Associated Artists
Artistic Directors: Agnietė Lisičkinaitė ir Greta Grinevičiūtė
BE COMPANY’s Associated Artists:
Lukas Karvelis
Dovydas Strimaitis
Ieva Navickaitė
Liza Baliasnaja
Vilma Pitrinaitė
Paulius Markevičius
Marius Paplauskas
Lukas Karvelis is a Lithuanian freelance dance artist currently based in Amsterdam. Upon graduating from Codarts in 2019 on a Jiri Kylian Foundation scholarship, he began collaborating with Royal Danish theatre, Münich Kammerspiele, Göteborgs Operans Danskompani, Dansatelier’s crew and Korzo Theater. He is currently linking the movement exploration to the social phenomenon of addiction, correlating it to the body and mind. His own choreographic work has received multiple residencies – at Atelier de Paris/CDCN, the Arts Printing House, Cetro Coreografico Gomera and Teatri Di Vita. Karvelis has received the second-place prize at the Stuttgart Solo Competition and was nominated for the Piket Kunst Prijs.
Dovydas Strimaitis is a Lithuanian choreographer, living and working between France and Belgium. Strimaitis graduated from Codarts (NL) in 2019. From 2019 to 2022, Strimaitis was a dancer at The National Ballet of Marseille, under the direction of La Horde, where he worked with the choreographers Peeping Tom, Alessandro Sciarroni, Lucinda Childs, Lasseindra Ninja, Tânia Carvalho, Oona Doherty, Alexandre Roccoli, and Dalila Belaza among others. Strimaitis premiered his first professional solo “The Art of Making Dances” in 2021 in the festival New Baltic Dance(Vilnius). In 2022, Strimaitis’ work “Hairy” was selected among 18 finalists in the competition Danse élargie, organized by Théâtre de la Ville in Paris. The same year, a 20-minute solo version of the piece was part of the young choreographers’ platform Danslokaal in the Netherlands, and had an extensive tour in the country. A 25-minute trio version premiered in May 2023 at the DANCE Munich. A full-evening version of “Hairy” is set to premiere in 2024. “A Duet”, Strimaitis’ newest work, premiered in 2023 at the festival ArtDanThé in Théatre de Vanves (Paris).
Liza Baliasnaja’s (she/ her *1994) work is shaped by her interest in theoretical research and her expanded approach to choreographing. Seamlessly combining movement and language, her works investigate shapes and patterns of thinking and reading the world. She is interested in questioning the historical, political and social fabrics that tailor our sense of the self.
Liza was born in Lithuania, in a Ukrainian Jewish, Russian speaking family, who came to Lithuania just before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Although she grew up in independent Lithuania, her cultural identity is strongly shaped by her family’s background. At the age of 18, she moved to the Netherlands to study dance at ArtEZ, and a year later to Brussels, where she completed a three year Training Cycle at P.A.R.T.S. In 2023, Liza obtained a BA in Philosophy from the University of KU Leuven. Since Spring 2023, Liza has been based in Cologne.
In Spring 2023 Liza choreographed EPIC VARIATIONS, a graduation work for the students of Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. The performance looks at exaggeration and ‘dramatic’ posture in baroque painting. The work premiered in Arts Printing House in Vilnius and is currently part of the repertoire of the academy. In 2024 Liza is making new work with five dancers for outdoor/ public space titled ‘Chiaroscuro’.
As a performer, Liza has collaborated with numerous artists, such as Eszter Salamon, Lenio Kaklea, Ula Sickle, DD Dorvillier and others. She is active as a pedagogue and mentor at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater, P.A.R.T.S, ISAC. In recent years, Liza developed workshop formats out of her artistic research as ways of expanding the discourses of her works beyond the context of live performance.
Vilma Pitrinaitė is a dance artist who lives and works between Lithuania and Belgium, and started her creative career in Kaunas Dance Theatre “Aura”. Later she studied in France, at the Avignon Dance Conservatory, in 2007-2008 she studied choreography at the CDC centre in Toulouse, in 2009-2010 – in the programme “Ex.e.r.ce” at the CCN dance centre in Montpellier, in 2010-2012 she studied directing at the Strasbourg National Theatre School. In 2013, he founded the independent dance company WE compagnie with playwright Thomas Pondevie. Their performances combine elements of theatre, dance and documentary. In 2021, Pitrinaitė was awarded the Golden Stage Cross for her dance performance “It’s Not Your Dream”.
Paulius Markevičius – In 2012, he graduated from the Bachelor’s and in 2014 from the Master’s degree in Acting at the LAMTA (course directors Eimuntas Nekrošius and Silva Krivickienė). Freelance theater and film actor, director. He creates performances, installations and artistic actions at the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, Kaunas National Drama Theatre, Meno Fortas Theatre, Art and Science Laboratory, and independent projects. Since 2022 he has been actively collaborating with Be Company.
Ieva Navickaitė was born in 1991 in Kaunas, Lithuania. Since she was a little girl, movement, dance, music and the blending of colors were attracted to her like a magnet, and eventually became an integral part of her everyday life. In 2006 Ieva graduated from Kaunas Choreography School, and in 2007 she graduated from Antanas Martinaitis School of Fine Arts. In the same year she joined the Idyllwild Arts Academy in California, USA, where she was awarded a full scholarship and graduated in dance. After her studies she worked with choreographers Stephanie Gilliland, Chad Michael, Ronald Brown, Deborah Brockus and Lillian Barbeito (BodyTraffic Dance Company). In 2010 Eve returned to Europe and spent a few months in training with various companies. Van Huynh Company, Wayne McGregor Company and other independent artists. 2010 – 2011 Sharon Vaisvaser, Sandra S.Chiu, Ido Batash, Eldad Ben Sasson and others. Via 12 years of her professional career, she has performed in the USA, Mexico, India, Poland and the USA, Macedonia, Italy, Canary Islands, Sweden, Spain, UK, China, Hong Kong and Israel, France, Hungary, Portugal, Lithuania, Scotland, Korea and Germany.Artistic Directors: Agnietė Lisičkinaitė ir Greta Grinevičiūtė
BE COMPANY’s Associated Artists:
Lukas Karvelis
Dovydas Strimaitis
Ieva Navickaitė
Liza Baliasnaja
Vilma Pitrinaitė
Paulius Markevičius
Marius Paplauskas
Lukas Karvelis is a Lithuanian freelance dance artist currently based in Amsterdam. Upon graduating from Codarts in 2019 on a Jiri Kylian Foundation scholarship, he began collaborating with Royal Danish theatre, Münich Kammerspiele, Göteborgs Operans Danskompani, Dansatelier’s crew and Korzo Theater. He is currently linking the movement exploration to the social phenomenon of addiction, correlating it to the body and mind. His own choreographic work has received multiple residencies – at Atelier de Paris/CDCN, the Arts Printing House, Cetro Coreografico Gomera and Teatri Di Vita. Karvelis has received the second-place prize at the Stuttgart Solo Competition and was nominated for the Piket Kunst Prijs.
Dovydas Strimaitis is a Lithuanian choreographer, living and working between France and Belgium. Strimaitis graduated from Codarts (NL) in 2019. From 2019 to 2022, Strimaitis was a dancer at The National Ballet of Marseille, under the direction of La Horde, where he worked with the choreographers Peeping Tom, Alessandro Sciarroni, Lucinda Childs, Lasseindra Ninja, Tânia Carvalho, Oona Doherty, Alexandre Roccoli, and Dalila Belaza among others. Strimaitis premiered his first professional solo “The Art of Making Dances” in 2021 in the festival New Baltic Dance(Vilnius). In 2022, Strimaitis’ work “Hairy” was selected among 18 finalists in the competition Danse élargie, organized by Théâtre de la Ville in Paris. The same year, a 20-minute solo version of the piece was part of the young choreographers’ platform Danslokaal in the Netherlands, and had an extensive tour in the country. A 25-minute trio version premiered in May 2023 at the DANCE Munich. A full-evening version of “Hairy” is set to premiere in 2024. “A Duet”, Strimaitis’ newest work, premiered in 2023 at the festival ArtDanThé in Théatre de Vanves (Paris).
Liza Baliasnaja’s (she/ her *1994) work is shaped by her interest in theoretical research and her expanded approach to choreographing. Seamlessly combining movement and language, her works investigate shapes and patterns of thinking and reading the world. She is interested in questioning the historical, political and social fabrics that tailor our sense of the self.
Liza was born in Lithuania, in a Ukrainian Jewish, Russian speaking family, who came to Lithuania just before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Although she grew up in independent Lithuania, her cultural identity is strongly shaped by her family’s background. At the age of 18, she moved to the Netherlands to study dance at ArtEZ, and a year later to Brussels, where she completed a three year Training Cycle at P.A.R.T.S. In 2023, Liza obtained a BA in Philosophy from the University of KU Leuven. Since Spring 2023, Liza has been based in Cologne.
In Spring 2023 Liza choreographed EPIC VARIATIONS, a graduation work for the students of Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. The performance looks at exaggeration and ‘dramatic’ posture in baroque painting. The work premiered in Arts Printing House in Vilnius and is currently part of the repertoire of the academy. In 2024 Liza is making new work with five dancers for outdoor/ public space titled ‘Chiaroscuro’.
As a performer, Liza has collaborated with numerous artists, such as Eszter Salamon, Lenio Kaklea, Ula Sickle, DD Dorvillier and others. She is active as a pedagogue and mentor at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater, P.A.R.T.S, ISAC. In recent years, Liza developed workshop formats out of her artistic research as ways of expanding the discourses of her works beyond the context of live performance.
Vilma Pitrinaitė is a dance artist who lives and works between Lithuania and Belgium, and started her creative career in Kaunas Dance Theatre “Aura”. Later she studied in France, at the Avignon Dance Conservatory, in 2007-2008 she studied choreography at the CDC centre in Toulouse, in 2009-2010 – in the programme “Ex.e.r.ce” at the CCN dance centre in Montpellier, in 2010-2012 she studied directing at the Strasbourg National Theatre School. In 2013, he founded the independent dance company WE compagnie with playwright Thomas Pondevie. Their performances combine elements of theatre, dance and documentary. In 2021, Pitrinaitė was awarded the Golden Stage Cross for her dance performance “It’s Not Your Dream”.
Paulius Markevičius – In 2012, he graduated from the Bachelor’s and in 2014 from the Master’s degree in Acting at the LAMTA (course directors Eimuntas Nekrošius and Silva Krivickienė). Freelance theater and film actor, director. He creates performances, installations and artistic actions at the Lithuanian National Drama Theatre, Kaunas National Drama Theatre, Meno Fortas Theatre, Art and Science Laboratory, and independent projects. Since 2022 he has been actively collaborating with Be Company.
Ieva Navickaitė was born in 1991 in Kaunas, Lithuania. Since she was a little girl, movement, dance, music and the blending of colors were attracted to her like a magnet, and eventually became an integral part of her everyday life. In 2006 Ieva graduated from Kaunas Choreography School, and in 2007 she graduated from Antanas Martinaitis School of Fine Arts. In the same year she joined the Idyllwild Arts Academy in California, USA, where she was awarded a full scholarship and graduated in dance. After her studies she worked with choreographers Stephanie Gilliland, Chad Michael, Ronald Brown, Deborah Brockus and Lillian Barbeito (BodyTraffic Dance Company). In 2010 Eve returned to Europe and spent a few months in training with various companies. Van Huynh Company, Wayne McGregor Company and other independent artists. 2010 – 2011 Sharon Vaisvaser, Sandra S.Chiu, Ido Batash, Eldad Ben Sasson and others. Via 12 years of her professional career, she has performed in the USA, Mexico, India, Poland and the USA, Macedonia, Italy, Canary Islands, Sweden, Spain, UK, China, Hong Kong and Israel, France, Hungary, Portugal, Lithuania, Scotland, Korea and Germany.