Londonas latviešu dejotāji brauc uz nelielu turneju dzimtenē

Londonas latviešu dejotāji

Londonas latviešu dejotāji jau 35 gadus iepriecina skatītājus gan Anglijā, gan ārpus tās, un tagad dodas uz nelielu turneju Latvijā. (Foto: Eļina Lēja)

Londonas latviešu dejotāji, kas pirms vairāk nekā 20 gadiem bija pirmie ārzemju latviešu dejotāji, kuri viesojās Latvijā, dzimtenē atgriezīsies 16. un 17. aprīlī uz nelielu koncertturneju, ziņo Terēze Bogdanova.

Dejotāji 1989. gadā sniedz neaizmirstamu koncertu Latvijas Nacionālajā Operā. Pēc tam vairāku gadu garumā tika atkārtoti apmeklēta dzimtene, uzstājoties ar plašām koncertprogrāmmām dažādās pilsētās un, protams, piedaloties deju svētkos.

Pēc vairāk nekā desmit gadu pārtraukuma Londonas tautas deju kopa atkal uzstāsies Latvijā, šoreiz ar savu dejotprasmi iepriecinot skatītājus Tukumā un Rīgā.

16. aprīlī londonieši būs īpašie viesi sava senā drauga – Tukuma tautas deju ansambļa “Svīta” 65 gadu jubilejas sarīkojumos. Pirmais koncerts plkst. 11.00 kopā ar jubilāriem notiks Tukuma pilsētas laukumā, savukārt 18.00 – pilsētas kultūras namā.

Nākamajā dienā, 17.aprīlī, londonieši uzstāsies VEF Kultūras pilī notiekošajā deju kopas “Dancītis” koncertā Rīgā.

Zimīgi, ka arī pašiem Londonas dejotājiem šis ir 35. jubilejas gads. Viktora Griguļa dibinātais un vadītais ansamblis ir bijis neatņemama vērtība Anglijas trimdas sabiedrībā, kuplinot vietāja un Eiropas mēroga latviešu kopā sanākšanas un svinību reizes, ar katru uzstāšanos demonstrējot savu dejotprieku, dažādību deju solī un nenogurdināmību, ziņo Bogdanova.

Tāpat viņi arī piedalījušies dažādos starptautiska mēroga sarīkojumos, popularizējot latviešu kultūru un latvisko deju soli. Pa šiem gadiem ir piedzīvotas neskaitāmas sastāvu maiņas, pārvarēti kritiski brīži, kad dejotāju skaits ir bijis ļoti minimāls – vien divi pāri, tāpat arī deju kopas ilggadējā vadītāja īslaicīgās prombūtnes veselības problēmu dēļ, taču pāri visam ir spēts noturēt snieguma kvalitāti un dejotāju rindās apvienot dažādās trimdinieku un jauniebraucēju paaudzes.

Uz Latviju tiks vestas gan gadu gados izkoptās horeogrāfijas, gan jaunapgūtās dejas, apliecinot deju kopas daudzpusīgumu, kā arī īpaši sarūpēti muzikālie priekšnesumi izjustā skanējumā, ziņo Bogdanova. Šī nelielā koncertturneja – atgriezšanās dzimtenē – būs veltīta kopas ilggadējai dejotājai un nesen mūžībā aizgājušajai Laimai Speakman-Brown, kura visus šos 35 gadus ar īsiem pārtraukumiem bija kopas pamatsastāvā un palīdzējusi izskolot nevienu vien no pašreizējiem kopas dejotājiem.

Data show migration to Ireland slipping; census continues in Latvia

While the census underway in Latvia aims to figure how many people are left in the country, it appears fewer are leaving for Ireland these days.

Data on Personal Public Service Numbers (PPSNs), which people use when seeking government services in Ireland, show that just 503 citizens of Latvia sought the identifiers during the first three months of this year. That’s a 41 percent drop from the 856 who received PPSNs during the same period last year.

In all, 3,134 persons from Latvia got PPSNs in 2010, a decline from the 3,916 recorded in 2009, according to statistics gathered by Ireland’s Department of Social Protection.

Since 2000, more than 46,000 persons from Latvia have received PPSNs, the greatest number—9,328—coming in 2005, or the year after Latvia joined the European Union.

While not an accurate gauge of the Latvian population in Ireland, the number of PPSNs is used as a measure of migration to Ireland. The island nation, once a hotbed of economic activity that drew tens of thousands of laborers, has seen a decrease in immigration as its financial fortunes have slipped.

Meanwhile, in Latvia the census continues. After giving residents of the country a couple of weeks to count themselves online, census workers now have fanned out across Latvia. They are scheduled to continue their work until May 31.

As of April 12, more than 780,000 Latvian residents have been counted, according to Aldis Brokāns, press secretary of the Central Statistical Bureau in Rīga.

Bureau officials have especially commended census workers in the Latgale region of eastern Latvia, where despite especially poor road conditions that in some cases have prevented use of automobiles, the head counters have continued their efforts, Brokāns said in a press release.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.

Latvia’s honorary consulate in Peru joins list of those with websites

Latvians who find themselves in Peru and need help from their country’s honorary consulate now have a website they can visit for basic information, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The consulate, which began operation in Lima in 2005, is run by Honorary Consul Raul Santiago Lozano Merino. The consul, according to an April 13 press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has been active in promoting Latvia in Peru, as well as defending the interests of Latvian residents in the country.

The website, available in Spanish and English, is at www.consuladoletonialima.com. The site includes information about the consulate, about relations between Peru and Latvia, and about things travelers from Latvia should know about the South American country.

Thanks to the efforts of the honorary consulate, a park named for Latvia was dedicated in 2008 during President Valdis Zatlers’s trip to Peru, according to the foreign ministry. The park is in Miraflores, a suburb of Lima.

The honorary consul also has kept busy helping Latvian citizens who have gotten into trouble with the law. The number of Latvian citizens who have been jailed in Peru for trying to transport narcotics has increased, according to the foreign ministry.

Besides the one in Peru, other Latvian consulates and honorary consulates with their own websites include representatives in Greece, Indonesia, Lebanon, Luxembourg and, in the United States, Florida and New York.

Website for Peru honorary consulate

The new website for Latvia’s honorary consulate in Lima, Peru, provides information in Spanish and English.

Andris Straumanis is a special correspondent for and a co-founder of Latvians Online. From 2000–2012 he was editor of the website.