Ventspils city's Culture center's Folklore group
Laipa

      Name: Laipa
          meaning: foot-bridge
          recommended transcription in English: Laipa
          approximate pronunciation in English: Laypa
          Listen pronunciation in AU format (21 Kb)

      Created: 21 November 1987
      Location: Ventspils, Kurland
      Leader: Ligita Vaļuka
      Number of participants: 15, of them by age:
          from 14 to 24 years: 2
          from 25 to 44 years: 3
          from 45 to 64 years: 6
          older than 64 years: 4
      and by gender:
          males: 4
          females: 11
      Forms of activity: sing, play music, dance, play roundelays
      Musical instruments: violin, psaltery, accordion, pipe, mandoline, harmonica, devil's drum, drum.

      Description: Latvian folkgroup Laipa, which was founded in 1988, makes it's nations and region's traditions popular. It's cultural and social achivements are stable. Each year the group celebrates annual old festivales of Sun in it's native town Ventspils. It reminds to inhabitants of Ventspils not to forget ancestors' traditions - the ability to live in harmony with nature. In the repertoire of the group there are songs, dances, folk music and folktales. The most favourite themes are about fishermen, soldiers, relations between people.
    There are 15 people in this group who could be easily recognized by theire traditional clothes representing Northern Kurland. Laipa participated in various festivals and concerts in Latvia and abroad (Sweden, Germany and Lithuania).

      Address:
          in Latvian: Ineta Kalniņa, Kuldīgas 18, Ventspils, LV-3601, Latvija
          in English: Ineta Kalnina, Kuldigas 18, Ventspils, LV-3601, Latvia
      Phone: (+371) 36-24796
      Facsimile: (+371) 36-24796
      E-mail: kulturascentrs_N@N_vczb.lv

      Date of presenting the information: 26 August 2002