades attracts not only members of amateur art communities and excellent work of music and dance art, but also raises questions for researchers from various countries. Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian historians, musicologists, choreographers, ethnologists/ethnographers, anthropologists, culture and folklore studies researchers, sociologists of culture and art, cultural management and communication scientists, political scientists, even neuroscientists in their studies, doctoral theses, monographs, research programs, EU-funded research projects and contract research have sought answers to a wide variety of questions related to traditions. The goal is to use the tools and methods of diverse branches of science in order to understand the conditions of the inheritance of traditions.

Research data are subjected to discussion and critical analysis fueled by multi- stakeholder interests that give sensitivity to the subject and include the topic in the discourse of apologetics. The focus of this report is so far the only measurement of the experience and attitudes of the residents of the three countries made in year 2017. Within this framework quantitative and comparable data were obtained on the opinions of the residents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, related to participation in the Song and Dance Festival tradition process.

The data reveal the similar and different experiences of the residents of the three countries, which indicate a link between traditions and a wider set of economic, political, cultural and educational factors. This context determines the diversity of the expression of tradition in each country and creates a dynamic environment for the national exchange of experience on 1) maintenance and support practices of amateur art, 2) aesthetic practices of music and dance art, 3) amateur art movement and festival management, 4) educational programs, etc.

Comparing the opinions and experiences of the residents of the Baltic states makes it possible to assess the importance of the different contexts in the development and change of the tradition in order to see the differences not as a barrier, but as a sign that the Song and Dance Festival ecosystems are able to survive and thrive.

JĀNIS BALTIŅŠ

The overall situation of the provision of professional education for Latvian choir conductors, the development and motivation of young conductors to become involved in the Song and Dance Celebration movement and the continuation of traditions:

The basis for the daily and inter-Celebration activities of choirs is professionally qualified choir conductors and choirmasters;
Areas of professional activity and motivation of the current Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music students, postgraduates and graduates of the last ten years;
Professional education opportunities – the opportunity to obtain both a qualification as a choir conductor and a music teacher at the Jāzeps Vītols Latvian Academy of Music.

What are we proud of? – Jurģis Spulenieks (LV)

First and foremost, we are proud of the participants of the Song and Dance Celebration, who come from different professions, denominations and even nationalities, making it a very inclusive event, uniting society, and accepting diversity. This is particularly important at a time when culture is one of the guarantors of internal security. The participants devote their free time to sustaining this cultural phenomenon. I will not tell you the statistics this time, they are just numbers, because we are proud of every participant who enriches their experience and that of the audience with dance and song. However, we do not stop there. We are also proud of the amateur theatres, the brass bands, the kokle ensembles, folklore groups and everyone else who is ready to join hands to make the Song and Dance Celebration happen.
We are proud of our artistic group leaders! There are different challenges to overcome to maintain quality, to be together and to feel the support that strengthens our values.
The Platinum Mouse Award has been presented since 2007. It aims to identify the most successful digital solutions created in Latvia, to recognise the most outstanding authors and developers of projects, and to raise awareness about the meaningful use of technology – in society, business, government, and education. In the category of services, the award in the nomination “National Digital Transformation” was presented to the Latvian National Centre for Culture (LNKC) for the 2023 Song and Dance Celebration’s Data Management Information System VIDDIS, project developer – LLC “ZZ Dats”.
The feature film “Zeme, kas dzied” (“The Land that Sings”) is the first cinematographic artwork in Latvia and the world about the tradition of the Baltic Song and Dance Celebration, which is included in the UNESCO list of intangible heritage. “The Land That Sings” tells the story of the birth of the Latvian nation during the First Latvian Singing Celebration in 1873. The film features 85 choirs, dance groups and amateur theatres.

Latvian School Youth Song and Dance Celebration – Tradition and Sustainability (Agra Bērziņa, LV)

The Latvian School Youth Song and Dance Celebration has a long and lasting tradition, with experience, purposeful and sustainable development.

The preservation and development of the tradition is ensured by the support of the state and local governments, as well as the public interest in maintaining the tradition of the Song and Dance Celebration as a national value.

Factors of continuity of the Celebration tradition:

Routine daily work, rehearsals, classes,
concert activities, regional and national events,
motivation of pupils, parents, teachers,
support measures for teachers – group leaders

XIII Latvian School Youth Song and Dance Celebration in Riga in 2025, with ~ 30 000 – 35 000 participants in 21 events (concerts, exhibitions, events) in 15 venues.

A Dance group leader in Latvia – Is he (literary character) “Dullais Dauka” or (legendary) “Gaismas pils/The Castle of Light” ? (Jānis Purviņš)

The peak of Latvian stage folk dance is undoubtedly the Latvian Song and Dance Celebration, during which a dance performance is traditionally staged and performed in the stadium. It is characterised by group dancing, group repertoire and national folk costumes. Working with the dance choreography, staging it, refining, and practising it, as well as performing it, is part of every dance group’s daily routine. And this is where the inter-Celebration events, creativity and training opportunities for dance group leaders are important. All of this ensures that the Dance Celebration is a continuous process.

What is the situation in Latvia? – interest and involvement in dance groups, education, and training opportunities, what tools are available to dance groups and their leaders in preparation for the Dance Celebration? And what is a dance group leader really? An autodidact with an enquiring intellect and a dream of reaching the horizon, or a professional who attracts and gathers people around him and is the cultural focal point of his parish or region.

Sustainability of the Song and Dance Celebration (Sarmīte Pāvulēna)

Latvia celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Song and Dance Celebration tradition from 30 June to 9 July 2023. More than 40,000 participants took part in the celebration, 60 events took place.

The tradition of the Song and Dance Celebration is important to the community, as evidenced by the fact that 80% of the participants take part in it repeatedly. 74% of the participants are very satisfied with the Celebration.

What is the situation today?

Long-term cultural policy planning is essential:

1) Ensuring adequate remuneration for the leaders of the artistic collectives: a first step has been taken and an additional 1.2 million euro has been allocated to the target subsidy from the Government. In 2026, an evaluation of the reform is planned, and the reform will be continued in 2027.
2) Creating a sustainable organisational model of the Celebration. Merging the organisation of the Latvian School Youth Song and Dance Celebration and the Latvian Nationwide Song and Dance Celebration to ensure continuity while streamlining cooperation.

Theses of Lithuanian speakers

Key factors to guarantee sustainability of the SDC process (Ieva Krivickaite)

The key stakeholders in the SDC process in Lithuania are amateur art groups, government, and society; they all contributed significantly to its sustainability this past cycle
Lithuanian Song Celebration had its 100th anniversary this year, which was met with strong support
In preparation for the anniversary, the Song Celebration law was expanded with a number of by-laws
One of the main factors to the success of this year’s Celebration was successful partnerships on national and municipal levels
One of the main outcomes of this year’s success is significantly improved status of the Celebration in the Lithuanian society
The challenge going forward is maintaining the momentum with no anniversaries to tie the following Celebration to
Contrary to predictions, the pandemic did not have a negative effect on the SDC process in Lithuania

Motivating young choir conductors in Lithuania: present and future (Linas Balandis)

The topic of the presentation focuses on the motivation of young choir conductors in order to ensure the continuity of their quality activities.

The theme will be spread over two layers:

The current good examples in Lithuania will be reviewed and presented (SDC 2024, National Youth Choir, Young Conductors Development Programme, etc.), projects initiated by the Šiauliai State Choir “Polifonija” (Masterclasses for young choir conductors, Study Tour Programme, etc.);
Hypothetical presentation of future possibilities, including inter-institutional cooperation between Lithuania and the Baltic States.

Professional training of managers of dance groups in Lithuania (Živilė Adomaitienė)

The report will discuss the current situation, problems and future perspectives of dance troupe managers in light of:

the need for specialists for the existence and activities of dance groups, as well as for the processes of the dance part of song festivals and other related events;
the possibilities of systematic improvement of the qualifications of collective managers;
Program for the promotion of young developers.

What kind of venue do we need for celebrations? (Saulius Liausa)

In Lithuania, the venues do not belong to the organizer (Lithuanian National Culture Centre)
As the Celebration approached, maintenance work was provided by the owners, but no major reconstructions
The main venues in Vilnius are Vingio park stage where the Song Day takes place, Kalnu park stage where the Ensembles Evening takes place, and the Lithuanian Football Federation stadium where the Dance Day takes place
All venues have their own challenges, especially Dance Day, where the situation is extreme
An understanding of the need to reconstruct the Vingio park stage is forming
Kaunas Song Valley was reconstructed before this year’s anniversary (the first Song Celebration took place in Kaunas in 1924) and hosted the first event of this year’s program

Presentation of the best recent examples that contribute to the sustainability of the SDC process (Ieva Krivickaite video presentation)

Forest planting initiative supplemented the theme of this year’s Celebration (May the Green Forest Grow) and saw SDC participants planting trees in around 100 locations around the country, as well as around 100 symbolic oak trees planted to commemorate the 100 year anniversary
Song Celebration Tour around Lithuania served as a warm-up leading up to the Celebration and featured 11 events in various regions
United Lithuanian Children’s Choir prepared 800 students who had not been singing in choirs to join the Song Day
The Entire Lithuania Dances invites regular people experience traditional dancing in town squares
A team of neuroscientists performed a study on how music affects our wellbeing and involved SDC participants and audience members; the findings will be presented in May