Artistic Directors – Agnietė Lisičkinaitė and Greta Grinevičiūtė
BE COMPANY’s Associated Artists:
Lukas Karvelis
Dovydas Strimaitis
Ieva Navickaitė
Liza Baliasnaja
Vilma Pitrinaitė
Artistic Directors – Agnietė Lisičkinaitė and Greta Grinevičiūtė
BE COMPANY’s Associated Artists:
Lukas Karvelis
Dovydas Strimaitis
Ieva Navickaitė
Liza Baliasnaja
Vilma Pitrinaitė
ARTISTIC ACTION
Hundreds of black balls will roll along the route. As if sensing freedom, but only under the force of gravity, they will interfere with the landscape, creating a new, fragmented landscape, accompanied by associations of multidimensional meanings. The artistic action is created by reflecting on the relationship between freedom and reality, and its performance gives rise to a wide range of images of today’s contexts and circumstances, each of which is true. Perhaps freedom is just a mirage. An oasis that we want to reach in order to become better. It is a relative quantity that describes the distance to a goal, which increases in line with the amount of effort we put into achieving it.
Author – Paulius Markevičius,
Performers – Julija Šatkauskaitė, Laurynas Jurgelis, Džiugas Grinys, Simonas Dovidauskas, Vygandas Vadeiša
Dance documentary BROUGHT WITH ME
This three-part psychological biography focuses on the stories of dance artists marked by intense, often liminal experiences. The portraits of the artists take them away from the stage light and explore the sides of humanity that emerge in the personal space with an attentive yet highly sensitive gaze. Traumatic experiences become an impulse for these personalities to create dance and their own self, to speak with their bodies and ideas, to enable the creation and knowledge of the other.
The fear of loneliness and solitude, but also of proximity and connection, the thread of loss woven into the fabric of the next life, the relationship with the past, the family and themselves, are all expressed in the film through a distinctive visual language, voice and movement.
Director Marius Paplauskas
Sound design / Sound engineer – Laurynas Kamarauskas
Genre: Documentary
Location: Lithuania
English subtitles
Length: 60 min.
Do you know how to tell the difference between a human and a machine? You need to take the Turing test: during the test, a judge speaks in natural language to one human and one machine. All three participants in the experiment must be in isolated rooms so that the judge cannot see which answers are given by the machine and which by the human. If the judge cannot reliably distinguish the machine from the human based on the answers, the machine is said to have passed the test. The aim is to test the intelligence of the machine, not its ability to imitate human sounds. Artificial intelligence has shown that it can already simulate human conversations quite well just by following a series of simple mechanical rules. People who were interested in this realized that it could be superior to humans… After all, one human being can also function better in a system than another human being, correct? Are contradictions, doubts, empathy, feelings superfluous in this system? Is it only intelligence that is sufficient for full functioning? Perhaps we should optimize humans and create an optimized dystopian tribe to test this? What else would you like to test? Behavior during dance or sex, gustatory abilities? Don’t worry, we already have all your questions answered.
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 center in Toulouse, she participated in the programme “Ex.e.r.ce” at the CCN dance center in Montpellier in 2009-2010, she studied directing at the Strasbourg National Theatre School (2010-2012). In 2013, she founded the independent dance company “WE compagnie” with playwright Thomas Pondevie. Their performances combine elements of theater, dance and documentary. In 2021, Pitrinaitė was awarded the Lithuanian Golden Stage Cross for her dance performance “It’s Not Your Dream”.
Idea, choreography and texts – Vilma Pitrinaitė
Performers and Choreographers – Oksana Griaznova, Sigita Juraškaitė and Agnietė Lisičkinaitė
Composer – Dominykas Digimas
Projection Design – Kristijonas Dirsė
Set and Costume Designer – Rūta Kyguolytė
Lighting Design – Povilas Laurinaitis
Producer – Be Company
In A Duet, this tension is exposed through dance. Ballet is the beloved mother and the despised father of the Western concert dance tradition. In the piece, the performers are fighting the classical dance and it fights back. However, the goal of this battle is not to defeat but to elevate each other. Ballet is forcing performers to search for the essence of classical worldview, while the performers are urging it to talk with a voice of current times. Witnessing this infinite battle is the audience who is invited to reflect on their personal and societal role in defending, destroying or neglecting tradition and its relationship to today.
Credits
Choreographer: Dovydas Strimaitis
Dancers: Clara Davidson, Ibai Jimenez
Lighting designer: Lisa M. Barry
Costume designer: Taylor Wishneff
Sound engineer: Maxime Jerry Fraisse
Music: Adolphe Adam, Giselle No. 20 – Allegro feroce (London Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas)
Producer: Domantė Tirylytė
Production: Still Waiting (FR), BE COMPANY (LT)
Based on what? Back in your formative years, your relationships and confrontations with the people closest to you led to a feeling of discomfort, of not fitting in, and insecurity. We all remember how easily a simple commentary from aside can affect you: forming and developing your self-consciousness and sense of self-worth from a young age when you don’t really understand the difference between good and bad, what is intended to work only for girls, and what is strictly “boys only”. This Heaven is a shelter that only protects one physically because the echo of emotional experiences doesn’t know any barriers.
This is where the body itself and its sensuality come to the first plan: the physicality of oneself and the others. An accepted and rejected presence, open loneliness and delusive fulfilment in front of the other. Sensitive and poignant stories are told by the bodies. Bodies seeking comfort and becoming themselves, while the surroundings still refuse to accept them and agree with them.
Lukas Karvelis is a Lithuanian freelance dance artist. Upon graduating from Codarts in 2019 on a Jiri Kylian Foundation scholarship, he began working with Marina Mascarell in her work Valley with the Göteborgs Operans Danskompani and later with Anouk van Dijk and Falk Richter in their work TOUCH at the Münich Kammerspiele. He is currently in Dunja Jocic | Bird Productions award-winning work De Panter. Karvelis has also recently collaborated with Dansatelier’s Resident Choreographer Joseph Simon (NL) and with Antonin Comestaz at Korzo Theater (NL). His own choreographic work has received multiple residencies at the Arts Printing House (LT) and he began collaborating with music composers, architects, filmmakers and actors in various countries.
Karvelis has had his work shown in the Netherlands, Germany, Brazil, Israel, Turkey, Lithuania, Sweden and Italy. He received the second-place prize at the Stuttgart Solo Competition, as well as at the Jerusalem International Dance Week and was nominated for the Piket Kunst Prijs. In his artistic work, Karvelis seeks to find this crucial point at which change occurs within the body as it diverges away from trauma within society and oneself. This point leads to research within the movement as he examines these moments with a curiosity about the past. He is currently linking this movement exploration to the social phenomenon of addiction, correlating to the body and mind. Alongside his work as a performer and choreographer, Karvelis developed a movement exploration practice that examines the motion of free fall, which challenges the mover to feel the freedom from gravity in order to find weightlessness.
Benoit Couchot, born and raised in France, was brought to dancing at the age of 7 with Bask folk dance. His passion for training movement and performing led him to study at and graduate from Codarts University of the Arts in Rotterdam.
In 2017 his interest in choreographing led him to create his first solo “Mutiko ala Neska” and was awarded “1 st Price Public Choice” and “Final Price Public Choice” at the SoloTanzTheater Festival Stuttgart. “Mutiko ala Neska” toured in Germany, Brazil and various international festivals.
After joining the company TanzMainz and working with choreographers such as Roy Assaf and Victor Quijada, Benoit decided in 2019 to continue his path as a freelance dancer. He currently is touring with works from the company Kor’Sia while being part of various creations across Europe.
Dance performance „Yet Another Day in Paradise“
Concept, choreography – Lukas Karvelis
Dancers – Lukas Karvelis, Benoit Couchot (Prancūzija)
Set design – Luka Žiobakaitė
Music – Gabrielė Dikčiūtė
Dramaturgy – Sigita Ivaškaitė
Lights – Povilas Laurinaitis
Visuals – Aura Skulskytė
Producer – “BE COMPANY” / Domantė Tirylytė
Beginning with the topic of rubbish and ecology, the exploratory dance film and installation project “here/there” by Greta Grineviciute tells the story of a person’s inner journey. By referencing the accumulation of waste, the choreographer gave it a second life (recycled it). Firstly, she reproduced the props for scenography, and secondly, she introduced the concept of memory waste in her research. By “rubbish” we often describe not only things that are no longer consumed but we also mean intimidating people, thoughts, memories. Paradoxically, rubbish is something so unnecessary, unwanted, yet it travels with us everywhere even after our death. We forget that the entire history of mankind and its traces were formed and preserved in different parts of the earth precisely through migration and travel. The “here/there” project tells about its personal journey: the accumulated, sorted, discarded waste which perhaps never will remain as it is, and its attempt to find itself among all the waste there is.
Creative Team: Greta Grineviciute, Simona Kacinskaite, Elena Kairyte, Sigita Ivaskaitė, Ruta Adele Jakentaite, Vytautas Plukas, Milda Januseviciute
Premiere: 2022
Four phantasmagoric performers on stage surrounded by spectators. Another participant of the performance navigates between them during the whole event. Five established dogmas about motherhood, children, and family foundation are raised and questioned in public. The performance becomes a playground for music, text, movement and costumes, where the line between reality and fantasy, a person coming to watch and a performer to perform disappears.
What position will you take?
Creative Team: Greta Grineviciute, Agne Matuleviciute, Birute Kapustinskaite, Paulius Markevicius.
Premiere: 2021
“I am dancing for washing machine and you because I do not remember our conversations. I do not even know if there were any. People say you loved me. And I do not remember your presence, your voice or your touches. I am only left with old photos. I look at them, I see your sad face, and I keep repeating that one memory. And I am starting to fear that what I remember, it was never certain. That is why I dance. I dance for you. We will never speak but perhaps we can dance together.”
This worn-out question “what is your first memory of your mother?” is simply unknown for some. In a world where mothers are either goddesses or monsters from hell, having no picture of your mother is unimaginable. How do you put this image together? Do you need it? How to live without a mother’s portrait?
Greta Grineviciute, the choreographer and dancer, who started this creative triptych with the performance “Dance for Washing Machine and Mother” presents the second input to the work about family relations. She is collaborating with the creator, performer and lecturer of contemporary dance, Andrius Katinas, who will appear in the video projections or voice calls recorded in Helsinki. The remote work online during the quarantine not only kept the idea of the performance alive but also gave it a new form by repeating the relationship to her father.
Creative Team: Greta Grineviciute, Andrius Katinas, Sigita Ivaskaite, Kristina Steiblyte, Agne Matuleviciute
Producer: Vilnius City Theatre Art and Science Laboratory
Premiere: 14 November 2020
Dancer and choreographer Greta Grineviciute in the performance “Dance for a Vacuum Cleaner and Father” invites to take a look at a woman’s private space in which life, relationships, and dance constantly interchange. A woman in the centre of the performance. Young, attractive, talented. She is both a girl and a creator of strange ideas, the implementer, and the boss herself, the sex symbol, and the sex object, and the subject… A woman, seeking ways to love and share, is still returning to where the well-known loneliness is intertwined. A creative woman trying not to succumb to pressure to invest in the overall image but to art. Here, in her space, tormented by internal contradictions, environmental expectations and a mismatch between personal passions in search of the fairest and most interesting ways to build her life.
Idea, choreography and performance: Greta Grinevičiūtė
Director: Paulius Markevičius
Dramaturgy: Kristina Steiblytė
Composer: Vladas Dieninis
Lights Artist: Julius Kuršis
Costume Artist: Rūta Kyguolytė
Video: Saulė Bliuvaitė
Operator: Vismantė Ruzgaitė
Video Artist: Jurgis Matulevičius
Premiere: March 2018
More information: here
Lithuanians like to struggle; this is exceptionally true when trying to find out one’s identity. The characters, B&B, seeing a long pointless effort, are making a connection to study identity from another – less explored – angle.
Let’s think outside the box: what am I not? I am special, so am I not Instagram or Facebook? Am I neither a minority nor a majority? Am I proud of myself? Do I try not to please anyone?
B asks and B answers. What are we doing here? We look in the mirror but the image is obscured by the surrounding opinions, values and beliefs. Am I making myself independent from any distractions? Everything belongs to someone, even our dreams, aspirations, desires – they are all the same mirror. Yet it turns out that we only become something more when we belong to the circle of popular influencers… That is not the question. Can I be myself and imitate nothing? Every identity imitates something. Can I not have an identity? Yes. So why search for it so much? It is when we identify with someone, we start to like someone for their outer form but not their inner-self. Banana Dream is a clash of two worlds. One is dominated by black, the other by yellow. At first glance, the worlds have the same form and identical movement. Human creation has gone too far to allow completely identical phenomena to exist. Therefore, small differences suggest something more peculiar than you expected from your usual world.
Idea and choreography: Agnietė Lisičkinaitė and Greta Grinevičiūtė
Performance: Agnietė Lisičkinaitė, Greta Grinevičiūtė, Emilija Karosaitė, Ugnė Laurinavičiūtė
Set design: Renata Valčik
Visuals: Julius Kuršis
Premiere: 19 December 2018, Arts Printing House, Vilnius (Lithuania)
Trailer: here
HANDS UP is a physical body position reflected in many different cultural, social and religious contexts. The chosen topic is a protest culture. “The embodied protest” is the result of an artistic research. In Lithuania, protests are identified with the strongly romanticized era of the Reform Movement but in the context of recent world events, from a sociological perspective, it is worth questioning the notion of protest culture as a virtue in itself. Non-constructive protest is a convenient form for anarchy to take root. A dance performance inspired by the protest culture examines the fragile distance between surrender and devotion, reconciliation and resistance. Raising such questions as: what kind of Protest Baby will we raise? Will it be a symbol of freedom or aggression? This is a research in which only one truth and one answer do not exist here.
“Hello, I’m Agniete and I invite you all to raise your hands up.”
Creative Team:
Agniete Lisickinaitee, Bush Hartsorn, Morta Nakaite, Odeta Ryskute.
Premiere: Autumn 2021
The reality of the third millennium + the variety of communicative opportunities on the Internet + the non-stop flow of information – this is how unique Generation Z emerges:
– they do not like strict rules and restrictions;
– they cannot imagine life without smart technology;
– they are interested in innovations – they can see the advantages of virtual reality which makes you feel that reality is much more interesting and livelier. >> the adult Generation Z are educated innovative thinkers – ready to improve the world.
For this to happen we need to embrace each other + build dialogue + build strong interdependent relationships. Where are we now? – Let’s dance.
Author and choreographer: Agniete Lisickinaite
Performers: Sigita Juraskaite, Greta Grineviciute, Airida Gudaite
Composer and performer: GON (Sigismund Gudelis)
Lights: Julius Kursis
Set Designer: Guoda Jaruseviciute
Costume Designer: Ruta Kyguolyte
Producer: Dance Theatre AIROS
When Agniete and Greta came up with the idea to create a new dance performance, they invited two girls – B and B. Why? What for? “It is for a research”, say the choreographers. Haven’t B and B started to occupy significantly more space in this piece? Is it fair to use such innocent beings? What exactly are B and B?
…And here B&B comes to the theatre…
On 23 September 2016, the dance performance “Dialogue B and B” was presented to the audience of the Firkin Crane Dance House in Cork (Ireland). The idea for the performance was born in this city during the Blank Canvas dance residency, after which the creators decided to further develop the journey of the two fictional characters and transfer the idea to the theatre stage.
Idea, choreography and performance: Agnietė Lisičkinaitė and Greta Grinevičiūtė
Dramaturgy: Sigita Ivaškaitė
Costumes: Laura Darbutaitė
Visuals: Povilas Laurinaitis
Premiere: 27 November 2016, Arts Printing House, Vilnius (Lithuania)
In 2017, the performance was nominated for the Lithuanian Golden Cross of the Stage award as the best dance performance of the year.
Trailer: here
When Agniete and Greta came up with the idea to create a new dance performance, they invited two girls – B and B. Why? What for? “It is for a research”, say the choreographers. Haven’t B and B started to occupy significantly more space in this piece? Is it fair to use such innocent beings? What exactly are B and B?
…And here B&B comes to the theatre…
On 23 September 2016, the dance performance “Dialogue B and B” was presented to the audience of the Firkin Crane Dance House in Cork (Ireland). The idea for the performance was born in this city during the Blank Canvas dance residency, after which the creators decided to further develop the journey of the two fictional characters and transfer the idea to the theatre stage.
Idea, choreography and performance: Agnietė Lisičkinaitė and Greta Grinevičiūtė
Dramaturgy: Sigita Ivaškaitė
Costumes: Laura Darbutaitė
Visuals: Povilas Laurinaitis
Premiere: 27 November 2016, Arts Printing House, Vilnius (Lithuania)
In 2017, the performance was nominated for the Lithuanian Golden Cross of the Stage award as the best dance performance of the year.
Trailer: here
When Agniete and Greta came up with the idea to create a new dance performance, they invited two girls – B and B. Why? What for? “It is for a research”, say the choreographers. Haven’t B and B started to occupy significantly more space in this piece? Is it fair to use such innocent beings? What exactly are B and B?
…And here B&B comes to the theatre…
On 23 September 2016, the dance performance “Dialogue B and B” was presented to the audience of the Firkin Crane Dance House in Cork (Ireland). The idea for the performance was born in this city during the Blank Canvas dance residency, after which the creators decided to further develop the journey of the two fictional characters and transfer the idea to the theatre stage.
Idea, choreography and performance: Agnietė Lisičkinaitė and Greta Grinevičiūtė
Dramaturgy: Sigita Ivaškaitė
Costumes: Laura Darbutaitė
Visuals: Povilas Laurinaitis
Premiere: 27 November 2016, Arts Printing House, Vilnius (Lithuania)
In 2017, the performance was nominated for the Lithuanian Golden Cross of the Stage award as the best dance performance of the year.
Trailer: here
When Agniete and Greta came up with the idea to create a new dance performance, they invited two girls – B and B. Why? What for? “It is for a research”, say the choreographers. Haven’t B and B started to occupy significantly more space in this piece? Is it fair to use such innocent beings? What exactly are B and B?
…And here B&B comes to the theatre…
On 23 September 2016, the dance performance “Dialogue B and B” was presented to the audience of the Firkin Crane Dance House in Cork (Ireland). The idea for the performance was born in this city during the Blank Canvas dance residency, after which the creators decided to further develop the journey of the two fictional characters and transfer the idea to the theatre stage.
Idea, choreography and performance: Agnietė Lisičkinaitė and Greta Grinevičiūtė
Dramaturgy: Sigita Ivaškaitė
Costumes: Laura Darbutaitė
Visuals: Povilas Laurinaitis
Premiere: 27 November 2016, Arts Printing House, Vilnius (Lithuania)
In 2017, the performance was nominated for the Lithuanian Golden Cross of the Stage award as the best dance performance of the year.
Trailer: here
“The performance was born from two feelings of selfishness and solidarity. I was faced with personal questions to which I could not find the answers. Looking at other women, I realized that these problems do not just lie within me. And out of solidarity with all women, I decided to create Popular Problems”, says Agniete, the leader of this production.
The stage work has no history. It is composed as an exposition of physical actions, giving the viewer the opportunity to observe closely and intimately what remains at the centre of attention in the discourse on woman’s freedom and her choices. It is the objectification of a woman and a woman’s body. The young creators, as befits for Generation Y, superficially flirt with feminist ideas, indulge in a gruelling 40-minute stage performance to create a ritual of reflection on their identity. And what could be more interesting than watching a new generation of rituals?
Choreography, performance: Sigita Juraskaitė, Agniete Lisickinaite
Artistic consultations: Andrius Katinas
Dramaturgy: Monika Jasinskaite
Lights: Povilas Laurinaitis
Costumes: Laura Darbutaite
Premiere: 2014
The bathroom is a personal space that is often attributed to a woman as a safe, intimate space in which she can be herself. Being in the bathroom equals confrontation with your self-esteem. In horror films, getting caught in the bath equals maximum stress.
The mermaid is a mythical aquatic creature found in the folklore of many nations of the world. Mermaids are usually the ghosts of drowned young ladies. In ancient times, it was believed that girls drowned due to unrequited love, thus they were turned into mermaids by the gods in order to take revenge on young men as well guard rivers and lakes.
Objectophilia is a form of sexual or romantic attraction focused on certain inanimate objects. Individuals who experience this attraction may feel a strong sense of love and devotion to certain objects or structures that attract them. For some, sexual or close emotional relationships with people are incomprehensible. Some individuals who have a sexual desire for an object often believe in animism and feel a reciprocal connection based on the belief that things have a soul, an intellect, and feelings, and the ability to communicate.
Procrastination is the behaviour of a person postponing work and engaging in unnecessary activities. This phenomenon is unique to everyone, so often procrastination becomes simply a human trait. The well-known and old saying “Dragging one’s heels” only confirms that our ancestors were inclined to postpone work even with no smart technology excuses… Yet being in the middle of procrastination is more painful than doing the work itself.
Idea, choreography, performance: Greta Grinevičiūtė, Sigita Juraškaitė, Agnietė Lisičkinaitė
Dramaturgy: Sigita Ivaškaitė
Scenography: Vladas Suncovas
Costumes: Morta Nakaitė
Composer: Gailė Griciūtė
Visuals: Julius Kuršys
Broadcasting Operator: Odeta
Management: Domantė Tirylytė
Premiere: 27 January, 2021
“I’m Going to Buy Some Milk” – a site-specific dance performance (outdoors), a phantasmagoric tale about the Seskine’s district in Vilnius.
One of the least popular Lithunian districts is Seskine. Concrete, grandmother selling potatoes, red brick-based central square… Here, unrecognisable faces are accompanied by suspicious glances. It can look like nothing new will ever emerge when going to buy milk through your usual path until one day the creative team brings to life some fabulous creatures to roam around in this bedroom community. Now the routine here will never be the same again.
Idea, choreography, organisation: Agnietė Lisičkinaitė and Greta Grinevičiūtė
Creative team: Sigita Ivaškaitė, Giedrė Jankauskienė, Paulius Markevičius, Mantas Stabačinskas, Sigita Juraškaitė, Vladas Suncovas and the entire Seskine district.
Premiere: Summer 2021
“And I slave and I slave and I slave and for what?”
In sterile space, the two bodies tell an (un)happy love story in choreographically changing forms to which we cannot remain indifferent, and recognisable situations are ridiculed to tears. The dance project raises the question: does love exist only as we know it?
Creative Team: Agnietė Lisičkinaitė & Greta Grinevičiūtė
Premiere: 2021
Ballerina Goda, who has been dancing at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theater for 30 years, has never had the opportunity to be a solo dancer. She had only been the 35th swan from the right.
Creators Agniete and Greta have taken one body’s story specially directed for Goda, who has been dancing for the last season in the theatre. Here she is the only soloist to tell the story of her special body.
The art of ballet, contemporary dance and video is intertwined in the work, not only the body of the dancer is experienced here but also HER voice is heard.
Ideas authors and choreographers: Agniete Lisickinaite and Greta Grineviciute
Performer: Goda Bernotaite
Producer: National Opera and Ballet Theatre (Creative Impulse)
Premiere: 2017
Ballerina Goda, who has been dancing at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theater for 30 years, has never had the opportunity to be a solo dancer. She had only been the 35th swan from the right.
Creators Agniete and Greta have taken one body’s story specially directed for Goda, who has been dancing for the last season in the theatre. Here she is the only soloist to tell the story of her special body.
The art of ballet, contemporary dance and video is intertwined in the work, not only the body of the dancer is experienced here but also HER voice is heard.
Ideas authors and choreographers: Agniete Lisickinaite and Greta Grineviciute
Performer: Goda Bernotaite
Producer: National Opera and Ballet Theatre (Creative Impulse)
Premiere: 2017