National Folk Dance Festival “Time Turns, Dance Turns” in Šiauliai

On Saturday, February 28, 2026, at 3:00 p.m., the stage of the Great Concert Hall of the Šiaulių kultūros centras will host the national folk dance festival “Sukasi laikas, sukasi šokis” (“Time Turns, Dance Turns”). This is the first large-scale event of its kind initiated by the folk dance ensemble “Kalatinis” (Artistic Directors Indrė Šerpytienė and Evaldas Račkauskas), bringing together a remarkable circle of friends and like-minded dancers. The festival will feature 13 ensembles from Šiauliai, Panevėžys, Palanga, Šakiai, Kelmė, Telšiai, Kuršėnai, Kaunas district, and guests from Latvia.
The event is organized by the Šiauliai Cultural Center. Admission is free (with invitations).

The idea for the festival was born from the artistic directors of “Kalatinis” and warmly supported by the ensemble members. According to the organizers, the need arose not only to present stage results, but to give meaning to the entire journey of dance – the time people spend rehearsing, growing, improving, and creating a shared story together. The aim was to create a space where dancers, singers, and musicians could meet, where different experiences would intertwine, united by one common thread – love for dance.

“The main idea of the festival is to show that dance is not a momentary phenomenon. It grows with a person, changes over time, but never loses its essence. Time passes, yet dance remains – connecting past, present, and future,” say the creators of the concept.

The title emerged naturally from observing dancers’ journeys. Time turns in a circle, just like dance – generations, repertoires, and styles change, yet the joy of movement remains. “Time Turns” symbolizes personal growth and experience, while “Dance Turns” reflects continuous motion and living tradition passed from generation to generation. Dance lives as long as we continue to dance it.

The festival will feature senior and older adult ensembles – a deliberate choice by the organizers. The goal is to highlight continuity and demonstrate that dance is not limited to one stage of life. This diversity of age groups reinforces the central message: dance grows with a person; its form may change, but its meaning does not. It also sends a strong educational message to younger dancers – that the dance journey can be long and meaningful.

This festival is not a competition. It is a gathering. On stage, people from different cities, life stages, and experiences will unite through community and the joy of dance. According to the organizers, the greatest reward is togetherness, shared experience, and emotion. The list of participants becomes not a statistic, but a living map of dance, proving that tradition thrives throughout Lithuania and beyond.

Participating ensembles include the Šiauliai Cultural Center folk dance ensemble “Kalatinis,” folk dance group “Vajaunas,” Kaunas District Ežerėlis Cultural Center ensemble “Rasa,” Panevėžys Cultural Center senior group “Sidabra,” Palanga Cultural Center ensemble “Bočiai,” Šakiai Cultural Center groups “Girėnai” and “Vijūras,” Kelmė Cultural Center group “Patrepsėlis,” Telšiai Cultural Center dance collective “Džiugas,” Šiauliai District Cultural Center group “Diemedis,” the public institution “Šermukšnio kekė” group “Šermukšnis,” Valmiera Cultural Center (Latvia) senior dance group “Gauja FIX,” and the Lithuanian Community in Latvia senior dance group “Bijūnas.”

“The dance community greatly needs informal, warm celebrations where the most important element is the person, not evaluation. We see this event as a potential ongoing tradition that could grow and evolve each year while preserving its essence – dance as a symbol of time, memory, and togetherness,” says Indrė Šerpytienė.

Admission is with free invitations. Invitations will be available from February 13 at the Šiauliai Cultural Center box office and at www.ticketmarket.lt.

Box office hours on weekdays: 9:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.; on weekends – one hour before the event. Box office phone: +370 683 57 691.

Photos by Rolandas Parafinavičius and Liubov Yarmoshenko.

For more information, please contact Aušra Brijūnienė, Head of the Amateur Arts Department at the Šiauliai Cultural Center, mobile +370 655 25 527, e-mail ausra.brijuniene@siauliukc.lt.