LB Spindulys at Melbourne Lithuanian Days Festival (Lietuvių Dienos - Šokių Šventė) - Dec. 28, 2010 - Jan. 1, 2011

LB SPINDULYS travelled to the Australian Lithuanian Days - Dance Festival in the end of December of this year. The Australian Lithuanians have been hosting such an event for many years, and the last time Spindulys had the chance to make that trip was 1982 (under the direction of Ona Razutiene) when 50 Spindulys members traveled to Melbourne for such an event, with concerts in Melbourne and Sydney.

Twenty eight years later, and from a new generation, 16 dancers - some already grown children of the original dancers of 1982 - travelled to Australia to participate in all the festivities of song and dance and sports.

We are proud to announce that eight couples from Spindulys participated as the guest 'Lithuanian American Student Folk Dance Group' from Los Angeles, California. Another group from North America, 'Žilvinas', under the direction of Estera Washofsky, from Pennsylvania, sent 4 couples of the veteran dance group category to participate.

The festivities began in Melbourne with the December 27th welcoming "atidarymas" and continued to the main event, the Folk Dance Festival, December 28th, where many groups from all of Australia, including the visitors from North America, gathered to dance, including musicians from Lithuania. As the celebrations continued with sports competitions, art shows, and other festive activities, all was culminated in a gala "New Years Eve celebration" bringing in 2011 in the land Down Under.

Visit the website www.ALD2010.org for more information on this event.

Prevously - 2010 Summer News - Dance Workshop

LB SPINDULYS completed a most unusual event in the heat of summer - a 'DANCE CAMP' - "Tautinių Šokių Kursai" right in our very own Los Angeles, St Casimir Parish, on the weekend of August 13, 14, 15. At this intensive workshop new dances were learned, old ones restored, and with a surprise to all a new choreographer, Dr. Romas Kudirka emerged.

All dances were taught by our own Spindulys teachers - Dana Scola, Linas Polikaitis, Sigita Barysiene, Danguole Varniene and Daina Zemaitaityte. Over three days, ten dances were taught, of which, two very challenging ones were needed for a future program. And lo and behold, working in between the requirements of the workshop, there suddenly appeared one new surprise in choreography: a former Spindulys dancer, Dr. Romas Kudirka came to this workshop with a a unique task and challenge, hoping to have an opportunity to test something very special to him. Romas, now a PhD professor of Chemistry, was writing an entry for a competition for a Science Award specific to chemisty, one that had to be writtten in a creative way. He wanted test his ideas with the Spindulys dancers on a project he called "Dancing Molecules". It worked! Romas was successful in nailing down his own project and filming it on the final day. He made the tests to successfully complete his application, one that might award him a prize. Congratulations to Romas! Everyone enjoyed the refreshing new twist to folk dancing! (D. Varniene)