CONTEMPORARY - THE DANCE OF FREEDOM

Mankind has always striven towards self-expression and has acquired a great many ways and means towards this end. Dancing is one of them. In ancient times, when our forefathers leaped around bonfires and brandished spears, their movements were a ritualistic, deliberate action, but not without improvisation. It is perfectly true that mankind's need to express himself remains undiminished, as does the search for ways enabling him to do so.

Lithuanian dramatic actors Agne Ramanauskaite, Paulius Tamole and Mantas Stabacinskas arrived in Baku at the invitation of the YARAT! Contemporary Modern Art Space and brought with them a dance performance entitled "Contemporary?"  It is a conceptual name which casts light on the essence and purport of the dialogue of young people about art, about themselves and the search for new forms and means of self-expression. The title conveys a question, inviting the audience to discuss and reflect, and an answer suggesting possible ways of finding a response to this question.

Contemporary

The encyclopaedia gives this definition: "Contemporary is an area of modern dance combining both elements of western dance (classical dance, modern dance) and the oriental art of movement (Quigong, Yoga and Tai Chi Chuan). This is also a dance which has no definite style form because its most important element is self-expression."

What is contemporary theatre and what is contemporary art in general? Actors hold forth about this subject both verbally and figuratively, with each generation having its own insight.

The Lithuanian actors' performance not only mesmerized the audience, giving it new emotional experiences, but also vividly demonstrated that there are no limits to the quest for an individual language in a dialogue with the audience. It is important to understand what and how you want to talk to your audience. On one occasion, Isadora Duncan, in trying to break with the stereotypical perception of classical dance, took to the stage barefoot and showed the whole world that the art of dance is the language of body and soul, not trapped within a framework of rules and regulations. She succeeded, and others followed her. But it was only in the 1960s that her initiative became accepted and definitive. 

Contemporary dance is a quest for the answers to questions such as "Who am I in this world? And why?" And so, everyone who takes up this genre has their own dance. It is a means of telling the world about your personal perception of it. And the more disharmonious this relationship is, the more expressive the dance. One could say it is not even a dance, but a figurative story about… well, everyone can decide for himself. It is his journey, his quest, his questions and answers, his means of inter-acting with the world. 

The performance as a means of communicating ideas

Three actors lie barefoot on the floor, scantily dressed. Their unprotected bodies start to live what at first seems a strange existence. The tensing of muscles is interspersed with a sharp load release, relaxation, abrupt halts, turning, climbing, falling, climbing again and breathing exercises. There are a lot of on-floor movements. The actors are following some kind of precise script but they are listening to the voice of their own bodies which express deep emotional experiences. And so the actors' movements are all different. Even the movements of the individual actors are different. They are not following a story line but telling their own individual stories - about the search for one's own creativity or awareness of one's place in the contemporary arts world, or in this case, the art of the theatre. By now, the audience assumes that this is a figurative show, possibly about the creation of the world. That's probably how life began! And the audience, of course, is tying to guess the director's code for the ciphered message to them!

There is whispering in the hall, and then suddenly a flash of light and as Agne continues to work on the floor Paulius and Mantas enter into a long-winded dialogue. And once again the audience is left wondering - if this is supposed to be figurative, why all this talk? The actors, calling the audience as witnesses, argue about the correctness of their actions. They assume that what they are now doing is not quite understood by the audience and they probably don't find it very interesting. The audience murmurs in approval. Paulius and Mantas try to include Agne in their deliberations. But she is absorbed in what she is doing. She has no wish to abandon her own searching, and anyway, her co-actors' thoughts are nothing to do with her. And it is then that we get a sense of the real time and the real action that is taking place her and now. From here on the play becomes the scene of inter-active relationships, in which the audience and the actors try to answer a number of questions. What does the modern audience need?  What kind of art attracts them more - one that moves the heart, or one that elicits thought? Emotional or intellectual? The answer is simple, and it is provided by Agne: let everyone choose what is most interesting and closest to them! Real art will always be popular. But contemporary dance provides an opportunity to blend both styles and trends in the arts, helping to find something quite new and unusual. If we consider contemporary dance in its intrinsic sense we find it is nothing other than an intellectual form of dance which enables one to strike a balance between the state of the body, the mind and the soul.

The audience feels that the like-minded actors were seeking that unique, exciting and fascinating language of existence in the setting of a stage which they can understand, find entertaining and very attractive. First, they experiment with props and then they look to strike a dynamic dual rhythm, wondering whether it is explosive or rousing enough to delight and sweep the audience off their feet. Their movements become inter-active and the audience is eagerly, actively and cheerfully drawn into them. The actors and the audience no longer feel a dividing line between them on the stage and become a single whole. And no-one bothers who are on stage and who are still in their seats. To both it is just theatrical convention. The casually dressed actors become part of the audience and the audience becomes part of a real game suggested by the actors. And this whole ninety minutes of action has been spent on jointly seeking new expressive forms and content of the contemporary arts.

Tete-a-tete

After the show most of the audience stayed behind in the Russian Drama Theatre to meet the artists and discuss the problems of the theatre today and which theatre is today the most interesting for today's audience.

Paulius Tamole: "We tell a story, convey images and feelings and discuss the questions which affect us. There are no restraints or bans on experimenting. Anyone can adopt this style and no special training is required."

Agne Ramanauskaite: "It is possible - like me - to take up amateur dancing and love dancing as a means of getting to know people and yourself. And you can even start when you are 27. And it will be the only way which will help you find not only the purpose of your own life but to become an integral part of the general debate about the arts in today's world."

"Contemporary" is the second part of the name of the show. A word followed by three full stops. Basically, it is an invitation to a dialogue: in practical terms, via contemporary dance, but theoretically, through an open dialogue and debate. Contemporary is one means of linking different styles and genres because no-one has ever done this before. Contemporary is the right and the opportunity to be yourself so long as you have enough imagination, physical strength and stamina and the desire to expand your awareness and the boundaries established by the rules of the classical arts.  The main thing is not to be afraid and to follow your dream.

The production of the Lithuanian dance masters was awarded the Golden Stage Cross in 2013.