Youth Dance Festival repertoire checks to begin in March - 6,600 dancers prepare to shock jury with their artistry

Latvia's cultural life is approaching a momentous event — in March, the Youth Dance Festival repertoire review performances will begin, which will be like X-Factor, but with folk costumes and without Simon Cowell.

230 dance groups with a total of 6,600 young people are preparing to show they can do something other than just watch TikTok. The first performance on March 7th in Mālpils will be like a season opener — the jury will evaluate whether the youth remember which is their left and right foot, and whether they can last more than three minutes without their phone.

"I hope the children haven't forgotten all the steps we learned all winter," says one of the dancers' mothers from Liepāja. "Our Sintija only does TikTok dances at home, but promises to show real Latvian dance at the performance." In Liepāja, the performance will take place on March 14th at the Olympic Center, where local dancers plan to prove they can dance even against the Baltic Sea wind — that's like an extra difficulty level.

The performances will continue throughout Latvia until April, ending with the finale in Riga at VEF Culture Palace. The main goal is to prepare dancers for the II Youth Dance Festival, which will take place on May 23rd at Liepāja's "Daugava" stadium. "We want young people to understand — dancing isn't just movements, but also preserving traditions," explain the organizers. "And if they can dance through the entire program without mistakes, then they're ready for adult life too."