TREJDEKSNĪTIS (tray-decks-neet-iss), Seattle’s Latvian Folk Dance Troupe, is a vital organization affiliated with the Latvian Association of Washington State. The group was established in 1962 by Irene Beleiciks and is still going strong after more than 60 years. We are a group of about 30 dancers ranging in age from early 20's to over 60. The group seeks to preserve the culture, language and trad
itions of Latvia through a balanced approach of practicing and performing traditional Latvian dances with innovative and new choreographies. Participation in our group provides a place for descendants of Latvian immigrants and others interested in the culture to experience a sense of camaraderie and friendship through music and dance. The group rehearses at the Seattle Latvian Community Center and performs for local Latvian cultural celebrations, local community events (such as Northwest Folklife Festival) as well as Latvian Song and Dance Festivals around the world. We are proud of being able to share that our group has now danced at 32 Latvian Song and Dance Festivals since our founding:
San Francisco, CA 1967
Cleveland, OH 1968
Vancouver, B.C. 1972
Cleveland, OH 1973
Seattle, WA 1975
Los Angeles, CA1 977
San Francisco, CA 1979
Portland, OR 1982
Milwaukee, WI 1983
Vancouver, B.C. 1985
Toronto, Ontario 1986
Long Beach, CA 1989
Riga, Latvia 1990
Toronto, Ontario 1991
Seattle, WA 1992
Riga, Latvia 1993
Riga, Latvia 1998
Thousand Oaks, CA 1999
Chicago, IL 2002
San Francisco, CA 2003
Toronto, Ontario 2004
Indianapolis, IN 2007
Ventura, CA 2008
Hamilton, Ontario 2009
Milwaukee, WI 2012
Riga, Latvia 2013
Hamilton, Ontario 2014
San Jose, CA 2015
Baltimore, MD 2017
Riga, Latvia 2018
Toronto, Ontario 2019
Riga, Latvia 2023