Agnietė Lisičkinaitė and Igor Shugaleev (Lithuania / Belarus) – CLAP & SLAP (Premiere)

Duration: 50 min.

The performance CLAP & SLAP explores a complex and paralysing tension which emerged in Eastern Europe (and between Lithuania and Belarus specifically), following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24th 2022. This tension is examined through historical, political, geographical, and social lenses, alongside the personal experiences of Agnietė and Igor.

Being politically engaged in the events of the Belarusian revolution in 2020, Igor participated in protests in Belarus, while Agnietė participated in demonstrations in front of the Belarusian embassy in Vilnius. Igor was forced to leave his homeland; Agnietė made the decision not to collaborate with Russian-speaking artists.

Today, meeting on the same stage, these two artists make an attempt at a dialogue that seems impossible outside of art: dialogue between fear and the necessity of action, between collective and personal responsibilities, between personal tragedy and geopolitical catastrophe.

Without naive ambition to find solutions to political or military conflicts, the performance hopes to invoke political and philosophical reflection upon our own ability to distinguish responsibility and guilt, nationalism and patriotism, self-defence and aggression, seeking to trust and trying to protect. How can we maintain a balance between the need for self-defense and the risk of mirroring the very aggression we are fighting against? Can we respect each other’s differences, uphold personal beliefs, and protect individual freedoms without infringing on others’ rights?

This is the line of questioning, to which Agnietė and Igor expose themselves and their audience. 

Dance artists Agnietė Lisičkinaitė (Lithuania) and Igor Shugaleev (Belarus) are internationally recognized for their politically engaged work, exploring protest culture, the impact of political regimes, and personal interpretations of freedom. Central to their creative practices is the physically exhausted body, symbolizing those who are oppressed by various systems.

CREATIVE TEAM:

Authors of idea, choreography: A. Lisičkinaite, I. Shugaleev

Performers: A. Lisičkinaitė, I. Shugaleev

Composer: A. Matulevičiūtė

Scenographer: O. Makukhin

Dramaturg: B. Hartsorn

Consultant director: O. Lapina

Light designer: P. Laurinaitis

Producer: Be Company

Photos: M. Norvaiša

Funded by: Lithuania culture council

Creative residencies: Radialsystem Berlin, Studio ALTA, Bora Bora dance center, Santarcangelo festival. 

Instagram: @superagniete / @shugaleev

Facebook: @Agnietė Lisičkinaitė / @Igor Shugaleev