We needed more dancers.

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

Sized

Bulger Park, Veterans Park District, Melrose Park, Illinois, February 1971. The girls perform at another Independence-Day celebration.

After the Performance

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

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.)

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.

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.

Dog Show

We were cheering Rumor, the German Shepherd from Edgerton, Wisconsin. But Dario touched our hearts.

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! 

Performance

Rosemont Horizon, Rosemont, Illinois, July 1992. Members of Žaibas perform at the Ninth Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival (you may recognize my striped skirt).

The dance is "Blezdingėlė." Also here:

A Last Christmas Spin

Melrose Park, Illinois, December 1967. The sooner we finish, the sooner we'll get to the refreshments.

The Site of the Exhibit

Schweinfurt, Germany, December 1946. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, kept this photo among her mementos from the cultural exhibit.

Wool and Sheep

Yesterday, I again returned with a friend to the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival. The place is starting to feel familiar!

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Jefferson, Wisconsin, September 2015. "Ewe" probably know where I did most of my shopping.*

*ADDED: Yarn shopping, that is. I have four of those wonderful bags.

Related by Marriage: Sunday Walk

Holland, Michigan, Spring 1958. Mr. Irene's Mom snaps some tourists.

Class Reunion

Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Summer 1971. My Dad and a few of his classmates celebrate their thirtieth high-school reunion."KABC" stands for "Kauno Aušros Berniukų Gimnazija."

A Poor Listener

Suburban Chicago, February 1964. I'm not paying attention to the poetry recitation; I'm watching Dad.

Handcrafts

Schweinfurt, Germany, 1946. One of the organizers of the cultural exhibit admires the "women's handwork" table.