I Love a Fast Polka!
- Diana Mathur
- Jun 4
- 2 min read
This season I took a Latvian Folk Dance Masterklasse at the Southern California Latvian Community Center. My polka footwork is now skippier than ever!
Class was expertly led by the charismatic Dziesma Tetere and renown choreographer Jānis Purviņš.
They offered the class at Latvian Centers across the country.
Jānis Purviņš is choreographer for prominent Latvian folk dance groups and is instrumental in Latvia's National Song & Dance Festivals.
There's much more to say about Jānis's credentials, but often the info is in Latvian and I didn't catch it all. Please feel free to comment.
I can tell you, though, how uplifting it was to experience his class.
No detail, angle of knee, length of skirt, was too minor to perfect. You don't merely rest your hands on your hips. When Jānis walks by and tugs your elbow, those muscles better be engaged and the hands stay put!
We worked all morning on technique.
By the time we learned the choreography and shot this (in-house/for practice purposes) video —my legs were jelly.
Fortunately my partner, Diāna Z was a rock and got me where I needed to be on the beat!
The mentorship, discipline, caring so much to pass on and receive knowledge of tradition was beautiful to see.
After a day of dancing, the Pērkonitis troupe worked into the evening, receiving valuable critique in preparation for their upcoming performances at the North American Latvian Song & Dance Festival in Grand Rapids, Michigan (July 2026).
Thank you, Oskars and Ilze, for making this masterklasse possible.
Juris is a pillar of Pērkonitis, as well as a teacher at the Latvian School. As a yogi, he's a natural dancer, too. He reminds us to breathe. Yoga with Juris
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