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In the festival programme: experiments with raw social themes, a sanctuary of the body, and classical movement.

The festival opened with Mont Ventoux, a dance performance by the Italian–Spanish company Kor’sia, inspired by a historic letter describing an ascent of a mountain — a journey that symbolizes both self-discovery and a rediscovery of nature. The creators believe that dance is the best medium for drawing attention to the human being, their connection to the world, and inner transformation.

One of the most sensitive and progressive works in the festival program, Harmonia — created by Hungarian artist Adrienn Hód in collaboration with the German company Unusual Symptoms — invited audiences into an intimate experience dominated by the longing for closeness and the sacredness of diverse dancing bodies. Dedicated to humanity, the piece gains authenticity and emotional depth from the performers with disabilities, offering a sense of a more hopeful world.

The Swedish–German work Unearth by choreographer Jafta van Dinther — who also performs in the piece — was a standout gem, described as a manifesto of the body as a sanctuary. This four-hour “phenomenon" breaks down stereotypes of what a dance performance can be. A bold and distilled choreography of body and voice, it invited audiences to reflect on the transience of life and on loss.

The energy of flamenco, unfiltered authenticity, and burning onstage passion unfolded in the Spanish duo La Chachi, in which dancer María del Mar Suárez and singer Lola Dolores invited audiences into a vivid, raw, and unembellished southern experience. This whirlwind-force duet introduced us to Taranto — a flamenco style originating in the mining region of Almería.

One of the most anticipated solo premieres in the program, When the Bleeding Stops by Icelandic choreographer and performer Lovísa Ósk Gunnarsdóttir, explores women’s experiences during menopause. No matter the country or the age of the audience, this work — which unites women around the world — receives thunderous standing ovations, smiles, laughter, and tears.

The audience was also fired up by Mirlitons — a unique duel-performance between two well-known figures in the French dance and music scenes: beatboxer Aymeric Hainaux and renowned rebel choreographer François Chaignaud. The duel’s main goal is to create extraordinary moments of grace, like a ritual of a new era capable of shaking one’s soul to its core.

The festival concluded with the cutting-edge work Non+Ultras by German choreographer Moritz Ostruschnjak. Drawing on the logic of omnipresent social media, the choreographer examines links between fanatical supporter culture and forms of political protest. Taylor Swift fans and football ultras collide here; politics and protest meet overturned police cars, smoke flares, and plush mascots; Arabic chants mix with anthems sung in English stadiums, the Mickey Mouse Club with Beethoven. A whirlpool of layered meanings illuminating a society captivated by the power of images and torn by irreconcilable division.

The Lithuanian part of the festival – with premieres

Lithuanian contemporary dance artist Agnietė Lisičkinaitė, together with Belarusian artist Igor Shugaleev, who has previously appeared at the festival, presented the premiere Clap & Slap — a dialogue between fear and the necessity to act, between collective and personal responsibility, between personal tragedy and geopolitical catastrophe. Agnietė also performed in a duet with Greta Grinevičiūtė in their piece Dance for 1000 Years, exploring the hidden choreographic possibilities present in every person’s life.

G. Grinevičiūtė, in partnership with the Arts and Science Laboratory, presentedA Dance for a Cigarette and a Best Friend,a work examining friendship, while dancer Giedrė Kirkilė explored questions of constructing and reconstructing identity in the performance Dowry. The dance performance Chiaroscuro introduced audiences to part of Liza Baliasnaja’s artistic research, which examines the influence of fear and disgust on political views in an era of increasing societal polarization. Oksana Griaznova, Marius Pinigis, and the company Nuepiko presented Moderation — a work about the often forgotten and overlooked value of moderation in our society.

A total of 24 performances were presented in Vilnius and Ukmergė by 10 companies from 11 countries, attracting 5,500 viewers.

The festival opened at the National Drama Theatre with Greek choreographer Christos Papadopoulos’ performance LARSEN C, inspired by the slowness of melting glaciers, using it as a metaphor to speak about the vitality of life.

From April 28 to May 11, the festival showcased works by Lithuanian choreographers:

• Choreographer Lukas Karvelis offered a contemporary take on Baltic mythology in the performance SHE DREAMT OF BEING WASHED AWAY TO THE COAST, inspired by the legend of Jūratė and Kąstytis.
• Lithuanian-born, France-based choreographer Dovydas Strimaitis presented HAIRY, a performance for four dancers and their hair.
• The joint work INSOMNIA by Lithuanian and Ukrainian dancers Mariya Salo and Petras Lisauskas was created under extraordinary circumstances—amid rocket attacks in Lviv, fleeing the dangers of war to Paris, and finding solidarity and support in Lithuania.

On May 3–4, Canada’s dance rock star Frédéric Gravel creatively combined text, live music, and movement in his trademark energetic, uncensored, and brutally sincere style in the performance FEAR AND GREED at the National Drama Theatre, accompanied by a live band.

On May 4–5, choreographer Benjamin Kahn presented the solo performance BLESS THE SOUND THAT SAVED A WITCH LIKE ME featuring dancer Sati Veyrunes. The performance served as a cry of alarm, emphasizing the geopolitical, ideological, and ecological crises we are experiencing.

On May 7–8, Argentine choreographer Ayelen Parolin showcased her latest work ZONDER at the National Drama Theatre, offering a humorous perspective on life’s unpredictability and failures.

This year, the festival featured two performances by charismatic Dutch choreographer Cherish Menzo. Known for questioning norms and creating universes centered around the dark-skinned body, Menzo introduced Lithuanian audiences to her works JEZEBEL and her latest creation DARKMATTER.

On May 11–12, a free dance performance by the Swedish duo “Land Before Time" titled […IT IS CONTAINED IN…] was presented in outdoor spaces across various districts of Vilnius. The performance paid homage to water—the greatest source of life. The duo consists of dancers Joanna Holewa Chrona and Yared Tilahun Cederlund.

The festival concluded with Portuguese choreographer Marco da Silva Ferreira, who returned to the festival with his work CARCAÇA. Featuring a troupe of ten dancers, including Ferreira himself, the performance explored collective identity through physical, intuitive, and unpretentious choreography, built on elements of body, dance, and culture.

The festival opened at the National Drama Theatre with Roommates, a programme by the Ballet National de Marseille and (LA)HORDE.

On 28th of April, New Baltic Dance moved to the National Gallery of Art with the performance Fandango & Other Cadences – study 4 created by dancer, choreographer and performance artist Aina Alegre.

The festival then proceeded with Daniel Mirablanca’s exploration of gender transformation through the language of dance in 71Bodies 1Dance.

Sensitively responding to the most relevant events of the current time, “New Baltic Dance" gave space to Ukrainian dance creators. Alongside choreographer and curator Anton Ovchinnikov, the festival presented the Ukrainian dance programme “Let the body speak". The featured dance performances were crafted by artists currently based in Ukraine or temporarily absent from the country, including Bohdan Polishchuk and Yana Reutova, Violetta Matyushenko, Maciej Kuzminski Company, Marharyta Slyzska/Rita Lira, Anton Ovchinnikov. These performances reflected on the aftermath of the Russian invasion, expressing the most profound experiences through the language of dance and the body.

On May 2-5, the first Lithuanian Performing Arts Platform, in preparation for the 2024 Lithuanian cultural season in France, took place in Lithuania. Non-governmental performing arts organizations – Lithuanian Dance Information Centre (festival New Baltic Dance), Theater Information Centre, Operomanija, and the Lithuanian Culture Institute – collaborated with the French Institute in Lithuania and the French Office for Contemporary Performing Arts Circulation (Onda). Together, they pooled their professional expertise and teams to curate the platform programme. During the platform, foreign professionals from Finland, Norway, Great Britain, Switzerland, Poland, Germany, Israel, Sweden, France, Latvia, Ukraine, Italy and the United Kingdom visited the festival “New Baltic Dance".

Alongside the works of world-famous contemporary dance artists, the festival featured a program showcasing Lithuanian dance artists. Choreographers such as Grėtė Šmitaitė, Dovydas Strimaitis and Lukas Karvelis, Liza Baliasnaja, Be kompanijos, Erika Vizbaraitė, Elena Kairytė, Rūta Jekentaitė, who are active in the field of dance both in Lithuania and abroad, presented their works. This programme not only presented the latest performances by these artists but also offered sketches of upcoming premieres.

At the Art Printing House, A Sensoral Lecture by a Swedish dancer and choreographer with visual impairment engaged the audience through dance, dialogues, and movement exercises.

At the National Drama Theatre, the young and promising Canadian choreographer Catherine Gaudet presented The Pretty Things, a performance that stands out for its uniqueness.

At the Arts Printing House, Marco da Silva Ferreira, a dancer, choreographer, and artistic director of Pensamento Avulso, presented Bisonte, a fiesta of hysteria and melancholy.

The yards of the Ukmergė Regional and MO museums as well as Žagarė stud farm came alive during the festival with the unique work Alien, created by the Finnish choreographer Taneli Törmä in collaboration with Lithuanian dancers.

In the 2023 edition of the New Baltic Dance festival, Northern Ireland-based dance artist Oona Doherty presented the performance Hope Hunt for the second time in Lithuania, building on its positive reception by the Lithuanian public in 2019.

Oona Doherty also showcased a performance titled Navy Blue, emphasizing dance as a symbol of problematic freedom. This ‘invitation to dance and a contemplation on what steps should follow’, was selected as the closing piece of the festival “New Baltic Dance". The lyrics of the performance and Oona Doherty’s voice became the soundtrack of the festival video.

“We are all experiencing a very difficult and emotional period. Next to the usual activities, we are doing everything to help the people of Ukraine: we donate, keep the contact with our Ukrainian colleagues, while looking for new employment opportunities for the representatives of the dance community who are refugees of war, we work with foreign partners creating long-term support programmes, and urge the international stage art networks and organisations to condemn the aggressor’s actions and state their position clearly. Yet while our hearts are with Ukraine, we should not forget our basic responsibilities: to speak about our world and things that are happening around us through dance," states Ms. Masteikaitė on behalf of the team of the festival. “Following specialist recommendations, we do our job and would like to remind everyone that art has the power to strengthen our spirit, stabilise emotions and develop critical thinking which is now more important than ever. We must stay in the best shape possible: this is the only way to help one another and resist against the outcomes of the machine of war."

This year’s New Baltic Dance was running throughout the entire spring, and both its beginning and end were marked by the most prominent creators of the stage art. On March 25, the festival was opened by Dimitris Papaioannou (Greece) with one of the most anticipated stage art events in Lithuania, the premiere of “Transverse Orientation". After two months, the festival was closed by Yoann Bourgeois (France), who is called the playwright of physics, whose works connect dance with various impressive constructions. In Vilnius, he introduced the programme of short works “Tentative Approaches to a Point of Suspension".

The festival programme in April featured some of the most prominent dance personal from the South Korea, choreographer Eun-Me Ahn and Switzerland-based Lithuanian dance artist Anna-Marija Adomaitytė with her new work “Pas de deux" which was chosen as one of the best works of young creators last year by Aerowaves dance network.

In May, a shared work by three African choreographers “Siguifin" was introduced by Amala Dianor (France), Canadian Clara Furey invited to two shows: the existential “Dog Rising" and a solo show “When Even" inspired by the poetry of Leonard Cohen. Renae Shadler & Collaborators and Roland Walter (Australia, Germany) introduced a performance exploring human proximity “Skin"; in their performance “Close", Hungarian choreographer Adrienn Hód with the group Hodworks and Bremen-based dance group Unusual Symptoms raised political and social questions. The festival introduced a shared work by the students from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, Emilija Karosaitė, Povilas Jurgaitis, Martynas Berulis, while the environmental topics were covered in “Woods" introduced by a team of four creators: Catarina Saraiva (Portugal), Clarice Lima (Brazil), Nina Fajdiga (Slovenia), Aline Bonamin (Brazil) and Linha de Fuga (Portugal), including the members of the local community who can do the headstand.

The festival that has taken place in summer avoided the trap and restrictions of the pandemic, yet the great part of the events took place in the open space of MO museum terrace. A part of the performances were adapted for this specific space, and another one in the gallery space, since the performances were introduced in the National Gallery of Art. The audiences of the festival witnessed even 7 premières.

For the first time, the audience saw a work by Dovydas Strimaitis who dances in the National Ballet of Marseille (France), headed by a creative trio La Horde which is very attentive to the contemporary art and fashion. Another artist introduced was that of the choreographer and performer from Switzerland, Ana-Marija Adomaitytė.

The festival welcomed a duo Jonas & Lander (Portugal) who impressed the audience already in 2017. They introduced a unique dance installation-performance “Coin Operated". One of the greatest discoveries of 2020 European Dance Network Aerowaves was choreographer Moritz Ostruschnjak (Germany) who appeared with a solo work “TANZANWEISUNGEN (It won’t be like this forever)". Anne Mareike Hess, a dancer and choreographer who arrived from Luxembourg, introduced to the New Baltic Dance Festival a new version of her performance Warrior, developed for the space of the National Gallery of Art.

Menų spaustuvė served as a venue for an artist from the neighbouring Belarus, Igor Shugaleev, and his work “375 0908 2334 / The body you are calling is currently not available".

The festival featured works by Sabina Bočková & Johana Pocková (the Czech Republic), Marta Wołowiec (Poland), Lukas Karvelis (Lithuania), dance theatre Airos (Lithuania), Šeiko Dance Theatre (Lithuania), Vilma Pitrinaitė (Lithuania), Vilnius City Theatre Art and Research Laboratory. The sketch programme included Urtė Groblytė, Marius Pinigis, Petras Lisauskas, Julija Mintautė (Kaunas Dance Theatre Aura).

The work “Lion’s Den" by Czechs Sabina Bočková & Johana Pocková (European Dance Network Aerowaves) was introduced exclusively in a tour around the Lithuanian regions: Molėtai, Anykščiai, Žagarė, Plungė, Prienai, Šiauliai and Garliava.

The international Aerowaves programme was introduced through the exceptional dance performances in quite unusual places of Vilnius, Kaunas and Kaunas District.

The work by a young Czech artist Viktor Černický Pli was introduced free of charge for the audience in the house of the Presidential Palace and in Raudondvaris Manor, the Neighbourhood Park, Kaunas District.

The stairs of MO museum in Vilnius and Mykolas Žilinskas Art Gallery offered a stage for the work of a Hungarian choreographer Máté Mészáros, a dynamic piece that explores the distance between the bodies, the Mechanics of Distance.

Work-in-progress, a programme of Lithuanian artists, was introduced in the terrace of MO museum.

In winter, we prepared another unusual gift for our fans, a programme of dance films by 11 foreign and Lithuanian creators. They could be seen from the comfort and warmth of one’s home in December 2020 on LRT and in its Mediateka streaming site, in 15min portal and the website of the festival.

The programme featured 11 dance films: three of them were by foreign creators, eight by Lithuanians, and even six of the latter ones were premieres:

– Joint work by Akram Khan and the group from the English National Ballet – one of the most wonderful romantic ballets of times, Giselle.

– The Great Ghosts, created by the famous French circus artist Yoann Bourgeois.

– Hofesh Shechter’s Clowns, a dance film by a UK-based director, choreographer and composer Hofesh Shechter.

– A movie by Vilma Pitrinaitė Somaholidays.

– Thicket, a film shot during the quarantine by Marius Paplauskas.

– Under the Skin by Šeiko Dance Theatre.

– Artificial by Dovilė Petkūnaitė.

– MA 108 short dance film by Erika Vizbaraitė.

– Game Over, a film inspired by the famous performance, and created by Low Air, Vilnius City Dance Theatre.

–  Sakura Dream (In the Realm of Spirits) by dance theatre Okarukas.

– A dance movie by Raimonda Gudavičiūtė M(e)&M(other).

After two years of negotiations, the festival welcomed a dance performance Origami by French creators Satchie Noro and Silvain Ohl, which was performed in open urban spaces (in Vilnius, Kaunas, Šiauliai, Panevėžys and Anykščiai) on an impressive metal construction.

Marlene Monteiro Freitas, an artist from the Cape Verde, who is an exceptional creator and winner of many prestigious awards, introduced her performance “Of ivory and flesh – statues also suffer" in the Arts Printing House based in Vilnius.

Choreographer Euripides Laskaridis introduced his work Titans in the Lithuanian National Theatre of Drama.

The festival welcomed a Canadian Manuel Roque for the second time with his piece “bang bang" and Emile Pineault and his work Normal Desires. Australian James Batchelor introduced to the audience his performance “Hyperspace".

French dance company Nach Van Van introduced a performance “Cellule", Belgian Sabina Scarlet introduced “Uniform", while Annamaria Ajmone introduced “Trigger". Guests from the Netherlands Guilherme Miotto and Corpo Maquina introduced “Even worse", while German dance company CocoonDance presented “Momentum"; Lebanese Bassam Abou Diab introduced a very personal work “Under the Flesh".

For the first time, the programme of the festival featured the Baltic Dance Platform, which was organised with the Lithuanian Culture Institute, Latvian Dance Information Centre and Estonian theatre and contemporary dance platform Sõltumatu Tantsu Lava.

The audience of the festival saw three Lithuanian premieres: Šeiko Dance Group and Danish dance group Granhøj Dans created “Boléro", Kaunas Dance Theatre Aura introduced its performance “Kaunas Zoo" and a solo performance by Lukas Karvelis, “Blank Spots" was presented as well. Latvian Sintija Siliņa presented her work “Rock bottom", while Agatė Bankava and Andris Kačanovskis introduced “Future Freak". Estonians W A U H A U S brought the performance “Fluids", while Sigrid Savi brought “Imagine there’s a Fish".

Among the most important ones there was the return of a world-renowned choreographer and director Alain Platel and his company.

The most recent works by foreign creators were introduced on the stage of the Arts Printing House in Vilnius, including the Bulgarian choreographer and performer Ivo Dimchev and Belfast-based Irish choreographer Oona Doherty.

The festival welcomed not only dance professionals, but also art aficionados and everyone who wanted to try their abilities on the dance stage.

The festival started by the works of Belgian creators, Alexander Vantournhout and Bauke Lievens in a tragic body autobiography Aneckxander.

Pere Faura from Spain returned to the festival with a ritual ecstatic trip – dance festival Sweet Fever. After four days of training, a large group of volunteers appeared with Faura in Saturday Night Fever.

The festival programme also featured “CANDY’S CAMOUFLAGE
Imploding Portraits", the most recent work by an Austrian company Liquid Loft. A performance by the French dance group Adrien M & Claire B called “Hakanaï".

In Vilnius, the festival welcomed an Ukrainian choreographer Anton Ovčinikov with his work “De.sinchronisation", and guests from Poland Edyta Kozak and Roland Rowiński with a performance “Dancing for you longer than one minute".

A sensitive family story in the performance by Norwegian Haugen Productions, called “Sisters 11 years after". Belgians Mariedl introduced “Roubignoles" to the Lithuanian audience.

In cooperation with European Dance Network Aerowaves, the festival welcomed Swiss choreographer Alessandro Schiattarella with his work “Altrove", Portuguese creators Jonas & Lander with a performance “Adorabilis", Denmark-based Finish creators Tanel Törmä with a solo performance “Classical beauty". Also, Czechs Tereza Ondrová and Peter Šavel, breaking gender stereotypes in the performance “Boys Who Like to Play With Dolls".

The programme also featured one of the most prominent Dutch dance theatres, Club Guy & Roni and their work “Happiness".

Lithuania was represented in the festival by the urban dance theatre Low Air and its performance “Game Over" which has received the Golden Cross of the Stage. Two young creators Greta Grinevičiūtė and Agnietė Lisičkinaitė participated in the festival with their work “B&B dialogue". The premiere “Agony" was prepared by Vytis Jankauskas Dance Theatre, celebrating its 20^th anniversary.

In the yard of Menų spaustuvė, a free performance by Bridgman and Packer from the USA, “Truck" was introduced, by dancer Ben Fury and musician Simon Thierrée presented a dance performance-ritual “Le Cauchemar de Darwish" (Belgium). Also, a film by the Pole Rowiński “Dancing for you" and an interactive installation by his partner E. Kozak “Dancing for you longer than one minute".

Nederlands Dans Theater 2, one of the world’s leading contemporary dance companies, under artistic guidance of choreographer Paul Lightfoot, tours in Lithuania.