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Solidarity as spectacle: resistance, resilience, and renewal in the Latvian Song and Dance Celebration
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Solidarity as spectacle: resistance, resilience, and renewal in the Latvian Song and Dance Celebration

Alys Daroy and Joshua Zeunert
RIDE: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, Vol.29(3), pp.422-438
2024
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CC BY-NC-ND V4.0 Open Access

Abstract

Solidarity Spectacle Applied Theatre Community Performance Applied theatre Drama, theatre and performance studies
The Latvian Song and Dance Celebration's 150th Anniversary (2023) offers a unique case study of community performance's capacity to express solidarity on a spectacular scale. This article argues that the choral concerts may be viewed as applied theatre given their historical and continuing expressions of political resistance, cultural resilience and community renewal. In 2023, the UNESCO listed Celebration incorporated 40,560 performers, around 500,000 in-person spectators and the world's largest choir of 16,500 singers. The mega-event invokes solidarity and spectacle's nested paradoxes amidst historic and continuing socio-political tensions and the Russo-Ukraine War (2014-) while simultaneously highlighting their powerfully affective impact.

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