The Cultural Dexterity of the Latvian Musical-Comedy Group Čikāgas Piecīši
The Cultural Dexterity of the Latvian Musical-Comedy Group Čikāgas Piecīši

Summary/Abstract: The article discusses the continued relevance of the Čikāgas Piecīši (The Chicago Five), an American-Latvian musical-comedy troupe that toured Latvian exile communities and performed in Soviet and post-Soviet Latvia over the span of some fifty years. It asks the question: Given the diverse and contentious nature of their global audiences, how did the Čikāgas Piecīši sustain their appeal and their authority as spokespersons for Latvians worldwide? Five sources fundamental to their success are identified and analysed. In their concerts, the Čikāgas Piecīši offered a lively new form of social communication to their audiences. While their biographies connected them with the culture and values of their elders, the cultural authenticity they brought to the stage foregrounded Latvian and American experiences and presented a more inclusive worldview than the one they had inherited. As they gently challenged prevailing boundaries, including those that forbade contact with Soviet Latvia, they changed the register for speaking about Latvian exile life by adding humour to the accustomed solemnity of community programming. Their work extended the notion of intertextuality beyond that of verbal texts to include musical sounds and images. My sources derive from participant-observation over many years, both in the Latvian community in Indianapolis and at Latvian Song Festivals in North America where the performances of the Čikāgas Piecīši were regular crowd pleasers. I consulted reviews and interviews published in the U.S. and in Latvia, articles in exile publications (such as the literary journal Jaunā Gaita), and conducted interviews with members of the group.

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