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2019-09-30 Back to list

October Highlight: International Dance Festival AURA29

This year, the festival brings companies from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Israel, Germany etc., as well as a premiere by Aura dance theatre.

Have you already met Aura, the only municipal theatre of contemporary dance in Lithuania and one of true symbols of the cultural landscape of Kaunas? The roots of the theatre date 100+ years back, when Danutė Nasvytytė, the pioneer of expressive dance in Lithuania, was born. A student of her student, Birutė Letukaitė, organised the first international dance festival 29 years ago. Soon after, the journey of Aura dance theatre started. Now, let’s take a look at this year’s festival highlights.


This year international dance festival AURA29 started with two satellite events in St. George the Martyr Church and in Raudondvaris manor. The main weekend is still ahead of us! On October 3, don’t miss out on a premiere of “OH-2” presented by Kaunas dance theatre “Aura”. It’s a perfect chance to get to know the new dancers of the international dance company.

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Photo by “Aura”.

On October 4, even more performances are scheduled. “Animal Carnival” is a performance for children aged 5-12 years. It will be presented at 4 pm by a dance company “Barbora Látalová & Col.” (Czech Republic) in the National Kaunas Drama Theatre. Next in the program is a dance performance “Prime mover” by Estonian dancers Roona & Flak also in the same theatre.

Last of the day – a night performance “Third dance”, which deeply moved Israeli critics. It’s a dance project by a duet Niv Sheinfeld and Oren Laor, who are partners on stage and in real life. “Third dance” will be presented in the business leader centre “BLC”.

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“Animal Carnival”. Photo by Vojtech Brtnicky.

On midday October 5, the youngest dance enthusiasts will be able to see “Animal Carnival” once again. In the National Kaunas drama theatre at the evening time, Ben J. Riepe’s dance company from Germany will be presenting “Untitled: Persona”, which will lead the viewers into a different understanding of bodies and their meaning.

In Kaunas city chamber theatre, the audience will have a pleasure of seeing one more night performance. This time it will be “Alien express” by Slovenian dancers Žigan Krajnčan and Gašper Kunšek. “Alien express” is a continually changing performance or to be even more precise an improvisation with a predetermined structure. The choreography is adapted and modified with each performance.

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“Alien express”. Photo by Borut Bučinel.

At 11:55 am October 6, the Kaunas town hall will become a starting point for the festival’s tour “4x4”. In the span of three hours participants will see four performances: “Sick Women Practice” by Ula Liagaitė, “Ideal Fe[Male]” by Jānis Putniņš’s and Eva Kronbergos (Latvia), „KaGaMiToMiMi” by Kyrie Oda and Love Hellgren (Sweden / Japan), and „Almost a Mensch“ by Maya Yogel (Israel).

Festival’s closing event on Sunday will be held in the National Kaunas Drama Theatre. The ultimate performance is “One. One & One” by an Israeli dance theatre “Vertigo”, which was established in 1992 by Adi Sha’al and Noa Wertheim. “One. One & One” is a performance about each person’s inner need to be fulfilled while constantly experiencing social and existential challenges of fragmented reality.

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“One. One & One”. Photo by Rune Abro.

More information, locations, tickets: dancefestival.lt

 

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