The International Baltic Ballet Festival officially launched its extensive program, running from October 15 to November 25. The opening event took place at the atrium of shopping center Origo in central Riga, bringing dance performances directly to public spaces to increase accessibility.
The festival spans more than a month, featuring troupes and artists from both Latvia and abroad, continuing to introduce audiences to classical ballet traditions and contemporary dance diversity for more than three decades.
Kyiv Modern Ballet Brings Tribute to Riga
Kyiv Modern Ballet, founded in 2005 by choreographer Radu Poklitaru, traveled to Latvia as part of the international festival lineup. The troupe performed the single-act ballet “Es tevi mīlu” (I Love You) set to the music of Pēteris Vasks at the VEF Culture Palace, accompanied by violinist Magdalēna Geka, cellist Kristaps Bergs, and musicians from Sinfonietta Rīga. The ensemble operates as a primary driver of contemporary Ukrainian choreography and acts as a visiting business card for Ukrainian contemporary art, presenting emotionally rich and fascinating ballet performances worldwide through repertory based on works staged by Radu Poklitaru alongside productions by young and talented Ukrainian choreographers. Baiba Braže characterized the performance on social media as Unforgettable
.
Berlin Ballet Company and Puerto Flamenco Expand the Program
The production compiles excerpts from “The Curlicues of the Path,” “Mare Crisium,” “Die Nacht,” and “A Techno Ballet Odyssey,” featuring thoughtfully constructed rhythm and dramaturgy where each work differs in style, mood, and origin.
The troupe’s dance handwriting weaves together contemporary stage direction and design, combining innovative concepts with unbridled energy, improvisation skills, and commanding virtuosity that have earned the admiration and recognition of international audiences and critics alike with its production titled “Puro.”
Festival Founder Reflects on Decades of Dance
Born with her feet downward and a significant foot arch with initial medical prognoses indicating she would not dance, Beiris had her destiny shaped partly by her godmother, a National Opera ballet ballerina, and trained under Vera Švecova and Janīna Pankrate before building a stage career. Her early dance beginnings involved significant crying, including hiding under her mother’s arm at age four when taken to a ballerina, and experiencing her first tears on stage at age seven when admitted to the ballet school where she performed as one of Sancho Panza’s children in rags during the final act of “Don Quixote.” By 1972, at age 20, she was featured as a young ballet dancer in the expatriate Latvian newspaper Our Era
published in Germany.
The festival continues its multi-week run across various cultural venues in Latvia, maintaining a balance between classical ballet heritage and contemporary choreography through November 25.
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