Taiga Ludborža

Has been running dance groups since the age of 16. Was leader of the folk-dance hobby group at the Rīga Extended Day School No 2 (1985–1987), leader of the folk-dance group at the Dzerzhinsky cultural centre (1987–1992), and of the Jampadracis (Hullabaloo) folk-dance group of the Latgale suburb’s Daugmale children’s and youth centre (1992-1999).
In 1994, Ludborža founded the Bramaņi (Druids) dance group, originally under the wing of the Latvian National Defence Academy, later under the auspices of the National Armed Forces, but since 2011, the dance group of the VEF Palace of Culture. Under Ludborža’s leadership, Bramaņi have successfully participated in song and dance festivals, city and national competitions and reviews, as well as in international festivals and concert tours. The group regularly takes up new dances and stages interesting dance performances.

In parallel, the choreographer founded a folk-dance group at Rīga’s Kārlis Videnieks Secondary School No 77. Over time, the group’s composition changed, with fewer and fewer representatives of School No 77 pupils and their parents, but increasingly taking on the traditions of the Bramaņi young people’s group also led by Ludborža. To facilitate the transition of the thirty-somethings of Bramaņi to a middle-generation dance group, Ludborža united the dancers of both groups by establishing the Dižbramaņi (Great Druids) middle-generation dance group. Dižbramaņi have successfully participated in city and national concerts, competitions, reviews and festivals, as well as going on international guest tours. "My greatest joy is for the guys who come along – athletes and computer programmers – who till then had been laughing at those who were dancing. It is a great pleasure to see that not only can they dance but also enjoy it. Now they understand that dance requires no less endurance and concentration than sport.”(A moving moment. The Dance Festival is like a new relationship. Diena.lv July 4, 2013)

At the same time, the artist continues to work with children, leading the Pumpurēni dance group of Rīga’s Andrejs Pumpurs Elementary School No 11.

The choreographer has created many new dances which are performed at dance festivals and won prizes in new-dance competitions, such as Es meitiņa kā rozīte (I am Like a Rose), Kas tur mežā brakšķēja (Who’s that in the woods), Nu atnāca vasariņa (Summer is Here), Skaista mana tēvu sēta (My Beautiful Homestead), Es adīju dancodama (I Knitted, I Danced), Dievs man deva maizes zemi (God Gave me this Land of Plenty), Lecamdancis (Leaping Dance) and many others. Full descriptions have been written for all of these dances and published in the dance-repertoire collection of the of the Latvian Song and Dance Festival, in Latvian new-dance publications and passed on to the National Centre for Education for use in Dance Seminars.

Ludborža was first honoured with the title of chief choreographer in 2007 at the Rīga Dancers’ Festival, where the artist’s original works were also performed, but a year later she reprised the role at the 14th Dance Festival, directing the performances of three of her dances Ai, zaļā birztaliņa (Oh, Green Birch Grove), Lai sakūru uguntiņu (To Light the Fire) and Lepna, lepna tā pļaviņa (My Meadow, My Pride).
Taiga Ludborža has directed several major dance concerts – director and dramatist of the Viss atkal ir kā senāk (Everything is Like it was) major concert (2014), concept creator and artistic director of the Night of Dance in Limbazi No 1 grand dance performance (2016), chief choreographer for the Night of Dance in Limbazi No 2 grand concert Izrakstīju goda kreklu (I Embroidered My Best Blouse, 2018), chief choreographer and creator of two new dances for the middle-generation grand dance concert Dievs man deva maizes zemi (God Gave me this Land of Plenty, 2015), chief choreographer and dance creator for the major dance concert Pavasara nakts mistērija (Spring Night Mystery, 2015), and has participated in the preparation and management of many other events and festivals.

“A grand dance performance is like a ball of wool, which gradually unravels during the concert, telling the story and giving those present real emotions. When we are true to ourselves – we are beautiful, when we are beautiful – we are loved, when we are loved – we are happy.” (Kamala, Aija. The ambitious Night of Dance in Limbaži. Visitlimbazi.lv May 9, 2016)

A chief choreographer at the 14th-16th Dance Festivals and of numerous major dance concerts, chief choreographer for the Līdz varavīksnei tikt (To Reach the Rainbow) grand dance performance of the XIth Latvian Schools’ Youth Song and Dance Festival (2015), chief choreographer for Limbaži region dance groups (since 2015), has also participated in dance-competition juries in Latvia and Russia.