Groups of young dancers were gathered in the lobby of Pärnu Mai School on Friday for the first round of preliminary auditions that they hope will lead them to the 2025 Dance Festival. All those in attendance listened eagerly to the directions from instructor Ingrid Jasmin.

"It's a bit of a scramble. The youngsters are able to do it, as far as I can see. The dances really could be a bit tighter, but I still think they are manageable," said Jasmin.

She says the first round of auditions gives the dancers chance to receive some feedback and then work to improve their steps.

"The young people have such a great energy and everyone has put so much into it, so of course there's a lot more to come, but already today, the picture looked very, very good," said Jasmin.

There are 30 different groups from Pärnu County all aspiring to take part in the Dance Festival, and a total of more than 150 hoping to make it to the Song and Dance Festival.

"There are dance collectives, choirs, symphony orchestras, brass bands, folk musicians and gymnasts. The difference is that this time no children's collective from Pärnu or the county will be able to participate in the general festival," said Jekaterina Eensalu, the Pärnu Song and Dance Festival coordinator.

All the dancers were full of praise for the energy they felt during the first round of auditions.

"Let's just say it was pretty sweaty, all those dances, and steps need to be improved," said Margot, a dancer from Kilingi-Nõmme high School.

"It was good to see what the others were doing and how we could improve ourselves," added Merili, a dancer from the same collective.

"It's one thing to do it on your own, then in the classroom, but it's quite another thing when all the groups come together – there's just a wonderful synergy that happens here," said Kai, a dancer from the Kajaka youth group.

"I especially liked the energy," said Paula, a dancer from Kajaka.

"It's extremely powerful. Two years ago we were here, now we are here again, and on our way to the Dance Festival," said Elsa, a dancer from the Kajaka Youth Group.

"I'm definitely looking forward to the second audition to show what we can do," said Georg, a dancer from Kajaka.

"The feeling is good and the mood is fantastic," said Robert, a dancer from Pärnu Coeducational High School (Ühisgümnaasium).

Karl Martin, a dancer from the same group, confirmed that the dances were not especially difficult, but very interesting.

The first round of preliminary auditions for those aiming to reach the 2025 Dance Festival will be held across Estonia until mid-February. The next round will run from March to June, and be used to decide who makes it to the festival itself. The 2025 Song and Dance Festival "Iseoma" ("Kinship") takes place at Tallinn Song Festival Grounds (Lauluväljak) on June 3–6.

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