The skills and knowledge they acquire will enable the dancers to enrich museum events, perform in staged concert productions, and participate in early dance masterclasses. In addition to learning Renaissance dances, group members will explore the etiquette, manners, and everyday life of the period, broadening their horizons and deepening their knowledge of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Since the Early Dance Group “Galms” was first established, its artistic director has been Ilona Ozola, a museum educator at Bauska Castle Museum. Her work focuses on exploring the domestic culture and dance history of the Renaissance, researching early dance notation, and reconstructing dances based on manuals written by 16th- and 17th-century court dance masters. She is also the creator of the dance programmes performed by the Early Dance Group “Galms”.

Ilona Ozola has further developed her dancing skills and gained international experience in early dance teaching methodologies by attending masterclasses led by internationally renowned instructors, including Isabel Suri, Barbara Sparti, Lieven Baert, Bruna Gondoni, Anne Daye, Hazel Dennison, Jørgen Schou-Pedersen, and Tamsin Lewis. She has also participated in international conferences, delivering presentations on early dance, concepts for creating staged concert productions, props, and research methods.

Throughout its 15-year history, the group has developed and performed a variety of dance programmes. Among its most spectacular and impressive concert productions are Planētu parāde (Parade of the Planets, 2014), Festa vita (2016), Ignis (2018), and Zaudētā Paradīze (Lost Paradise, 2019). These productions brought to life stories exploring Renaissance-era beliefs, astronomy, the celebration and enjoyment of life, the symbolic significance of fire, and Christopher Columbus’s expedition to America.

The Early Dance Group “Galms” has performed at early music festivals at Rundāle Palace and Bauska Castle, as well as in Náchod, Czechia, at Trakai Island Castle in Lithuania, and at other venues.

To register, please email ilona.ozola@bauskasnovads.lv or bauskaspils@bauskasnovads.lv. Participants are advised to wear comfortable clothing and dance slippers or lightweight sports shoes to the group’s sessions.