News

The Kaunas City Chamber Theatre opens its new season with a search for human connection, presenting the premiere of “Strings Attached” on August 23 as part of the inclusive performing arts platform “Serpentine Laboratory.” This movement-based performance reflects on the innate human desire to connect, to belong to a community, and to be accepted. The piece is created by performers with various disabilities together with professional dancers and choreographers Mariia Bakalo and Tadas Almantas.

Inspired by the myth of platonic love

The performance draws inspiration from the myth described in Plato’s “Symposium,” about the first humans who were split in half by the gods and condemned to search for their other half forever. However, the focus of this work is not longing for romantic love, but rather the poetry of everyday life, revealed through small yet meaningful moments of togetherness.

“Togetherness became the element I valued most throughout the entire process. Creating this performance requires getting to know and accept a wide variety of people. We all differ in our abilities. Personally, I wouldn’t call them disabilities, but rather certain characteristics that are interesting and meaningful to explore. Preparing for this performance was an eye-opening experience that pushed me out of my comfort zone,” shares performer Laura Stadalninkaitė.

Created by artists from Ukraine and Lithuania

The choreography was created by Mariia Bakalo and Tadas Almantas. Their collaboration brings together different contexts, experiences, and choreographic methods. Mariia Bakalo is a choreographer from Crimea, currently living in Lviv. She is a recipient of the Gluck Fellowship, the danceWEB scholarship, the Ukrainian Presidential Award for achievements in dance, and the Tanja Liedtke Foundation scholarship, among others. Tadas Almantas is a choreographer, dancer, and educator from Kaunas who studied dance in Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Germany.

“The performers I work with are incredibly interesting and receptive artists. Their physical or other limitations have revealed possibilities I hadn’t noticed before and encouraged me to search for various inclusive solutions. This has been a new and eye-opening experience for me, during which I feel I have learned a great deal. I realized that the methods I previously used may collapse and become ineffective when working with people who move and think so differently. Once again, it became clear to me that flexibility and the ability to adapt to very different capabilities and needs are among the most important qualities every performing arts professional should develop,” says choreographer Tadas Almantas.

Building relationships through movement

“A significant part of the preparation involved activating both the physical body and the mind. We incorporated physical contact through touch, improvisation, and vocalization. At times, we used common art therapy methods, such as drawing, listening, dancing to music, and watching recordings of performances by mixed-ability dance companies. We also applied a more experimental approach, introducing practices by Meg Stuart and Fluxus performance art. I encouraged everyone to step out of their comfort zone and focus on the ultimate goal—to foster an open, community-based environment that nurtures care, acceptance, and creativity,” explains choreographer Mariia Bakalo.

“We also discussed how a professional performing arts dancer could be defined in theory, and what skills are necessary to avoid manifestations of ableism (discrimination and prejudice against people with disabilities). Through discussions and movement practices, various components and categories emerged—tools of stage practice that can be used to develop musicality, coordination, memory, and movement vocabulary among performers with disabilities,” adds T. Almantas.

A project promoting social inclusion

The movement performance “Strings Attached” is part of the inclusive performing arts platform “Serpentine Laboratory,” an ongoing initiative by the Kaunas City Chamber Theatre since 2019. It includes creative workshops, specialized training programs, professional stage productions, and their dissemination. The performance is funded by the Kaunas City Municipality and the Lithuanian Council for Culture.

“In the summer of 2022, together with choreographer Inna Falkova, we created the sensitive movement-based piece ‘Is It Easy for You?’ at the Kaunas City Chamber Theatre. I was truly happy to receive an invitation to work again with the Serpentine Laboratory on a new mixed-ability performance with some of the previous performers. This project holds a special place in my heart—I grow as an artist here and have learned wonderful things about what it means to be human,” recalls M. Bakalo.

“It is incredibly valuable to be part of a project that encourages you to step outside your social bubble. While preparing for the performance, I met so many interesting people I might never have encountered otherwise,” says dancer Ema Senkuvienė.

The premiere of “Strings Attached” at the Kaunas City Chamber Theatre will take place on August 23, and November 22 and 23, 2025. Tickets are available through the Kaunas City Chamber Theatre.