An international symposium of folk dance researchers will be held in Klaipėda this year from July 12-18th. It is a significant event for Lithuania, where traditional dance has been attracting heightened general interest, with an Ethnomusicology Department established in 1989 at the Lithuanian Music and Theatre Academy, and the efforts of the Lithuanian Ethnic Culture Association.
The Study Group on Ethnochoreology of the International Council for Traditional Music – ICTM) is the most important non-governmental international traditional dance research organization, in existence since 1962. Today it has 171 members from over 45 countries in Europe, Asia, North and South America, and Australia. Every two years the ICTM holds a symposium, usually in other European countries: this year will be the first time for Lithuania or any Baltic country.
The international program committee chose the theme Dance and Economy, with a secondary theme chosen by the local organizers in Lithuania: Dance Trasmission, This is a very important tiouc for Lithuania because it includes theoretical problems of teaching dance and sharing tradition at various levels. The conference will also include a cultural program featuring traditional dance groups from Lithuania Minor, as well as a tour of Klaipėda and the Curonian Spit (Kuršių nerija).
Information about the symposium can be found on the ICTM website ictmusic.org.
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