{"id":5862,"date":"2022-02-19T13:17:32","date_gmt":"2022-02-19T11:17:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dance.lv\/eng\/?p=5862"},"modified":"2022-03-23T09:52:37","modified_gmt":"2022-03-23T07:52:37","slug":"interview-with-arunas-mozuraitis-and-adrian-carlo-bibiano%ef%bf%bc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dance.lv\/eng\/interview-with-arunas-mozuraitis-and-adrian-carlo-bibiano%ef%bf%bc\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Ar\u016bnas Moz\u016braitis and Adrian Carlo Bibiano"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Alyssa Gersony<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Sunday, February 16th, 2022 the Lithuanian dance company Nuepiko<\/em> premiered the duet \u201cPakankamas Atstumas\u201d \/ \u201cA Fair Distance\u201d at the Gertrude Street Theater in Riga, Latvia. The dancers featured included Ar\u016bnas Moz\u016braitis and Adrian Carlo Bibiano. The company was in residence for one week leading up to the production. The following context notes were made during the performance and audience talk-back, and the artist interview occurred directly after the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Context Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPakankamas Atstumas\u201d \/ \u201cA Fair Distance\u201d is best described as a duet that featured a third performer: a rope over 10 meters long. The dancers are costumed to match the color of the rope, a light sandy brown, suggesting a connection between both animate and inanimate bodies. The near hour-long dance performance established a series of relations between the three bodies, framed by dramatic theatrical lighting and a discordant electronic sound score. As the lights come up, their beige silhouettes contrast the black Marley floor and soft goods suspended around the perimeter of the stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thematically the piece deals with topics of empathy: of \u201cstanding in another\u2019s place, or shoes,\u201d a metaphor weaved across the evening. Of the many possibilities of working with a singular prop, the rope was transformed by Ar\u016bnas and Adrian into a physical playground. They walked it as a balance beam, pulled tight at opposite ends, entangled themselves into puzzling webs and left it nearby when they chose to dance without it. The only rule about how to engage with the rope, it seems, is that the rules could change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ar\u016bnas and Adrian, both versatile, articulate dancers in their own right, offered hybridized movement vocabularies influenced by contemporary floorwork, contact improvisation, acrobatics, circus, breakdancing, house, and Gaga. A resonant idea lingering after the performance rests in the way relationships have navigated space over the last few years\u2026 the psychic, spiritual, physical and virtual distances between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alyssa Gersony<\/strong>: Ok so you shared a little bit with us earlier about your background, but I\u2019m wondering if you can tell us more about how you both ended up in Kaunas, Lithuania?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ar\u016bnas Moz\u016braitis<\/strong>: I am from a really small town in Lithuania. Then when I was 18, I moved to study in Vilnius\u2026 and after my studies, I was relating to dance a lot, but I wanted to explore more so I moved to London. I studied dance there, but after one year I couldn\u2019t finance myself anymore (because it’s super expensive) so I went to Sweden for 2 more years since the education was free. After my studies were over, I stayed a bit, and then went back to London to live. I spent my time there until the pandemic happened, and the money wasn\u2019t really good, so I said to myself \u201cokay, I\u2019ll go back to Lithuania for the summer since it’s cheap, then return to London afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when I went back to Lithuania, I wrote to many theaters to check in on workshops, camps, auditions\u2026 and one of the theaters in Kaunas, they replied that they would hold a private audition for me. So I went, I succeeded, and then because I got the contract I was like, \u201cOk, for one year I\u2019ll stay and see what happens.\u201d During that year I met many people in Kaunas and really started liking what was happening there, the people and what\u2019s going on around it. Like now, I have a girlfriend and we live together\u2026 so the whole thing\u2026 it was like \u201cyou cannot leave now, you\u2019re gonna stay!\u201d (laughing), but yeah, I don\u2019t really know how long I\u2019m going to stay\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alyssa<\/strong>: Ok, so it was really the conditions of the pandemic that brought you back?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ar\u016bnas<\/strong>: Yes, and the opportunity that was given by the theater for a one-year contract. I was like, \u201cwhat am I going to do if I go back to London?\u201d So I thought for one year, I can just see and yeah, many plans changing in such a short time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alyssa<\/strong>: And Adrian, what about you? What was your path to Kaunas?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adrian Carlo Bibiano:<\/strong> When I was a student in University, I was studying psychology, at that point I wasn\u2019t sure if I wanted to dive in completely into dance\u2026 because it was a hobby. So I was like, \u201cshould I do it professionally?\u201d But then I would really have to leave school, because I thought my studies were getting in the way\u2026 but then once I started to think like that I was like, \u201cwait a second, so what do you mean your studies are getting in the way of dance?\u201d It meant that my studies became my hobby, and dance became the main thing. So once I understood that, I came out to my parents that I had to quit University because dance is the one thing I needed to dedicate myself to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once that happened, well\u2026 I was in an independent company in Puerto Vallarta in Mexico, and as you know Mexico is quite extensive, so through working and through time we got to tour around. I met incredible people working on their craft, making festivals, workshops on an international level. Then I traveled to Canada, met more people, then more opportunities in Europe. But funny enough that’s not what brought me to Kaunas (laughing)… once I got back to Mexico, and was settling in\u2026 I met this special someone who would then turn into my wife. And she is Lithuanian! So we met in Mexico in Puerto Vallarta, my hometown. I was not sure, I mean, I was really committed to dance, but this person was really shifting my thinking: knowing that dance isn\u2019t a \u201cperson\u201d – that I wasn\u2019t abandoning it – that it’s more about the people that I\u2019m sharing dance with. Dance is something that emanates from me, it’s a part of me, even if I go to the darkest place, I will be able to somehow dance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I got to Lithuania, it took me more than half a year to find people that I could connect with and that’s really when I got into it and involved myself once again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alyssa<\/strong>: So this is the question, really, what is it like in Kaunas for dance makers, especially for both of you who have traveled and lived in many different places\u2026 What is it like to be there and to be forming a dance company right now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ar\u016bnas<\/strong>: Well because I am Lithuanian, I think from when I was a teenager, I was like, \u201cI am never going to live in Kaunas,\u201d (laughing)… no, really – I was like \u201cnever.\u201d But then because of work, again I stayed, and I was like \u201cOk, let\u2019s see.\u201d It took me, I don\u2019t know, maybe a month to kind of think, \u201cwow, it\u2019s nice.\u201d A lot of artistic things are happening, galleries, festivals\u2026 and for me this was really an interesting part of it. I met new people who would tell me about this and that. Also, because when I joined a company I fell into that international atmosphere, which for me is very important. For me I love having a lot of multicultural people in one place, it’s part of why I loved London. It’s beautiful. And this was what I thought was impossible to feel in Kaunas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So basically, that’s why Kaunas became a home to me, I had people, different artists from circus, visual art, dance, theater, everything\u2026 so I wanted to explore more and stay. And I think even after a year and a half I\u2019m still not done. Like research is still going on – discovering places and people. So I think as long as I’m not bored (laughing) I\u2019m going to remain there – then see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adrian<\/strong>: I would have to backtrack a bit. When I first arrived, it was a dark half a year for me\u2026 the culture shock of being in the Baltic countries was a lot, the change was crazy. The way people would perceive me, receive me, talk, exchange, all that it was a really tough transition. And on top of that I couldn’t really see people pushing dance or art in Kaunas specifically. Whenever I went out, I would never see anything related to dance, the only one thing I would see was one company\u2026 but nobody in the streets dancing. So I thought, \u201cmaybe there is no dance here?\u201d But it wasn’t until I met one person who brought me into the association to meet more people, and then I understood that there was a scene, it’s just not as well supported as in the rest of Europe. But now we are talking, now you can see that it’s being pushed, but the time I got there – it was really sad, I couldn\u2019t see this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But now I can see it. And I can see it in big banners and on the bus, and before it wasn\u2019t a thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alyssa<\/strong>: So, did you move around the same time in 2020?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adrian<\/strong>: I believe I moved there in 2018. Because after one year I said I wouldn\u2019t stay in Lithuania, so we went back to Mexico. But then being in Mexico we understood that things were actually moving quite well in Lithuania, that we were developing a good rhythm of life. So when we were back in Mexico, we thought \u201cOk, let\u2019s try again.\u201d So we came back. And we were right. And there is a specific attitude that matters too, it’s not just about the place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alyssa<\/strong>: So, are you able to survive as performers? As dancers? Or are you also taking other jobs like teaching or\u2026?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ar\u016bnas<\/strong>: Yes, we can survive as dancers. But that comes with everything together: performing, teaching, choreographing. It’s not that we are only dancing. But we are doing things related to dance. This is one of the things that I was glad about in Lithuania because I learned that I could live from dance. Also it’s an economic situation that is not that expensive, and I could support myself towards this. But in London I couldn’t even think that one day I’m going to just live from dance – unless you are in a company of course. But in Kaunas, yes, dance is really our career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alyssa<\/strong>: Is it the same for you, Adrian?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adrian<\/strong>: I would say so. It’s like everything that we get is either art-related, or acting or modeling, or being in a film. I went from surviving to maybe living\u2026 from like the super hustle to like, \u201cOkay, I don\u2019t need to count everything. I can be more chill.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alyssa<\/strong>: This is really what I\u2019m curious about. In terms of taking the temperature, taking stock of what it means to live and work in the Baltics. What do you see in terms of the vision of the company, and your vision for creating and sustaining a creative life moving forward? What does that mean for you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adrian<\/strong>: Ohmygoodness, this question has so many layers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alyssa<\/strong>: I can distill it. What do you see as the vision of the company?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adrian<\/strong>: Yes, still broad. But we can try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ar\u016bnas<\/strong>: Okay, I think because we are really members of the company. And the \u201ccreator\u201d – I think he has more vision and goals within the company\u2026 because even though we are all working together, it’s still his \u201cbaby\u201d in a way (laughs). He is going to do everything to make it work. And for us, we really believe in this company. They helped me to understand that I can freelance. That I can follow my artistic goals. That I don\u2019t \u201cbelong\u201d to this company in the way that I can pursue other interests. It’s not all or nothing. They give us the chance to develop, to attend different events, and this I really appreciate. With this approach, I see myself growing a lot, and with the company itself. If you are stuck in the framework of a company, then you cannot do your own stuff. It’s exclusive. That killed me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adrian<\/strong>: When I met the company, before I was a part of it (yet to dive into it) I thought to myself that I could work here. I saw their chemistry. I thought I could fit in. I really enjoyed the individuality of the three people, three different thinking heads, three different bodies, different approaches – but all working towards the same goal. This to me is what it’s about in terms of being in a company without losing your roots. It’s a division of projects and there will always be listening and back-and-forth, but there is this idea that everybody is open to listening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alyssa<\/strong>: And so, for you, as an individual artist in the next couple years, how do you see yourself building on that? What other projects are you involved in? Or is the company really it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adrian<\/strong>: Well as Ar\u016bnas mentioned, freelancing on the side. And then perhaps taking opportunities that come up. We can represent the company if we are teaching or taking another job. Which is nice, because they back you up – but also it’s more responsibility because we are holding their name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alyssa<\/strong>: Oh, that\u2019s really nice, it sounds flexible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adrian<\/strong>: Also, one other thing I forgot to mention when we were in the talk-back, I was so chill, but like, the whole residency wouldn\u2019t have been possible without the funding we got from Nordic Culture Point. Because originally, I got this funding, but my collaborator got sick, but Nordic Culture Point was flexible, and I could still use the funding, and repurpose it to this project. And now that we are here, speaking, getting feedback, being in the whole feel of a residency outside your daily routine. It\u2019s totally worth it. There is so much gained from being in a residency in a new space, the flow of thinking and to distance yourself from the quotidian. You really disconnect and focus. No stress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ar\u016bnas<\/strong>: It was so nice to have this rhythm. To be like, \u201cOk we are just working on one piece and then go home at the end of the day.\u201d Because normally in Lithuania, we come home and then I am preparing for the next thing, the next class. But here I could just take my dog for a walk and not think about anything. I loved it so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adrian<\/strong>: Everyday we came back to the studio, we would be refreshed. It’s not bad to get stuck in a process. It’s normal. But being able to disconnect every day from work helped us manage a flow. There was no time where we were like, what are we going to do here? We had a flow of ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alyssa<\/strong>: It sounds like a super helpful context to work in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adrian<\/strong>: The theater is so nice\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ar\u016bnas<\/strong>: \u2026the collaboration has been great!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alyssa<\/strong>: Thank you both so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alyssa Gersony (USA)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biography: Alyssa is an interdisciplinary artist, vision rehabilitation therapist and orientation and mobility specialist based in New York City and R\u012bga, Latvia. She is currently a 2021\u20132022 dance research Fulbright grantee. alyssagersony.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adrian Carlo Bibiano (MX)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biography: An inner space traveler, dancer, movement and scenic artist based in Kaunas, Lithuania, originally born in Canada and raised in M\u00e9xico.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ar\u016bnas Moz\u016braitis (LT)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biography: Movement enthusiast, started his dance career as a Street Dancer, later on found his passion in dance theater. A passionate House Dance Community figure attending and organizing events in Lithuania and abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo: Karolina Latvyt\u0117 Bibiano<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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