The ultimate truth of dancing

Dancing is the loftiest, the most moving, the most beautiful of the arts, because it is no mere translation or abstraction from life; it is life itself. /Havelock Ellis/

Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion. /Martha Graham/

Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another.

Dance is the hidden language of the soul, of the body. /Martha Graham/

You don't stop dancing from growing old, you grow old from stopping to dance.

 

Visit Jumprava!

Official web page of Jumprava Parish

Welcome to folkdance collective's "Saime" official webpage!

We are folkdance collective "Saime" from Latvia, civil parish Jumprava. "Saime" is a new collective and is dancing together only since the year 1999, though dancing traditions in Jumprava have began already in the very beginning of the previous century.

In the collective there are more than 24 dancers and six of them are family couples, therefore, such a name has derived – "Saime" – which means a united and friendly family.

In the course of time “Saime” has established different traditions. An integral part of our cultural activities have become congratulating those whose name day is being celebrated. Usually lots are drawn to determine who is going to congratulate whom. And of course we do not dispense with common social and recreational activities together with children and our families.

The motto of our dance collective is:
"Heart Rouses Inspired Energy of Love in a Dance!"

Every year the collective is participating in different concerts, dance festivities and city festivals in Latvia. Every year we also try to go to international festivals to foreign countries as much as possible. Although "Saime" is a very new collective, we have participated in several international festivals and festivities of our fellowship cities.

Thus in the year 2001 the collective performed in a folklore festival in Poland, Pizice city for which an hour long performance was prepared about Latvian traditions of celebrating Lîgo.

In the summer of the year 2004 we participated in an international competition in Italy, Castiglione della Stiviere which was organized by International Red Cross. There we gave two performances to the participants of the competition and local people in the occasion of the 145th anniversary of the city’s central square. On our way to Italy we gave one more performance in Poland, in Þory recreation centre.

In 12th of June, 2005 we participated in Põlva city festival, in Estonia. Among the audience of the main concert of this festival was also the president of Estonia.

Year 2006 will be remembered as the year of Turkey. In June and July "Saime" participated in 7th International Büyükçekmece Culture and Art Festival and in 7th International Şişli Culture and Art Festival. Both festivals took place in the same time but in different suburbs of Istanbul. Both of them were competitions and we had the honor to present Latvia for the first time in both of these festivals among the best Russian, Canadian, Algerian, Czech and other dance groups.

We will be honored if you choose to invite our dance collective "Saime" to participate in festivals and other activities that you are organizing. In our program we have folklore traditions, national dances as well as ethnographical and stylized dances both with accompaniment of Latvian national music group and qualitative recording music.

You can find "Saime" in the following ways:
   E-mail:
   knjumprava@inbox.lv

   Address:
   Dance collective "Saime"
   Jumpravas kultûras nams
   Jumpravas pagasts
   Ogres rajons
   LV-5022
   LATVIJA

   Tel./fax:
   00371 65057616

Nationwide Latvian Song and Dance celebration

If you are interested in Latvian folkdance traditions and festivals and want to receive more in-depth information, please visit www.dziesmusvetki2008.lv

Next Nationwide Latvian Song and Dance celebration will take place in Riga,
summer 2008!