Dance Beyond Borders

Latvia | June 2026

Nine emerging Wales based dance artists.

One week.

Experiences that changed how they see themselves as artists.

Why Latvia?

Latvia offers a unique perspective on what it means to build a sustainable career as an independent dance artist. With a thriving artist-led dance community, strong international connections and a culture of collaboration, Latvian artists have developed innovative ways of creating work, when securing funding is limited and difficult. Through the engagement with the 'Laiks Dejot' Contemporary Dance Festival, participants were immersed in an environment that offered fresh perspectives, practical knowledge and the confidence to imagine new possibilities for their own careers.

  • Tornado - Olga Žitluhina (Latvia)

  • iCoDaCo - Knowledge Hub (EU project)

  • ENTWINED - Anastasija Čornaja (Latvia)

  • Indrek Kornel, Katrīna Stepiņa “Rewind / Rebound” (Estonia/Latvia)

  • Agate Bankava - Solo (Latvia) Riga's Circus Dance Residency

  • Dance and music jam session with Bm/C (Latvia)

  • Marta Ladjanszki and Zsolt Varga - Celebration. Ritual. ECSTASY (Hungary)

Most participants arrived with carefully prepared ideas about who they thought they were as artists. Throughout the week we unpicked those ideas, challenged beliefs and rebuilt their individual artistic identities, creative decision-making and collaborative practice.

“I think I didn’t realise how little freedom I had of my own craft... in an audition, there’s a right, there’s a wrong, there’s an outcome. I had to rethink my decisions and actually analyse what I’m doing.”
— Participant

Every morning began with movement.

Technique became a way to discover habits, assumptions and possibilities.

Alongside daily movement classes, we created space to explore what life as an independent artist really looks like. Together we unpacked funding, project planning, professional profiles, networking and the practical steps involved in building a sustainable creative career.

Rather than talking about distant ambitions, participants began turning their own ideas into realistic plans, identifying future collaborators, funding opportunities and the next steps they could take once they returned home.

“My life’s just felt very messy since I left uni... I’ve just been throwing myself at different things. It’s been really good to actually have space to figure stuff out and let some of that stuff go.”
— Participant

Throughout the week, we experienced everyday life in Latvia together, sharing traditional meals, exploring Riga's beautiful Old Town, taking part in a Latvian sauna, spending time by the Baltic coast and slowing down amongst the pine forests outside Riga. These moments became just as valuable as the workshops themselves, giving us time to reflect, have honest conversations and process everything we were discovering about ourselves, our practice and each other.

The journey wasn't about finding all the answers. It was about asking better questions. Participants left Latvia with a clearer sense of who they are, what kind of work they want to create, and the confidence to begin turning those ambitions into reality.

“This has really given me the confidence to just go for it... I’m a 21-year-old...who do I think I am applying for that sort of stuff? But if you want work, you’ve got to create the opportunities yourself. I’m not going to sit around anymore.”
— Participant