Raimonda Gudavičiūtė
Choreographer, dancer&performer
Choreography
"As a choreographer, I love the process of creating. Building movement out of ideas, or conversely, creating ideas out of movement patterns is always an invigorating challenge. Experimenting with new thoughts, new dancers, new environments and impulses opens up a freedom that exists only in very few professions. That is why choreography is a very important part of my artistic work."
BAU!
Premiere Februar 2024
Hessisches Staatsballett
BAU! was developed as a mobile dance piece for the Hessisches Staatsballett. It explores the theme of our fears and how we face them when we don't feel safe and would prefer to hide. The starting point is Franz Kafka's fragmentary short story Der Bau, in which a badger-like animal becomes increasingly lost in its underground burrow out of fear of an unknown outside world. The space, which can be flexibly customised with specially crafted cardboard boxes, alternates between hide-and-seek, fortress and dance floor, which the dancers create together with the young audience. The familiar surroundings of the school become a playful space for movement and encounters.
The exciting thing about BAU! was the fact that it was the first project of its kind both for me and for the Hessian State Ballet: conceived as a mobile dance piece, it was to go to schools in the region, so that all the stage material and other equipment was designed in such a way that the school and sports halls were transformed into an intriguing stage set in a very short time. Bringing quite complex thoughts and emotions from Kafka's world closer to pupils in lower grades was an additional challenge.
Eden
Premiere June 2022
Staatstheater Darmstadt
Imagine you could live in a place you choose and design it yourself. Like your personal garden. What would it look like? Where would your Eden be?
Together with people from various life contexts, different generations and with diverse biographies, EDEN begins to search for this living place in us and around us. Under the artistic direction of dancers Raimonda Gudavičiūtė, Nira Priore Nouak and Marcelo Omine, the extraordinary dance project asks how and where a place of balance between untouched, wild forces of nature and domesticated, cultivated landscapes can be articulated. In an exploration of the expressiveness of nature, EDEN explores how humans and nature can interact with each other as unities, opposites, opportunities for play, or areas of friction.
A participatory project within the framework of the Tanzplattform Rhein-Main.
Apart from the fact of being involved in a project for a large dance institution, the main attraction of Eden is the composition of the cast. In each of the three cities involved in the project - Frankfurt, Damstadt and Wiesbaden - rehearsals took place with 20 local amateur dancers, who were brought together to form a 60-person ensemble only shortly before the premiere. It took some imagination during the creative process to see these three individual pieces as part of the whole.
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M(other)
Premiere October 2021
Tanzfestival Rhein-Main
Mother and son - who doesn't know them, the roles that are given to each family member and that determine life far beyond the own four walls. Especially female artists with children find themselves in a balancing act between creative development and care work. The COVID pandemic has made it even more acute. Instead of despairing in this situation, the dancer and choreographer Raimonda Gudavičiūtė invited her eight-year-old son Elias to be part of her artistic work. After a short film in spring, Raimonda and Elias now take to the stage together. What begins as a family story develops into a sensitive dialogue between two experts who not only share their knowledge of breakdance and contemporary dance, but also develop completely new perspectives on mother and son, on gender roles and the relationship between art and life. M(other) is a piece not only for parents and their children, but also for everyone who juggles different roles in life.
"M(other) is certainly my most personal creation so far. Being able to work and be on stage with my son is an incredibly intense experience. The challenge, however, was to move the piece away from only the mother-son dimension to a more general, professional level. I believe the piece appeals to a wide audience and I'd be delighted to develop it further in the future."
Siūbuojanti žemė
Premiere December 2021
State Song and Dance Ensemble Lietuva
In your hands is a kaleidoscope through which the past and the present are juxtaposed. "What to get trapped in?", is what the audience will be asked in the dance and music performance "Siūbuojanti žemė". The ensemble "Lietuva" has invited young artists to look at and interpret the ensemble's repertoire in their own way, so the performance will invite them to experience a true creative experiment - a synthesis of musical styles, eras and the experiences and inner contradictions characteristic of those eras. Directed by acclaimed choreographers Agnija Šeiko and Lina Puodžiukaitė-Lanauskienė, together with young contemporary dance and music artists, they will reveal a completely unexpected vision of the ensemble Lietuva, its history and genre possibilities, which were born during the workshop.
"Working on that project was interesting for me, as we were several choreographers involved, asked to bring our own touch to the performance. It was enriching to me to present my ideas directly to the composer, Kazimieras Krulikovskis, and together with him connect them to the essence of the Ensemble's repertoire. Also it was a premiere for me to work with so many dancers on stage at the same time. That requires a different choreographic strategy but also creates a great amount of new possibilities."
M(e) & M(other)
Premiere November 2020
Gallus Theater Frankfurt
The short film "M(e)&M(other)" is about the role of the artist and the role of the mother - these are juxtaposed and contrasted, compared and evaluated. In the dance world, where physicality functions as a working medium, motherhood is still only quietly addressed. The Frankfurt choreographer and dancer Raimonda Gudavičiūtė speaks openly about her inner conflict: in practice it is always difficult to be both a committed and caring mother and a creative freelance artist.
The short film not only portrays the contradiction between the private, social and professional ambitions of Raimonda Gudavičiūtė, but also sensitively reveals the position of her 7-year-old son Elias. The constant being together during the last months has created a new approach to the mother's profession. Through contemporary dance Elias got to know his mother's personality better and found a way to a different way of thinking, cognition and expression. Through dance a bridge was built to a new, intimate communication between mother and son.
"M(e) & M(other) is a short film of under 8 minutes and my first approximation to the thematic of motherhood. Unlike M(other) it is a purely personal confrontation with the issue of reconciling children and work.
Being used to create for the stage this work forced me to adapt my movement to the camera, that requires a different kind of choregraphy, especially regarding speed of movement and ambient lights. Thus being said it also offers entirely new perspectives."
Forest
Premiere March 2020
Gallus Theater Frankfurt /
Dansema Dance Theater
The forest is a mystical place full of secrets and unexpected encounters with unusual plants or colorful butterflies. It is cozy and full of sounds, movements and reflections. Together with the two dancers small toddlers are encouraged to explore and awake their joy of discovery.
The choreographers, Birute Banevičiūtė and Raimonda Gudavičiūtė create a space based on the theme of the forest, inviting very young people to an individual interaction on stage.
"Forest is a piece that was realized in coproduction with the lithuanian choreographer Birutė Banevičiūtė. Though I have worked with children on many occasions before, creating a piece for such a young audience (8-24 month) was an entirely new approach for me. The idea to invite this young audience to actively participate, explore and interact on stage added a refreshingly unpredictable note to that piece."
Within
Premiere January 2015
Gallus Theater Frankfurt
In today's society we are constantly confronted with stress, mental overload and the striving for success. Internal and external pressure threatens to throw us off balance and to influence our orientation in life.
Humans are very complex and many components act together to keep us in balance. It is in our nature to strive for balance. How do I find harmony? When am I centered? What makes me lose my balance? Numerous factors affect the mental and physical state of an individual and some of them can be destructive. Many people are struggling against diseases attacking and weakening their bodies. Other influences result in inner conflicts, anxiety, depression, addiction and ambivalence.
The piece addresses the inner physical and mental struggle of humans. With two dancers on stage, it explores the discrepancy between harmony and disharmony, chaos and order, tension and relaxation, construction and destruction, rejection and acceptance, restriction and freedom.
"Within is a duet created and danced in collaboration with Sanna Lundström. It is a special piece to me, as it is the first own work I premiered in Frankfurt. Knowing by then that I will most probably live and work from Frankfurt for the upcoming years, I felt the pressure of making Within a success, as it would have a huge impact on how the local community would see me as a choreographer. All the more I felt relieved about the positive response I got."
Taip
Premiere 2009
Kaunas - Lithuania
...We did not come here to pick up love from the others and to prove our worth in this way. We are here in order to accomplish a difficult task - by loving and accepting ourselves fully and become wholesome and complete. Nobody else is obliged to love us, just we ourselves...
Two dancers and a cello player on stage contemplate on the topics of search for oneself in others, conditionings of the past, discovering silence in noise. Investigation of inner femininity and masculinity that dwells deeply inside each human being could be found in the project as an attempt to unify those two aspects. How does it feel when we come back to ourselves in order to say “Yes – I am what I am and I am loved unconditionally – as I am...?
" What I like about Taip is that the piece isn't afraid of positive energy and the aestetic of dance. It was special to be performing live with a cello player on stage and also the lighting effects and video projections were something very special and new at that time. But more than everything I enjoyed creating a piece together with my dear friend Mantas, who I know since my time at Aura Dance Theater. This friendship helped us a lot while dealing with the concept of Taip. It also was my first piece to be shown in several diffrent countries.
In Germany, I performed Taip for the first time six years after its premiere. The rehearsals were all the more fascinating for me, as they showed me how I had developed as a choreographer and dancer since then."
Back
Premiere 2008
18th International Dance Festival Aura, Kaunas - Lithuania
This performance is just about a person: about his relationship with another, with others, about the endless longing for a loved one. The dancers primarily seek to express not the peripetias of the relationship between a man and a woman, but two people, two individuals. Soft, steady movements starting from the back reveal feelings of fear, loneliness, insecurity, beauty and memories of the past.
"Back is the first piece for which I was in charge of the choreography. I immediately became aware of how much more responsibility it means when you are not only involved in a piece as a dancer, but are also in charge of the choreography. Despite the additional pressure, I enjoyed this task immensely and it was clear to me that Back would not be the last piece for which I would take over the choreography.
Dance & Performance
"Dance is the core of all my professional activities. It is my passion, what defines me. From an early age, dance has been a medium in which I could express myself. I love to challenge my body again and again, to go to the limit. Dance is so incredibly diverse that you never stop learning, but always discover new forms of expression. And so dance will always be an essential part of my life.
In addition to my engagements as a dancer, I have also taken part in some pieces as a performer, in which strong forms of expression were more important than movement."
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Teaching
"Teaching is a way for me to pass on my dance style, my ideas of movement, but most of all my passion for dancing. Over the years I have taught at many different dance schools and institutions. From children over professionals to pensioners, I have taught a wide variety of different dancers."
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Professional dancers
For many years I am giving workshops for professional dancers.
Since I am living in Frankfurt I regularly give classes at the Künstlerhaus Mousonturm for the Tanzplattform Rhein-Main.
Class description:
The Contemporary dance training is based on floor work, a sense of heaviness and lightness, and the principles of pushing and pulling. With these ideas we will enjoy different dynamic states. Observing the state of one's own body, the rhythm of breathing and concentrating the thoughts on the here and now is the main goal of the training.
It is followed by exercises on the floor and dynamic sequences that reach into the space by stimulating the lightness of movements. Important elements are the distinctive use of the spine and the body centre, the potential of gravity, timing, impulses and quick changes of movement and space. An important aspect of the movement is the focus on the connection between the centre and other parts of the body. The aim is to improve knowledge of one's own body and to break free from patterns of movement. It will be a great journey of fluid and round movement material focusing on the use of space, precise movement and looking for an "attack feeling".
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Dance schools
In my career I have taught at various dance schools with very different focuses. From young beginners to very advanced groups, I have had the pleasure of teaching many students.
From May onwards, I am very much looking forward to meeting the students of the Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst Frankfurt, where I will be teaching this spring.
Private classes
Of course I also offer private lessons, whether it is for your personal development or for groups who would like to deepen their knowledge of contemporary dance.
Should you be interested then do not hesitate to contact me.
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Mum&Baby / preschool
Having two children myself, I know how difficult and at the same time immensely important it is to get your body fit again after pregnancy. Especially since you are busy with the baby around the clock. That's why I've been regularly offering "Dancing with Baby" for a few years now. This course, offered in cooperation with the Monikahaus in Frankfurt, is intended to give all mothers who enjoy dancing the opportunity to engage in physical activity together with their offspring and to escape from everyday life for a while.
Since 2021, I have also been involved in the project "Moove On!" in collaboration with the Crespo Foundation and the Tanzplattform Rhein-Main, which aims to give kindergarten children a balance to the pandemic-related lack of movement through dance lessons. Find out more...