Greeting by Dr. Gabrielė Žaidytė
According to a saying it is coincidence when you meet a person for the first, destiny when you meet for the second time, and love when you meet for the third time.In 2014 Lithuania dances contemporary takes place for the third time on the stages of Berlin. At this point it is possible to reflect upon the biography of the festival and draw conclusions. The time has come to no longer perceive Lithuania dances contemporary as coincidence or destiny; it is time to fall in love with Lithuanian contemporary dance.
Started out as an experiment or laboratory in 2012, over the years the Lithuanian dance festival has developed into a more and more comprehensive dance event in Berlin, which made its friends, found its stages, and was recognized and attended by more and more dance lovers and connoisseurs. Each year the program design became richer, ever new Lithuanian choreographers presented their work, and ever new dance personalities were discovered within Lithuania dances contemporary by the audience.
This year the Lithuania dances contemporary festival will expand over several days showing several already rewarded works. The program presents famous Lithuanian dancers and choreographers such as Mantas Stabačinkas, Loreta Juodkaitė, Agnija Seiko and many more. Lithuania dances contemporary opens its stages for Berlin’s audience and invites it to experience the vitality, imagination, and virtuosity of contemporary Lithuanian dance.
Lithuania dances contemporary has definitely arrived in the dance metropolis Berlin – no longer being a coincidence but beyond destiny turned to love – and I wish the festival many successful years to come. Dear dance lovers, let the Lithuanian dance inspire you and lead you to new horizons!
Dr. Gabrielė Žaidytė (Cultural Attaché of the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in Germany)
Greeting by Ingrida Gerbutavičiūtė
With the third edition of the festival Lithuania dances contemporary we will – as in the previous years – present to you Lithuanian artists addressing individual, social and national topics.
In her new performance Memory, the dancer and choreographer Loreta Juodkaitė, who was proposed as best dancer of the year by dance critic Arnd Wesemann, shows the quest for the true self. Just like in her previous work, in Memory Juodkaitė’s dancing trademark, the expressively long spinning, can again be admired.
Winning the prestigious Lithuanian theatre award, the “Golden Stage Cross”, as the best dancer in the year 2013, Mantas Stabačinskas, who already performed within the first two editions of our festival, will be featured with two productions this year: ID:D&G and Contemporary?. ID: D&G tells the story of Lithuanian national heroes of the 20th century and reflects upon the questions who are the heroes of today and whether or not we need them.
In Contemporary?, which was awarded with the „Golden Stage Cross“ as debut of the year 2013, Agnė Ramanauskaitė, Mantas Stabačinskas and Paulius Tamolė show in a humorous and self-ironic manner why it is at times rather difficult to understand contemporary dance, and try to give the answers to this question in a playful way.
The Lithuanian choreographer and dancer Andrius Katinas, currently residing in Finland, philosophically analyzes the phenomenon of work and the differences between western and eastern artists with the threshold of laziness in his new performance Work.
The successful concept of presenting Lithuanian dance performances to a very young audience will be continued this year. We invite the whole family to experience the sensitive White Lullaby by Artūras Šimonis and Agnija Šeiko on the 23rd and 24th of November at the Theater an der Parkaue.
Be a part of this year’s festival, get to know more talented and innovative Lithuanian artists, and celebrate the feast of dance together with us!
Ingrida Gerbutavičiūtė (Artistic Director)