Does anyone have any knowledge about a wonderful Latvian ballet dancer Mirdza Grike?
I saw a doc about her son’s returning to the L. State Opera/Ballet to return a painting of a geisha his mother Mirdza had left in a dressing room, and I was intrigued.

The son’s name is Robert and he lives somewhere in eastern Canada.

Silvija Lukes told me she saw her perform duing WW2 back in Latvia.  The brief clip I saw was lovely.

Alana-

Where else but at the Saulaine Bookstore could you find a book on Latvian ballet?

Book is called “Latviesu balets”, written by Georgs Stals, 1964, in Latvian, printed by Latvju Gramata, hard cover, ornate copy,large format, lots of biographies, also on Mirdza and 5 or so photos of her in different roles. Lots of photos of traditional Latvian stage sets, some in colour. Book is in absolutely perfect shape--no wear whatsoever.

Look under LOL, events--if you are planning to come to Saulaine this Saturday for the Springfest, I can save the book for you. The bookstore is overflowing with 1000’s of English and Latvian books! It is a reader’s paradise. As well, there will be an exclusive section of rare and current Latvian history books and a section of old coins, including Lats. If you are not able to come, we can mail it to you. Make an offer! All donations go to support Saulaine.

http://www.campsaulaine.com

I can’t think of a better way to commemorate our late friend Lilita’s date of birth May 25th than to purchase this book.
Is it all written in Latvian?  Or is there any bilingual, (Eng/Lat) component?

I remember Lilita speaking so fondly of Sauline when she was a young girl.  And others I met again, all Sauline “alumni”, at social events and, unfortunately, most recently at her funeral in Toronto a few years ago.

So perhaps you would be so kind as to give me a ball park figure so that I can offer a reasonable price for this book, and if you would care to email me privately, we can continue this discussion.

So, Kristine, you are a good advocate and salesperson and it’s all in a good cause.

I hope to be able to hear from Mirdza’s son shortly.  I do not know if he is aware of this book or not, but I’d be pleased to pass on the information.

My best to you and yours, Kristine,

Alana

Received this lovely book today, and I’m more than glad to see it’s a treasure.

Not only are there beautiful photos of Grike, but so many others and quite astonishing stage sets, etc.  It’s so gratifying after hearing descriptions of various ballets and different artists from former teachers and friends, to actually see the photos. 

It’s also a good record of how taste has changed vis-a-vis dancer’s bodies.  Now dancers tend to be svelte to the point of emaciation, but it’s clear that ballet bodies in the 20’s - 50’s were considerably chunkier. 

Also, the expression and surprisingly loose style variations are interesting.  Now we tend to favour cookie-cutter style dancers, (generally speaking, that is), while dancers at this time and in this area had some more individualistic appearance.

Thanks again, Kristine, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone having an interest in ballet, Latvian ballet, or related subjects.

Thank you, Alana!

Would I ever have had a clue about Grike or any other dancer from those times?--likely not a chance!

Yes, “chunkier” in ballet circles means a size 6 as opposed to a size 2 !!

In the last week, Saulaine has had a huge influx of donated books. Let us know if you need anything in particular.

I’m still looking for the guy who wanted “Latviesu karavirs otra pasaules kara laika.”

Thanks for your support of Saulaine!

http://www.campsaulaine.com

You’re welcome.