VIENUDU live + Agnė Matulevičiūtė and Marta Finkelštein

This year, the Vilnius City Dance Theatre "Low Air" celebrates its 15th anniversary and invites you to celebrate together. On August 20, an exceptional dance performance "Vienudu" awaits the audience (author of the idea and concept – Airida Gudaitė, co-creators – Laurynas Žakevičius and Rokas Šaltenis). The music in the performance will be performed live by composer and electronic music creator Agnė Matulevičiūtė and pianist, performer, and music curator Marta Finkelštein.

VIENUDU

The dance performance "Vienudu" by author of the idea and concept Airida Gudaitė is a duet of dancers Laurynas Žakevičius and Rokas Šaltenis, constructed as a dialogue with another, though essentially – with oneself. By exploring breakdance movements and their flow, while simultaneously juxtaposing them with Lithuanian folk dance, the performance seeks a physical, tangible form for the male dancer's identity to unfold. Becoming mirror reflections of each other, in today's world of norms, preconceived opinions, and stereotypes, they attempt to turn back to themselves, to strength in sensitivity, and to self-perception in the other and in duality.

"Vienudu" is an artistic exploration of the canons of hip-hop dance identity, which invites artists and the public to explore breakdance as an art form. The performance provides an opportunity to reflect on the concept of a world without borders, using cultural connections, keeping in mind the migration of art and cultural forms. The Western masculinist dance form of breakdance is here compared and linked with the movement codes of Lithuanian folk couple dance. The artists ask: what kind of men are we, what does this dance tell us when stepping onto the stage, and what is it like when participating in battles, sports competitions, such as the Olympics?

Emerging discourses of appropriation and homogeneity also touch upon ethical questions regarding the use of imagery. Creative explorations of this art field and its history invite mutual dialogue even beyond the boundaries of the performance.

Agnė matulevičiūtė and marta finkelštein

The joint duet of composer Agnė Matulevičiūtė and pianist Marta Finkelštein has been active since 2021, when they found common ground by combining the sounds of piano and analog/modular synthesizers. The duet, which has no analogs in its composition in Lithuania, reveals the multifaceted possibilities of contemporary expression when acoustic and electronic music elements are combined, with a focus on the expression of keyboard instruments.