Stories from the Park
23 May 2014
Ziedoņdārza Park, Riga, Latvia
Direction, Choreography, Score:                    Paul Zmolek & Joséphine A. Garibaldi
Guitar Composition & Performance:              Kristiān Laizāns
Movement, Text, Vocals, Performance:           Ieva Aizupe,  Katrina Jocus, Aigars Larionovs, Janis Orbidans, Ksenija Simanova, Anna Sulzica

As part of the month-long Ziedoņdārza stāsti in the nearby neighborhood Ziedoņdārza park, we worked with students from the Latvian Culture College dance program and one student musician to create "Stories from the Park"  on the benches and lawn near the water fountain.

We provided the dancers with stories about the park from past events' brochures and instructed them to each choose 12 words that spoke to them. From these words, each dancer then were given additional choreographic prompts to create phrases of movement.  Additionally, the dancers wrote three verses based in the rhythmic structure of the traditional dainas in Latvian, Russian and/or English. 
The performance included both movement and spoken word inspired from descriptions of what the park has meant in local residents' lives.  Accompaniment was live electric guitar with manipulated and edited musique concrète electronic score recorded while strolling through the park with recordings of the performers reading their "dainas".

In this atmosphere I move forward, when hearing a splat I halt
There in the labyrinth of bushes, very fast somebody crawls
Through the colors of the night a vibratory whimper of seven falls
Yet I enjoy it, I ingress in it ith a zig-zag-dag-zalls.

The energy of the toes rises up, up high right
Being the medium level leader of the narrowness of the night
Where the city was jerky and left us angular in spite
The gentle park breeze sank folded into light.

The insanity rose upward at fifteen degrees
In the far all the clapping it spiraled through trees
Something foreign swung upward with the symmetry of bees
The colossal grip tightened their heads and their knees.
                                                        - Aigars Larionovs
Remember time spread,
Color only add,
Improvisation truly dead,
Happiness fully grabbed.

The life is going,
Deliberately growing,
Human blossom,
Is fallen on the bench.

Sitting in the rain,
Thinking about neighbor brain.
Dont worry, be happy,
Use your ending entirely.
Atceroties laika mijas,
Krāsas tikai lejas,
Improvizācija par to smejas,
Laime ietver sevī dejas.

Dzīve tikai rit,
Nesteidzīgi sit,
Cilvēki domīgi sēž,
Uz soliņa garām gājējus mēž,

Sēdēja gaužām ilgi, kodīgi,
Kamēr tuvākais griež godīgi.
Kaut laimi slēgtu atslēga,
Un uzkundzība noslēgumā izdevīga.
                     - Janis Orbidans

Когда в нашем парке праздник настанет,
Детишек толпа сразу нагрянет,
Эмоций фантан ударит ключом,
И радоваться дружно мы тут же начнем!

Дамочки с соперниками сильного пола в парке в шахматы играют,
В то время как внуки внучатами бантами косы украшают.
У парка есть идея –
Духовной ценностью делись скорее!

When to our park holidays well come
Crowd of kids to the park will run
The fountain of emotion will hit
And immediately together we will begin to rejoice!
Ladies and gentlemen are playing chess,
But children adorn the braids with bows.
The park has an idea
Spiritual value is the main thing!

В этом парке можно встретить очень разных персонажей,
И с друзьями погулять и соседей поведать.
Здесь чувствуем себя, как дома –
Мило тут все и знакомо!
You can find very different characters in this park,
And you can have a  walk with friends and neighbors.
You  feel yourself in this place like in your home -
Everything nice and familiar!
                                    - Katrina Jocus

Romantiska noskaņa parkā rit
Uz plakaniem soļiem mīlestība dzimst
Un radošais pirksts cauri matiem slīd.

Mākslinieku dvēselē –
Bumba maģiskā
Kā magnēts burvju pasaulē
Krasu kartes pievilina.

Mēs esam, bijām, būsim,
Pārsteigsim, dzīvosim un lūgsim.
Harmoniski elpu iegūsim,
Un atdzimšanas spēku gūsim.



Romantic atmosphere is in the park
On the flat steps  love grows
And creative finger glides through hair.

Artists soul -
magic ball
As a magnet in the magic world
Attracting cards of colors.

We are, were, will be,
Will surprise, live and pray.
Harmonious breath will get,
Will have power and rebirth.
                              - Ksenija Simanova
Es vēlos dzīvot harmonijā,
Bez pūļa un bez liekas kņadas.
Un attiecībās, kas sevī tver      Košu dienu, ko ritējumā redz.
Un cilvēki , to zinu droši
Tie vēlas atcerēties koši
Ar skaistu auru dzīvot moži
Privāti, bet diezgan koši.

Ik mākslinieks, kas brīdi tver
Ar dejotāja degsmi deg
Un publika, kas vieno mūs
Tik pieskārienu neiegūst.
I want to live in harmony,
Without the crowds and without undue fuss.
And in relations, which includes
Bright day, which sees the course of time.
And the people that do know
They want to remember the bright
With beautiful feelings keeping live
Private, but quite bright.
Every artist who captures the moment
In dancer's passion burns
And the audience that unites us
So touch obtains.
                           - Ieva Aizupe


Kur tuvakais mērkis?
Es jautāju sev.
Tur kur sadarbības mirklis,
Tur es atklāju tevi.

Saulainīgais pavasaris
Dominantais noskaņojums
Harmoniski putni dzied
Attiecības krašni zied.




Sunny spring,
dominant mood,
birds sing in harmony,
the relationships are growing up.


Where is my nearest goal?
I ask myself.
It's there where  is the moment of cooperation,
There is where I find you.
                      - Anna Sulzica