News:
Upcoming events - mark your calendars:
Lecture by Vilte Kazlauskaite - Lithuania-based felt artist
"Archaic Felt and Its Tradition in Lithuania".
July 20, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.; 1140 Grainger Hall; 975 University Ave.
Žaibas Lithuanian Dancers Demonstration and Lesson will be held
July 21, 2010 at 6:00 p.m. On Wisconsin, rooms B and C, Red Gym, 716 Langdon St.
For more details on these and other BALSSI activities go to:
http://www.creeca.wisc.edu/balssi/events.html and scroll down.
Upcoming events - mark your calendars:
MVSC Annual Summer Picnic
Sunday, Aug 1, 2010; 3-9pm
@ McKee Farms Park Shelter,
2930 Chapel Valley Rd. Fitchburg, WI 53711.
MVSC Request The Pleasure Of your Company
MVSC will provide Shish kebabs, Hot Dogs and refreshments
(soft drinks and water), but you can BYOB. Please bring a dish to share.
Lots of games, food and fun for all family!!!!
Please RSVP to Jolanta: Jolantukas@yahoo.com
Indicating how many people will attend so that we can plan accordingly.
Let's get together and have some fun!!
Although Madison is a bit off the beaten path for Lithuanian performers, we have been lucky to land some wonderful musicians, the latest being the young classical accordion virtuoso, Martynas Levickis. Between concerts in Chicago, Martynas appeared at the University of Wisconsin Mosse Humanities Building, Saturday, July 10, 2010 at a concert commemorating the State Day of Lithuania. Sponsored by CREECA (Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia), BALSSI (Baltic Area Language Studies Summer Institute), Madison Vilnius Sister Cities, Inc., and the Lithuanian Consulate in Chicago, the concert drew its audience from the local Lithuanian community as well as the staff and students of Lithuanian language studying at the BALSSI course....(read more)
Martynas Levickis web site: www.levickis.com
MVSC 2010 Annual Banquet was great success.
Thanks to the Madison Club and MVSC board of directors.
See more pictures from the banquet here.
MVSC 2010 April "The Lithuanian Connection" published.
Become a friend of MVSC on the FaceBook 
At the City County Building at 210 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.:
Please stop in to take a look at the lobby display case when you are in downtown Madison - gifts and art collected by the city from its eight sister cities, including Vilnius are on view indefinitely.
Included in the Vilnius display shelf are beautiful "marguciai", Easter Eggs created by a.a. Lou Volodka, longtime member of "Zaibas", Lithuanian Dancers of Madison who, sadly, passed away last year.
Žaibas danced at Madison International Festival. March 6, 2010.
On March 6th, Žaibas celebrated its 20th performance at the annual Madison
International Festival, held at the Overture Center. It was especially gratifyingto see two of our little girls featured on the posters, banners and brochures
advertising the festival. Under the theme of "Baba, Tell me a Story",
Žaibas adult dancers performed four dances, including one with the expanded
children's group, Žaibutis, who also did a dance by themselves.
Many of Madison's Lithuanian community congratulated us on the addition
of the children's group. But the best comment came from the stage manager,
who said, as we came up from the dressing rooms to the Capitol Theater,
"Your kids are competing with the Chinese for cute."
Videos of the performance can be seen on YouTube at :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AE-IKuTUYFs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRJQd8tsfJw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZeXOtRqQjU
See more pictures from the Žaibas performance at festival.
Lithuania's Independence Day 2010
Our traditional Lithuanian's Independence Day Celebration took place on February 16. The event, was co-sponsored by UW’s Center for Russia, East Europe and Central Asia (CREECA).
Shumi String quartet played in the beginning of the celebration. The repertoire included several pieces by Lithuanian composers and a special arrangement for the hymn made by the director of the Kaunas Symphony Orchestra specifically for this event.
UW Professor Emeritus Alfred E. Senn was main speaker for this event. His presentation entitled “Independent Lithuania” ncluded highlights from his recently published books regarding Lithuania between the wars and the diplomats (with a local connection) living there. To see picture from the event click there (A) or there (B).
To commemorate Alfred E. Senn's achievements Madison Major David J. Cieslewicz issued proclamation announcing February 16, 2010 as Alfred Erich Senn Day. See Mayoral Proclamation.
2010 first MVSC newsletter "The Lithuanian Connection" published.
The Baltic Studies Summer Institute (BALSSI) will continue in Madison 2010 June 14 - August 6 at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. BALSSI offers intensive Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian language courses. Read more at http://www.creeca.wisc.edu/balssi
Žaibas in Argentina 2009.12
A small delegation of Žaibas Lithuanian Dancers made an exciting trip to Argentina, just before Christmas, to participate in South America's Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival. Although an invitation had been extended to all Lithuanian dance groups in North America, Žaibas was the only one to respond and so our dancers were received as very welcome and honored guests. Together with Grandinėlė, a special guest group from Panevežys, Lithuania, our group was wined and dined, entertained and amused, and presented with gifts. Our hosts, the Nemunas Lithuanian Culture and Mutual Aid Society were celebrating their centenary as well as the Millennium of the Name Lithuania, and had presented concerts all throughout the year, culminating in this momentous event. It was held in the city of Berisso, known as The Capital of the Immigrant as it is the home of 19 different ethnic groups. The Festival brought together about 200 dancers. Besides Žaibas and Grandinėlė, there were several groups from Berisso, as well as from Buenos Aires and Uruguay. It was very impressive to see how third and fourth generation Argentineans preserve their Lithuanian heritage. Our dancers, Jolanta Vidugirienė, Elise Etzweiler, Michael Etzwiler, David Etzwiler, and director Nijolė Etzwiler had a wonderful time and came away with very happy memories and lots of Facebook friends.
See pictures from the Festival.
Also watch Movie clips: Clip1 (141MBt); Clip2 (204MBt); Clip3 (52MBt), Clip4 (730MBt), Clip5 (346MBt) and Clip6 (470MBt).
For a better results download files first and when watch.
2009 Kūčios - Christmas.
Žaibas and MVSC celebrated an early Christmas Eve with a traditional meal of (way more that) 12 meatless dishes, sharing of plotkelės (Christmas wafers), entertainment by children from babies to teens, a very active Kalėdų Senelis (Santa Claus), and a rousing group rendering of The 12 Days of Christmas. We are grateful to the Lutheran Church of the Living Christ for the use of their facilities, to the board members who worked hard to create such a pleasant day, and to the guests who gathered to celebrate joyfully with us. Click to see more pictures.
Sakitykite Stasės Semienėnės straipsnį "Drauge"-"Savuosius sujungusi šiluma!"
Madison Vilnius Sister Cities, I
nc.
and the Consulate General of the Republic of Lithuania were thrilled November 7th to sponsor a concert by Lithuania’s own Liudas Mockūnas, considered to be one of Europe’s finest jazz saxophonists.
See photo album from Liudas Mockunas visit in Madison.
Read more about Liudas Mockūnas.
Madison Vilnius Sister Cities 2009 Fall Newsletter Published
MVSC was proud to sponsor Lithuanian visitors toWorld Dairy Expo 2009!
Visiting this year where four Lithuanian Veterinary Academy graduates:
Visitors from Lithuania attended World Dairy Expo, visited Wisconsin dairy farms and agricultural companies. Had multiple useful business meetings and made new acquaintances.
Four families of Madisonians hosted visitors and had chance to learn more about guests from Lithuania.
Our guests toured Wisconsin Capitol and enjoyed exploring Madison city. Moments of they stay at Madison are depicted in photo album.
We had a great time at MVSC Summer Picnic 2009.08.16.
Great company, lots of food, games and music.
See by your self - click there.
MVSC Summer 2009 Newsletter is published
Žaibas danced with BALSSI students and Staff. July 23, 2009.
As the Baltic Summer Studies Institute (BALSSI) at the University of Wisconsin passed its mid-semester mark, students took an evening off to learn some Lithuanian dances, demonstrated and taught by the Zaibas Lithuanian Dancers of Madison. Students and staff, as well as community residents, danced and laughed their way through Grecinike, Kalvelis and Suktinis. See more event pictures.
Or movies 1 (140kB) or 2 (400kB).
March 9th, 1009
2008.10.17 JAV prez. G. Bush'as paskelbe, kad JAV įtraukë Lietuvą, Latviją, Estiją, Vengriją, Slovakiją, Čekiją ir Pietų Korëją į šalių, kurioms taikomas bevizis režimas, sarašą. 
Every four years the Lithuanians in America hold a Folk Dance Festival, Šokiu Švente, in which thousands of Lithuanian dancers from the U.S., Canada, Brazil, Argentina, West Germany, Poland and Lithuania have participated.
