Riga Performance Festival Starptelpa 2021

10 - 15 June 2021

Online

Theme: Ritual and Myth

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the festival in 2021 could only host a limited number of local artists. As the international mobility was restricted, most of international artists performed online and/or provided mediated performances.

The theme “Ritual and Myth” goes as far as the genealogy and history of the humankind. Without the collective myths, symbols and rituals the fate of the humankind might have been completely different. Although ritual has been extensively explored in social sciences, especially in anthropology, the field of art also offers productive grounds for further investigation, reflection and cross-disciplinary comparison. The range and intensity of rituals can be varied – there are ancient, mythology-based and religious rituals. There can also be miniature everyday rituals important for individuals in their own contexts. Political scientists analyse political rituals and ceremonies as repetitive symbolical acts in public space, thus ensuring the visibility and presence of power, whereas folklore scholars pay attention to ancient traditions and understanding of secular and mythological worlds. Ritual offers the transformative power through its liminal stages, and transformation is necessary for regeneration.