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Kaunas Dance Theatre AURA is a professional dance theatre that summon up a huge dance practice and achieved an international appreciation during its 30 years of practice. AURA was established by the grand dancer, well-known choreographer and dance educator Birute Letukaite in 1980. And after 30 years dance theatre is still guided by her.
AURA took part in various international events, represented Lithuania's modern dance in 25 foreign countries (Austria, Great Britain, Greece, Canada, France, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Germany etc.), performed at nearly 150 festivals. In 2001 AURA organized a performance on one of the most significant world's stages - “Dansens Hus” (Stockholm, Sweden) and in 2005 theatre was invited to Luxemburg to close II European Cultural Forum “Re-discovering Europe”.
AURA has educated excellent dancers, who, according to critics, not only demonstrates the high performance of modern dance culture, but also a passionate devotion to the art of dance. Many AURA pupils continues dancers career or dance studies abroad.
AURA constantly cooperates with foreign choreographers and dance educators – more than 30 choreographers from 12 countries have worked with Dance Theatre; also joint projects with musicians, visual artists, photographers and other creators of modern art have been developed.
In 1989 AURA held the first international modern dance festival in Lithuania, which over twenty years of existence has become a meaningful Kaunas's tradition and significant event in the country. 20th Anniversary festival will run at the end of September 2010.
In 2009 new creative space was born – Contemporary Art Laboratory “Aura & Demons”, which based on contemporary art project practice initiated by AURA in 2007. Novice and experienced developers of modern art are invited there to share their creative search and development of joint projects.
On AURA's repertoire are 15 contemporary dance performances, among them some particularly successful: “Extremum mobile” (choreographer – Birute Letukaite, 2001), “Aseptic Zone or Lithuanian Songs” (choreographer – Birute Letukaite, 2004), “Time Line” (choreogrphers - Yossi Berg, Oded Graf (Izraelis), Birute Letukaite, 2006), “Tabula Rasa” (choreographer – Barbara Bourget (Canada), 2007). Theatre is always looking for new, unconventional spaces for its performances – dancers have appeared in open spaces of the city, the former factory premise, museum, swimming pool, business center etc.
AURA was one of the first theatres that developed social-educational programs for dance enthusiasts and professionals. In Dance Theatre projects have participated people with reduced mobility and visual disabilities, also students, seniors, artists in other fields. Kaunas Dance Theatre AURA has dance studio, where dance classes for all ages are arranged.
AURA has 49 city, national and international awards, also received excellent feedback from both domestic and foreign press. In 2006 Birute Letukaite was awarded the Golden Stage Cross for the choreography of performance “Aseptic Zone or Lithuanian Songs” and in 2008 she become a government cultural and artistic prize winner. | | | | | | |
