An evening of Francophonie food and folk dance: Experience traditional performances from the countries of Hungary, Latvia, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Ivory Coast.
Many Latvians regard music, song and dance as an important part of their lives. Although Latvia had not yet been established as a self-sufficient state, the Latvians still gathered to sing the first Latvian Song Festival in 1873. The song and dance festival took its present form in 1983, and has since then been celebrated every five years in the capital Riga. In the summer of 2018, the Song and Dance Festival took on a special significance on the occasion of the centenary of Latvia as an independent state. Over some spectacular days, it gathered more than 45,000 participants from 21 countries. Of these, as many as 18,000 performed in various large-scale dance performances. The folk dance group OZOLIŅŠ was proudly participating in this celebration.
The folk dance group OZOLIŅŠ was founded on November 2, 2014. The name OZOLIŅŠ means "a small oak tree". The idea behind this name is that a small oak tree grows bigger and stronger, eventually becoming a VERY LARGE oak - a symbol of a strong Latvia. We are based in Sandefjord, but distance means little when a Latvian has decided to dance and sing. That's why our dancers also come from surrounding places, such as Tønsberg, Skoppum and Drammen.
We love to come together to celebrate, practice and promote Latvian traditions and culture.
