Dance performance "TALE OF KINGS"
based on the music of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis and other Lithuanian composers
Director-choreographer and librettist – Anželika Cholina
Set designer – Marijus Jacovskis
Costume designer – Olga Filatova-Kontrimienė
Lighting designer – Eugenijus Sabaliauskas
Video artist – Tomas Stonys
Hairstylist and makeup artist – Dalia Žakytė-Bučienė
Pedagogue-rehearsal director – Živilė Baikštytė
The performance features 32 soloists from the Anželika Cholina Dance Theatre, the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Kaunas State Musical Theatre, and artists from the ACH Youth Troupe.
The latest work by Anželika Cholina, which premiered in July 2025, has already managed to occupy a special place in the history of Lithuanian theatre; to this day, it has been seen by a record number of spectators – as many as 35,000! Based on national ticket sales (according to www.bilietai.lt), the performance has also been recognized as the most-watched dance performance of 2025 in all of Lithuania.
Staged as Lithuania and the world commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Mikalojus Konstantinas Čiurlionis and having become one of the most prominent highlights of the Čiurlionis Year cultural program, today it continues its journey across the country and into the hearts of viewers in the new – already 27th – season of the ACH Theatre.
"Tale of Kings" is an epic, poetic, and visually extremely rich dance performance in which the extraordinary life story of the great Lithuanian composer and painter, still too little known, is revealed in a new, sensitive, and dramatic way.
"In this work, it is important for me to recreate as accurately as possible the psychological portrait of Čiurlionis the man, his relationship to creativity, the women in his life, and his early tragic fate, when his soul, unrecognized in time and lost in poverty and darkness, leaves this world before his body..." says the performance's director, choreographer, and librettist A. Cholina.
The main characters of the performance are not only Čiurlionis himself in three ages of his life and not only the most important women in his life (his first love Marija Moravska, patron Bronislava Volman, wife Sofija Kymantaitė), but also Čiurlionis's work, which, in the author's conviction, was his very essence.
In "Tale of Kings," the special and deep world of Čiurlionis comes alive, having become both a gift from God and a torment for him. This inner world is embodied in the performance by 25 artists from the ACH Theatre Youth Troupe, who together create a separate and essential, cohesive character in this performance. "Tale of Kings" is not the first performance where young dance talents nurtured by A. Cholina appear on the major stages of ACH and other Lithuanian theatres, but it is the first time on such a large scale.
In addition to grand mass scenes, the main roles in "Tale of Kings," as always, are created by the brightest stars of professional Lithuanian dance, leading soloists of the ACH Theatre and other national theatres – Jonas Laucius, Nora Straukaitė, Martynas Čiučiulka, Olesia Šaitanova, Beata Molytė, Rokas Spalinskas, Vadimas Krupeninas, and others.
The scale and scope of the premiere are also impressive: in total, more than three dozen artists dance in the performance, over 300 costumes have been created for them, and the stage and visual elements dynamically change, thus drawing the viewer into an almost two-hour journey through the world of Čiurlionis, told suggestively through the language of dance – from birth to death.
"It is simply impossible to tell it any shorter or more modestly – the subject itself demands a grandiose expression," A. Cholina comments on her determination not to spare any resources for her vision. "There can be no compromises – if you have set your mind on such a topic, you must do it to the maximum."
The musical fabric of "Tale of Kings" is special and full of a gentle Lithuanian spirit – the performance's soundtrack features the most beautiful works of Čiurlionis, as well as musical dedications to Čiurlionis by contemporary Lithuanian composers, including works by Mindaugas Urbaitis, Donatas Zakaras, and Jorė Bartaškaitė.
"This performance is like a reminder to us of the work of the great Lithuanian genius and its significance. In it, I sought to convey the dramatic life story of Čiurlionis as authentically as possible, so I believe that the importance of the national theme, the directorial decisions, choreography, aesthetics, and meaning of the work will touch the souls of the viewers, and their moved hearts will carry the message by word of mouth, creating the lasting value of this performance for future generations..." says A. Cholina.
Duration: 110 min., without intermission
www.ach.lt
IMPORTANT! – Continuing to actively promote the tradition of cultural patronage in Lithuania, we invite you to contribute to the future of the independent, self-funded ACH Theatre and to purchase a special, more expensive than usual PATRON TICKET for all our performances.
Thanks to your support, our theatre can plan new premieres, maintain a professional troupe of artists, go on tours throughout Lithuania, even to more remote regions of the country where professional performing arts are less accessible, and not compromise on the artistic and technical quality of the performances. Observing the ever-increasing sales of these tickets, we are convinced – we are certainly not alone. Thank you to every single current and future supporter of the ACH Theatre!
Also, seeking to create a positive change in society and contribute to shaping a new approach to cultural patronage in our country, two years ago we took the lead in educating young people and growing a young generation of cultural patrons. Therefore, in the new season, we are continuing the initiative for all young people aged 15-24 – they continue to have their own special FUTURE PATRON TICKETS for all ACH Theatre performances, alongside the special Patron tickets.
Young people can purchase these tickets with a 50% discount already applied, and upon arriving at the performance, we will only ask to present an identity document proving age along with the ticket. We have no doubt that by providing an opportunity for young people to see our theatre's performances under special conditions, we are contributing to raising a generation of young Lithuanians who are not indifferent to theatre, art, and culture!