A Lithuanian cultural leader is organizing a delegation to attend the 27th Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival in Chicago.
The three-day event, known as Sokiu Svente, is scheduled for July 10-12 at McCormick Place Chicago Convention Center.
“This is not just an event, it’s a three-day cultural journey through our traditional dances, music and priceless heritage,” said Margaret Valinsky, president of the Lithuanian Women’s Club of Schuylkill County. “It will be a historic opportunity to present our culture to the world and strengthen our global community.”
The festival brings together Lithuanian folk dancers, choreographers from North America, Europe and Lithuania itself.
Held every four years since 1957, the festival is coordinated by the Lithuanian Folk Dance Institute.
Based on artistic and technical guidance from the institute, dancers from independent ensembles perform together in large scale choreographic compositions.
In addition to performances, the festival includes workshops, cultural expos, vendors and Lithuanian food, art and music.
The largest festival of its kind outside of Lithuania, an estimated 2,500 dancers are expected to perform, according to Sigita Barhysiene, creative and artistic director.
Giedre Eleksyte Knieza, festival director, is a prominent figure in the Lithuanian dance community. She heads Suktinis, a Chicago-based folk dance group.
Valinsky, a retired Schuylkill Haven School District reading specialist, has attended Lithuanian dance festivals in the U.S. and Lithuania for 40 years.
She’s making arrangement for a bus to transport local residents to Chicago for the festival.
Reservations include hotel accommodations for two night’s travel and three nights at a Hilton hotel in Chicago.
The bus will be available for tours in Chicago, which has the nation’s largest concentration of people in the Lithuanian diaspora.
Information on reservations is available at [email protected] and at 570-277-6163 or 570-640-1480. The deadline for reservations is March 31.
