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Sokiu Svente 2016 Baltimore MD

Writer: Mantas Kubilinskas
Mantas Kubilinskas
Jul 14, 2016
2 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

Black-and-white photograph of people lifting a woman with a floral headpiece above a crowd inside an arena.

This gallery records Šokių Šventė 2016 in Baltimore through 63 photographs. The sequence moves between performers in corridors, details of embroidered clothing, the arena floor and a final gathering beneath confetti. It includes both the scale of the performance and the people waiting around it.

The Lithuanian School of Washington’s 2016 news archive records its dance group’s participation in the fifteenth festival in Baltimore on July 3.

Share your date, location, schedule and intended use of the photographs.

For other work, browse the portfolio.

Before the arena floor

The corridor photographs bring together small details: a newspaper held under an arm, children adjusting headpieces, group signs and ribbons. The arena appears first at a distance, beyond a doorway or behind a person looking toward it.

Black-and-white overhead view of people walking along a patterned sidewalk beside a building.
A woman in an embroidered white dress and patterned headpiece stands against a brick wall.
Black-and-white photograph of people in patterned clothing and head coverings walking through a doorway.
Black-and-white photograph of people standing together, including a man holding a folded newspaper.
Black-and-white photograph of a woman wearing glasses and an embroidered headpiece beside a group sign in a busy corridor.
Black-and-white photograph of adults and children in patterned clothing gathered in a corridor.
A seated child and adults hold yellow, green and red flags in an indoor corridor.
Black-and-white photograph of children wearing flower wreaths and embroidered clothing gathered together.
Black-and-white view through a partly open doorway toward people wearing patterned clothing.
Black-and-white photograph of a large group in embroidered clothing gathering near a doorway.
Rear view of a person with long ribbons hanging from a headpiece looking toward a brightly lit arena.
Black-and-white photograph of a man in a hat walking through a dark corridor toward a group holding a sign.
Black-and-white photograph of children in patterned clothing waiting closely together in a corridor.
People wearing embroidered vests and long headpiece ribbons gather beneath arena lights.
A line of people in embroidered vests stand beside an arena floor with spectators behind them.

The performance at different distances

Some photographs show the floor from high above; others stay close to a raised hand, a face or the edge of a costume. Changing distance makes the wider choreography and individual figures readable within the same sequence.

People in embroidered clothing wave small red and white flags beside an arena floor.
A woman in a green embroidered vest and patterned cap extends one arm beside a crowd.
Low view of a man in a dark vest clapping with raised hands beneath arena lighting.
People in patterned skirts and embroidered vests walk across an arena floor carrying group signs.
A crowd in embroidered clothing gathers on an arena floor with group signs and a yellow, green and red flag.
Silhouetted people stand before projected festival lettering and figures on an arena floor.
High wide view of groups of dancers on an arena floor illuminated in blue and yellow.
Black-and-white photograph of a woman wearing a headset sitting beside another person in arena seats.
Overhead photograph of dancers carrying flowering branches, with movement blur across the group.
A man in a striped vest holds flowering branches and ribbons in a busy indoor corridor.
Low view of a line of people in patterned clothing standing beneath corridor lights.
Women wearing embroidered vests and flowered headpieces gather closely together in a corridor.
Black-and-white photograph of people in patterned clothing moving through a corridor, with a face partly cropped in the foreground.
Black-and-white low view of dancers' legs on an arena floor with other dancers in the distance.
Black-and-white rear view of people holding hands as they walk toward an arena floor.
A man holds flowering branches close to his face while other people stand in a corridor.

The pauses around the performance

Printed schedules on a wall, a monitor showing the floor, phones and snacks give the gallery another pace. These photographs sit beside the performance frames rather than pretending that an event consists only of its moments on stage.

Black-and-white photograph of men holding flowering branches while waiting closely together.
A woman in a blue embroidered vest and patterned headpiece holds printed pages against a dark backdrop.
Black-and-white close view of a child in an embroidered white shirt among standing people.
A woman in an embroidered outfit holds a phone beneath purple lighting, with people on a balcony above.
Close view of a patterned skirt with a blurred figure and blue arena lighting in the background.
Black-and-white photograph of women in patterned clothing moving together across an arena floor.
A seated child wearing a flower wreath rests her face on one hand with people behind her.
Black-and-white photograph of a man near technical equipment with large shadows of people projected on a wall.
Two women in embroidered clothing study printed schedules attached to a white wall.
A woman in a white head covering sits on equipment cases using a phone in a corridor.
Rear view of two women in embroidered clothing watching an arena performance on a monitor.
Five children sit along a white corridor wall, with several holding phones.
Overhead view of a folded Draugas newspaper above dark flooring and white shoes.
Women wearing embroidered clothing and long ribbons hold decorated poles in a corridor.
Three children in matching patterned vests sit on steps eating snacks.
A seated woman wearing a headset watches an arena under dim blue lighting.

Confetti and the final gathering

The last part of the gallery includes people clapping, dancing together and reaching toward falling confetti. The original sequence also returns to the opening crowd photograph before closing with the flag on the arena floor. Both placements are preserved.

Black-and-white photograph of people with raised arms beneath falling confetti inside an arena.
Dancers in patterned skirts and vests move around illuminated wooden props on an arena floor.
A single person stands in a circular spotlight on a dark arena floor surrounded by a crowd.
Black-and-white photograph of a man in an embroidered vest moving beside other performers beneath arena lights.
A smiling woman wearing a headset and blue embroidered vest stands beside an arena floor.
A man raises his arms in a spotlight between lines of clapping people on an arena floor.
A man in an orange shirt and people in patterned clothing clap beneath falling confetti.
People in embroidered clothing hold hands beneath falling gold-colored confetti.
A man in a striped vest claps with both hands raised among a crowd.
Black-and-white photograph of people lifting a woman with a floral headpiece above a crowd inside an arena.
Black-and-white photograph of women in embroidered clothing gathered closely together on an arena floor.
Black-and-white photograph of people dancing together in patterned skirts and embroidered vests.
Black-and-white photograph of children and adults beneath falling confetti inside an arena.
A child in a patterned skirt lies on an arena floor covered in gold-colored confetti.
A man holds a yellow, green and red flag while standing among people on a confetti-covered arena floor.

What a dance festival looks like beyond the main performance

The Šokių Šventė archive includes 63 photographs. A festival like this is larger than the moment the dancers enter the floor. The patterns of traditional clothing, conversations in corridors and people getting ready to perform all explain what the event feels like from the inside. Those details deserve to sit beside the widest arena photographs.

When I photograph a large cultural event, I look for a rhythm between three kinds of frames: scale, people and detail. One photograph can show the formation of a dance group, another the expression of a performer and another the small objects or gestures that disappear once everyone moves into place. Together they preserve more than a record of attendance.

Organizers should decide in advance where photographers may stand, how close they can get to performers and whether images are intended for editorial or promotional use. Access should never interfere with dancers or the public. For an archive, accurate date, location and context are just as important as a striking composition.


Reporting and photographic context

For contemporary reporting, read the Baltimore Sun report about the 2016 festival, which includes interviews with participants. The report and this photographic sequence offer separate accounts of the event.

For other Baltimore work, see the Baltimore Harbor engagement gallery and Silo Point wedding gallery. You can also read how to choose a wedding photographer when comparing a photographer’s complete work.

Share the program, access arrangements and whether the images are for a private collection, organizational use or editorial publication.


For another cultural-event story, explore the Azerbaijan America Alliance gala in Washington DC.

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