28 April – International Dance Day Parade in Riga

On Monday 29 April, International Dance Day is celebrated around the world, but in Riga, to welcome the occasion, this Sunday 28 April 16:00–17:00 the Grand DANCE Parade will take place.

Parade Route:

Dome Square – Šķūņu iela – Kaļķu iela – Bastejkalns – Esplanāde. Every dancer, dance lover, dance enthusiast and aspiring dancer is invited to take part.

The parade will feature Classical dance (ballet), Jazz dance, Modern dance, Contemporary dance, Contact improvisation, Indian classical dance, Capoeira, Tap dance, African dances, Baroque stage dances, Flamenco, Argentine tango, Belly dancing, Social dances, Zumba, Authentic movement, Dance and movement therapy, Street dance, Cheerleader show, Hip Hop, Ladies Style, Hoopdance, Show dance, Line dancing, Irish dancing, Cheerleading, Go-Go, Eastern dances, Strip plastique, Plastique, Latino dances, Salsa, Bachata, Children's dances, and of course Latvian folk dances and more.

Parade Schedule:

15:55 gather at Dome Square near the Stock Exchange and Radio House
16:00 flashmob for 5 minutes - everyone dances their own dance. No shared music accompaniment yet.
16:05 percussion group 'Samba de Riga' starts a unified rhythm that everyone joins, together forming a wide column and heading along Šķūņu iela > Kaļķu iela > Bastejkalns > past the Freedom Monument > along Brīvības bulvāris > and arriving at Esplanāde.
16:55 upon arriving at Esplanāde, a shared dance with "Rīga2014" volunteers
17:00 the finale will be set by 'Samba de Riga', building to a rhythmic climax and a sudden end (silence) for one minute, during which dancers, as soon as the silence falls, freeze and observe themselves, their feelings, their breath and everything they see around them - near and far. Feel the dance within yourself, as it pulses through your body.
Then everyone warmly bids farewell to each other and heads either to their own dance studio or to the event organisers' I-DEJAS MĀJA, where at 18:00 the Dance of Elements will begin - a therapeutic dance process lasting 3 hours.

Parade Participants

Teachers and students from more than 15 Riga dance studios have confirmed their participation in the Grand DANCE Parade, bringing together at least 250 participants in total. Participating:
Flamenco dance club "Duende" http://www.duende.lv/
"That Dance" studio http://www.thatdance.lv/
"HoopDance Studio" http://www.hoopdancestudio.com/
Line dancing club "Jautrie zābaciņi" http://www.jautriez.lv/
Irish dance group "Moonlight Dancers" http://www.facebook.com/MoonlightDancers
Dance and movement studio "studioX1" http://www.studiox1.lv/
Latvian folk dance ensemble "Latve" http://www.dklatve.lv/
Dance studio "Glamorous Dance" http://www.glamorous.lv/
Modern dance club "Kaprīze" http://www.kaprize.lv/
Latvian folk dance ensemble "Bitīte"
Middle-generation Latvian folk dance ensemble "Auda"
Exotic dance theatre "Karinedance" http://www.karinedance.lv/
Dance studio "Leona" http://www.leona.lv/
Tap dance group "Soul Tap" http://www.soultap.lv/
Dance and personal culture centre "I-DEJAS MĀJA" http://www.i-deja.lv/

See you on 28 April at 16:00 at Dome Square! ;)