Baltic in Burbank

A Burbank couple that grew up learning to love the traditions of their Lithuanian heritage are now passing on the culture to their children in hopes they will carry on the legacy.

Undine and Kari Petrulis’ parents were born and raised in Lithuania. They came to America like many Lithuanian families did, during World War II to escape Communism, and settled in large cities.

Undine Petrulis’ parents moved to California when she was 3 and discovered St. Casimir Lithuanian Church Parish near Los Feliz Boulevard in Los Angeles, the only Lithuanian church west of the Mississippi. She was enrolled in Saturday school and started learning about the culture.

Kari Petrulis’ parents enrolled him in the Lithuanian church in Detroit, Mich., and he grew up taking folk dance lessons, playing competitive sports and going to summer camps and folk dance festivals.

Now married, they live in Burbank, and their two daughters attend St. Casimir each Saturday morning so they can learn the folk dances and songs their parents and grandparents grew up with.

The whole family will be dancing in the 13th Lithuanian Folk Dance Festival on July 6 at USC. What makes this event special is that it’s the first dance festival on the West Coast, Undine Petrulis said.

They are usually held in Chicago, where the first dance festival was held in 1957, or in Detroit, New York, Cleveland or Toronto.

“We’re always the ones who have to travel, so it’s fun to have them come here once,” she said.

Lithuanian people have always had great admiration for nature and the dances in this year’s festival reflect that, said Danguole Varnas, artistic director for the festival.

The festival’s theme is “Let’s Strike Up a Dance of Joy.” Springtime is depicted in the first half of the program, and summer and harvest are part of the second half, said Varnas, a La Crescenta resident.

“The Swallow” dance has a bird theme and is attributed to the oldest Lithuanian dance recorded, she said. Then the dances become more humorous. Dancers will perform around goat and rooster sculptures that are 12 feet high, she said.

“Our group of volunteers have made the sculptures,” Varnas said. “They are based on what I’ve seen at the festivals in Lithuania.”

There will be 1,000 dancers ages 6 to 60 participating from 15 cities in the United States, three cities in Canada and three cities in Lithuania, she said.

“We want to tell other people about our traditions,” Varnas said. “I want people to leave the show saying ‘darn, that was a good show. I had no idea Lithuania is such a cool place.’”

Her own group, Spindulys, will have 175 performers from the Southern California area.

The Petrulis’ are also members of the Spindulys and will be participating in the dancing while wearing traditional woven costumes.

Varnas encourages the whole family to learn folk dance, Undine Petrulis said.

“Her philosophy is that she lets everyone participate,” she said. “It’s not a matter of skill or technique. It does not matter who you are, if you show up to practice, you are in.”

Their children look forward to it, she added.

“It’s amazing to see our kids doing it and enjoying it too,” she said.

Their daughter, Gabija, 6, will be dancing three dances.

“I just like dancing,” Gabija said. “It’s fun to show people the dances I’ve learned.”

She’s very proud of her costume, which is a woven, woolen-patterned skirt with white blouse and apron.

Her favorite part, however, is the crown of flowers in her hair. It has two long sashes that go down her back.

The festival will give her a chance to see her Lithuanian friends from church, she said. The traditions, like the language, folk dances and the Roman Catholic religion, have been passed down generation to generation and have unified the family, Kari Petrulis said.

“It’s a big part of our daily lives, and it’s very important to us,” he said.

That unifying element is unusual in today’s modern family, Undine Petrulis said.

“You’re keeping the culture alive with your family today and hope your kids pass it on or at least appreciate what they learned when they were little and got a piece of that culture as well,” she said.