On 31 October 2026, the closing event of the PULSE-ART dance community’s creative work took place at the concert hall of Daugavpils University (DU). The event featured a performance entitled “Daugavpils in Motion – Our City, Our Story”, developed as part of the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme project “Promoting Understanding and Lifelong learning Successful Education through the ARTs and culture” (PULSE-ART). Through dance, music and movement, young people explored the history of Daugavpils, highlighting significant events in the history of both the city and Latvia.

Young people, dance teachers, musicians, historians and researchers all contributed to the creation of the dance story. Together, they developed an artistic narrative exploring the city’s past, people’s experiences and sense of belonging. The dance sequences portrayed different periods and events in the history of Daugavpils and Latvia, including the city’s development, the 1920s and 1930s, the occupation regimes and deportations, the Third Awakening, the Baltic Way and the restoration of Latvia’s independence.

The young participants’ creative contributions and collaboration with people from different fields were particularly important throughout the process. By exploring ways to express historical events through movement, music and dance, the participants not only learned about the history of their city and country but also became interpreters of that history themselves. Remarkably, this extensive creative work was brought to life in just four sessions held over two Saturdays.

The emotional impact of the performance was also evident in the audience’s response, with several spectators visibly moved by the powerful combination of dance, music and shared history. This demonstrated how art can provide a meaningful way to address complex historical events, strengthen intergenerational connections and foster a sense of belonging to one’s city and country.

As a special memento of the event, each participant received a seagull – a local symbol of Daugavpils created especially for the project by Daugavpils artist Anita Jasinska.

The aim of the PULSE-ART project is to promote the integration of arts and culture into education, fostering the development of Cultural Awareness and Expression (CAE), one of the EU’s Key Competences for Lifelong Learning, and encouraging arts-based learning.

Collaboration with Daugavpils educational and cultural institutions, dance teachers, artists, historians and cultural organisations played an important role in bringing the performance to life. These included Daugavpils Vienības nams and the associations “Cita Daugavpils”, “Divruna”, “Kultūras Artefakts” and VMK “Robeža”.

Additional information:
PULSE-ART project manager in Latvia
DU IHSS leading researcher Ilze Kačāne
e-mail: ilze.kacane@du.lv

The project is supported by the European Union’s research and innovation programme “Horizon Europe” under Grant Agreement No. 101178988.

Photo: Andrejs Jemeļjanovs, Anita Jasinska.