Laima Šalcius

Looking Back at. . .Lithuania’s 1998 Song Festival

Laima Šalcius is an active member of the Lithuanian folk dance group, KLUMPE. The group has members from southeastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois.

The Festival’s emblem designed by Mikalojus Vilutis.

Our family's first trip to Lithuania was during the summer of 1988 in the heat of Glasnost and Perestroika. Since that time at least one of us has gone back almost annually. However, last summer's visit probably was one of the most personally gratifying for us, for at least three of us.

Our youngest daughter, Terese, my husband John, and I were in Lithuania with "Klumpe”, the folk dance troupe with members from southeastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois. We had gone to Vilnius to participate in the 1998 Song Festival, Dainu Švente. Of course, we were there to dance, not to sing. John and I had often thought that we would like to dance with a group, but because of work commitments, time was not available for rehearsals. That changed that year!

At our first rehearsal, we learned that the group was in need of women. We asked our daughter, a senior in high school at the time, if she would like to join us. When she agreed, we began our "careers" as Lithuanian folk dancers, rehearsing in the basement of a bowling alley in Waukegan, Illinois every Sunday morning from 9 A.M. to 11:30 A.M.

Our director/teacher, Ingrida Rutkauskaite Špokiene, was a young woman who had recently emigrated from Lithuania to the United States. Several years ago when "Klumpe” had first performed in Lithuania, one of our members met Ingrida in Panevežys, her hometown. Something was "just right" for them and, after a long distance courtship, Ingrida and Viktoras were married. Ingrida had danced professionally in Lithuania where they take folk dancing very seriously. Having come to the U.S. at a time when "Klumpe” was in need of a director, she stepped right into the job.

We had arrived in Vilnius a few days before the rest of the troupe had flown in on Sunday, June 28th. At noon of that day, we were to meet everyone at the hotel and were to register for our rooms at the same time. Even though we had our own apartment, we wanted the camaraderie; so we felt we would spend the week in the hotel together with our dance group in the Sporto Viešbutis. This hotel reminded us of the Intourist hotels we had experienced in the Soviet Union. Accommodations were far from the style we are accustomed to. There was one bathroom at one end of the floor for women and another bathroom at the opposite end for men. There were no showers and only two bathtubs for the entire floor. When we saw what awaited us, we decided to remain in our own apartment. We simply made a point of meeting our troupe at the hotel whenever we needed to travel anywhere together.

That first Sunday, most of us met at the Cathedral for evening mass, and afterwards, walked up a couple of blocks to ‘Markus and Ko.’ restaurant for a meal. The management definitely had to scurry to accommodate nearly 20 people.

Monday, the 29th of June, was a day of special visitations. About 7 o'clock in the morning, a bus with the driver, Ingrida's father Arvydas Rutkauskas, awaited the troupe. We were to spend the day in Panevežys, a city in the heart of Lithuania and Ingrida's hometown. Ingrida’s parents had planned the day out for us. Her mother, Irena Rutkauskiene, is the director of "Linelis"; the children's dance troupe in Panevežys.

The Song Festival’s commemorative medallions designed by Mikalojus Vilutis.

A guided visit of the art gallery in Panevežys had been arranged. The mayor of the city received us in his chambers and presented each troupe member with a gift: a book about the city and a woven bookmark in the Lithuanian tradition. In turn, on behalf of "Klumpe”, our president Vilija Sužiedelis presented a gift to the mayor. Following the standard, formal greetings, some friendly conversation ensued. Even my husband, who had been to Panevežys on business some years before, was drawn into the conversation with the mayor: an enthusiastic, friendly, and gracious host. We had a light lunch in the second-floor restaurant of the city's hotel on the main street in downtown Panevežys.

Free time was provided for exploration. In the center of the city off of the main street is a picturesque park with a wide staircase leading to a lake and a lake walkway around it. While everyone, including our daughter, went about exploring the shops, John and I walked around the lake and simply relaxed sitting on a wall that encircled the lake. Meeting by our bus at the agreed upon time, everyone took a ride out of town to a restaurant on the outskirts for a meal of "šaltibaršciai" and "cepelinai" -- that is cold beet soup and sizable meat-filled potato dumplings served with a sour cream and bacon sauce. To say we were "stuffed" would be an understatement!

Part of our day included a trip to the local weaving and knitting company, "Tulpe”. Beautifully made sweaters, dresses, skirts, duvets, table cloths, pillow covers, and more were a fraction of the cost of not only what would be paid in the U.S., but also of what one would pay in Vilnius. Not one in our group went away empty handed; everyone found something either for themselves or to give as gifts.

The grand finale to Monday was the reception given in honor of "Klumpe”. At the home of "Linelis" -- that is the dance troupe's own facility -- the members of "Klumpe” were received like royalty. A double receiving line had formed an archway of Lithuanian sashes to welcome everyone as each person walked into the hall. An unbelievable program of song, music, and dance made every member of "Klumpe” feel special. A serving area approximately the size of three ping-pong tables was laden with food, and a Lithuanian band played waltzes and polkas well into the night. Even the mayor and his wife joined the celebration.

My husband and I met a woman who turned out to be a distant relative hailing from Prienai, the town where my father-in-law had grown up. The teens and young adults of our group spent the evening dancing, dancing, and still dancing some more. As the night turned to early morning, the celebration came to an end. A bus ride back to Vilnius awaited everyone, and most slept all the way back.

As the bus entered Vilnius at 2:45 A.M. it dropped Terese, John, and me off in front of the Cathedral and headed to the hotel with the rest. Walking the few blocks to our apartment, we realized that a new day was already dawning in the East. We got to bed as the sun was first peeking out.

Thank goodness that the first day of the general rehearsal, Tuesday, did not begin until a bit later. Rehearsals were at Lokomotyvo Stadijone, a stadium not far from the train station. No one could miss the members of "Klumpe”; we were all in medium blue sport shirts with "Klumpe” monogrammed on the pocket. The women even had blue broomstick skirts as part of the uniform. Imagine 1,600 dancers making the dust fly in the stadium; and truly, the dust did fly. No one was particularly certain how they were going to handle a full week of the dust. No need to worry. It actually rained on and off for the rest of the week; so that our rehearsals were dust-free but in gear which was to keep the dancers dry.

Our own rehearsals actually prevented us from seeing some of the programs. However, Thursday evening we went to Kalnu Parkas, which is just beyond the Cathedral, to see the music ensembles and the more professional folk dance troupes perform. This was an enormous outdoor theater in the manner of a Greek play, though benches were only on one side of the performance area. Vilija Sužiedeliene had made certain that we all had a meal. Arriving early allowed everyone to enjoy fresh fruit, cheese, sausage, French bread, rye bread, and juices. Meals definitely taste better eaten outdoors.

A glimpse from the Song Festival — a little girl strums the ‘kankles’. From the official 1998 Song Festival booklet

The ensembles began their dress rehearsal as daylight dissipated. The night sky was lit up with millions of small lamps on the trees that served as the backdrop for the performing musicians and dancers. This dress rehearsal of the ensembles was something to remember. The evening could not have been more majestic. The outstanding performances indicated a level of proficiency in music and dance that was incomparable.

Friday night was our own dress rehearsal. This time it was in a stadium across the Neris River, Žalgirio Stadijonas, named after Lithuania's winning battle with the Tartars during the Middle Ages. We had been performing 1,600 strong; now there were 3,000 dancers. As we performed, we could only imagine the precision of movement necessary to accurately depict what each dance intended. It turns out that the precision was there; only each of us, as a small part of something very large, had difficulty realizing this. All was actually quite phenomenal.

The dress rehearsal had gone so well that the director of the dance program told everyone that Saturday morning will have no rehearsal. Hence, we just had to do a good job Saturday evening, which was our program. Indeed it turned out well, and as fireworks marked the end of yet another grand dance program, friends and relatives of the dancers came down into the main area with bouquets of flowers and boxes of candy in their hands. We had come to Vilnius to do our part. We had done so in dance, but our responsibilities were not quite over. Sunday, the day of the singing, there was a parade.

From the Cathedral to Vingio Parkas, the location of this enormous, marathon-like concert, every song and dance group marched in a parade through the streets of downtown Vilnius. Often there were great cheers in the crowd as "Klumpe” passed the parade watchers; we were from far away, from the U.S.A., and we were greeted warmly. However, that warmth was not enough to keep everyone warm as the wet and rainy afternoon wore on.

This Sunday concert of song truly was marathon-like; it lasted approximately five hours, the last hour and one-half of which we did not watch. Terese, John, and I were already quite wet from the rain and we were definitely cold; so, we went back to our bus, curled up in a ball in our seats, and fell asleep. I might add that several from our troupe did exactly the same thing. As more bodies congregated into the bus, it got warmer. And, we could still hear the singing. We were so wet, so tired, that even the grandeur of the fireworks which followed made little impression on us. How fortunate that no one fell ill!

So this week of camaraderie amongst the dancers of "Klumpe” came to an end. Some returned to the U.S. immediately; most stayed a little longer. We, too, stayed. Wanting to see some sights, visit some relatives, buy some souvenirs, we had plenty to look forward to. However, nothing would compare to our having danced in the Song Festival of 1998. It is one thing to be an observer, a member of the audience; it is another story to be a participant. The preferred perspective is that of a participant.