Lithuanian Dance Artist working in Bournemouth creating 1001 dances

Pavilion Dance South West (PDSW), the Lithuanian Culture Institute and the Lithuanian Embassy in the UK have collaborated to offer a Lithuanian Dance Artist the opportunity to become a PDSW ‘Discovery’ Artist.

PDSW’s Discovery Artist scheme gives an artist the opportunity to spend time with us in our Bournemouth studios and theatre, and gives us an opportunity to get to know their work better. In 2019 this programme is in collaboration with the Lithuanian Embassy, and we have 2 Lithuanian artists spending time with us to create new work in response to our local communities and places.

The artists are: Denisas Kolomyckis (working with dance and film) and Vilma Pitrinaite (working on a socially-rooted piece of dance theatre).

Denisas has kickstarted his year with us from 2-11 January, developing his project 10:01 DANCE STORY. The principal idea was inspired by legendary film maker, Jonas Mekas and his 365 Days Project, and is a great example of the relationship that has grown between the Lithuanian Culture Institute, the Lithuanian Cultural Attache and Pavilion Dance South West.

Denisas explains:

“10:01 DANCE STORY is a dance video diary that was inspired by legendary film-maker Jonas Mekas and his 365 Days Project. I plan to film and release 1001 videos of myself dancing in different location. I’ll then release one video per day – 1001 will take a total of 3 years.”

Denisas has filmed 20 of those videos in Bournemouth – in locations such as a pool hall, a corner shop, a swimming pool, a church, and a boat. He said “Bournemouth has been a wonderful place to explore. It has a really interesting vibe and contrasting landscape.”

He goes on to say:

“I’ve realised that the most important instrument and the source of creation for me is my own body. A painter uses a brush, a musician – a violin. My only intent is to focus on a creation of beauty in action. 

I am my own story in constant readjustment. This project is like a ‘diary’ and is my tribute to the complexities of interactions through dance and movement – it’s an integral part of how I perceive the surrounding world and convey the changes in nature and urban environments.” 

PDSW Programme and Artist Development Producer Daniel Broadbent said:

“We look forward to supporting Denisas throughout the remainder of his programme with PDSW, and can’t wait to meet our next Discovery Artist from Lithuania.”

You can follow the project on Instagram by searching for: ‘1001 Dance Story.’ Denisas hopes to fully release the project in Summer 2019.

Photo credit: Agnė Petrulenaitė