The Big Stage

University of Wisconsin—Madison, January 26, 1992. We're performing a quadrille, "Ketvirtainis."

Before the Ceremony

Melrose Park, Illinois, June 1989. Members of Vėtra, the Connecticut folkdance group with which Mr. Irene performed, gather outside the church before our wedding. Vėtra later did a few numbers at the reception.

We needed more dancers.

University of Wisconsin Baraboo/Sauk County, Baraboo, Wisconsin, April 1994. We did fine.

Waiting

Marshall High School, Marshall, Wisconsin, March 1992. We're waiting for the next number.

Happy Dance

After the Performance

University of Wisconsin Baraboo/Sauk County, Baraboo, Wisconsin, April 1994. We're happy the show went well.

Talent Show

Sacred Heart School Melrose Park, Illinois, June 1972. Most of the girls from the eighth-grade class participated in the show. We're standing on the stage of Marian Hall.

A Familiar Dance

University of Wisconsin Baraboo/Sauk County, Baraboo, Wisconsin, April 1994. We're dancing Blezdingėlė again.

Today's the day.

The Fifteenth Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival takes place today in Baltimore, Maryland. Our Madison-area folk dance group, Žaibas, will perform at the event.

Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, Illinois, July 1992. Žaibas is ready to march in the dancers' parade.

The Performance

Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, Illinois, July 1992. The size of the festival's audience catches Mr. Irene's attention.

(Hey! I sewed Mr. Irene's folk costume.)

Graduation Dance

Oak Park, Illinois, June 1972. Most of the eighth-grade girls wore floor-length dresses.

The Windmill

Madison, Wisconsin, November 17, 1991. We rehearse our most energetic number before performing.

Crossing

University of Wisconsin Baraboo/Sauk County, Baraboo, Wisconsin, April 1994. I don't remember which dance this was, but I recall it was fun.

Awaiting Instructions

Madison, Wisconsin, January 26, 1992. Mr. Irene and I await final dance instructions before we head to another performance.

Many-Species Reunion

Verona, Wisconsin, May 3, 2015. Here's another image from one of last year's goose chases.

The ducks didn't mind the commotion.

Spring Thing

Madison, Wisconsin, Spring 1992. The Madison folk dance group, Žaibas, poses for the shot to be included in the Ninth Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival program.

Backstage Rehearsal

Madison, Wisconsin, November 17, 1991. The women of Žaibas practice Belzdinėlė one more time before we perform at the Madison International Festival.

"Irish songs, jokes & Lithuanian Dancers"

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St. Joseph Catholic Parish School, Baraboo, Wisconsin, March 15, 1992. There are several ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Final Rehearsal

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Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, Illinois, July 1992. We're ready for the big performance.

An Independence Day "Minejimas"

Today, February 16, is Lithuanian Independence Day. The holiday celebrates Lithuania's independence, in 1918, from the Russian Empire. Now, of course, there is a second Independence Day—a restoration day—marking the day Lithuania broke from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Lithuanians recognize both days. Traditionally, groups host a "Minejimas," or commemoration, filled with speeches, poetry recitations, music, and dancing. 

Here in Madison, Madison-Vilnius Sister Cities, Inc. organized a similar reception. We gathered at the Central Madison Public Library. We ate some goodies (I baked a Trupininis Pyragas), and then Nijole shared a presentation about the history of the Žaibas Dance Group. Žaibas this year celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary.

Madison, Wisconsin, February 14, 2016. The library offered a beautiful room for the gathering.
 

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Nijole created a display featuring items from Žaibas's history (yes, the group danced at a festival in Japan. And in Argentina).
 

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Ah, "[w]e were so much younger then."
 

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We chatted before the program.

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We stood for the Lithuanian National Anthem. No one had an excuse for not knowing the lyrics.

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Nijole began her presentation.
 

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Current and former Žaibas dancers rose to applause.
 

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Nijole spoke about the history of folk dancing, especially among the Displaced Persons living in postwar camps. You may have seen this photo earlier.
 

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And this one, too.

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We have a great group!