Agnietė Lisičkinaitė presents an experience halfway between a performance and a political intervention, inviting the audience to participate in reconstructing a public space. The Lithuanian artist considers dance a tool for social activism, capable of provoking, stimulating dialogue and triggering thoughts and questions. For a long time, Lisičkinaitė has been investigating the role of the body in protests and how protests are embodied in different cultural, social and religious contexts, starting from the assumption that all protests start and end with human bodies. “HANDS UP” examines the fragile distance between surrender and devotion, reconciliation and resistance. What are the consequences of a non-constructive protest close to recent global movements? What kind of protest do we want to create in the future? Will it be a symbol of freedom or aggression? This ever-evolving research has no single truth or answer.
ARTIST:
Agnietė Lisičkinaitė is an independent contemporary dance artist, choreographer, and teacher. From 2020 to 2024, she served as chairwoman of the Lithuania Contemporary Dance Association and is now a council member. Agnietė is recognized in the international dance community as a politically engaged creator who explores themes of protest culture, the influence of political regimes, and the various interpretations of freedom. Central to her creative practice is the physically exhausted body, which serves as a symbol of those living under various forms of oppression. She is particularly known for her solo project, “Hands Up.””
In 2019, Agnietė and her creative partner, Greta Grinevičiūte, founded Be Company, an organization that operates in the fields of contemporary dance, artistic social activism, and cultural education. A key mission of Be Company is to support emerging dance artists by producing their works and engaging with diverse communities, including the elderly, LGBTQ+ individuals, and teenagers. Additionally, Agnietė Lisičkinaitė is a lecturer at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, where she teaches contemporary dance to students.
BE COMPANY is an independent organisation of contemporary dance art. Two socially active and determined choreographers, Agniete and Greta, are willing to defend their beliefs, freedoms and the rights of social minorities. The artists seek to create a cohesive dialogue between the performing arts and social activities as well as to expand the boundaries of diversity and self-expression in Lithuania. For these reasons, they regularly collaborate in different artistic and socio-cultural projects with the LGBT+ community, national minorities, different age groups, and more. Frequently the reality of their work approaches phantasmagoria which uses the synergy of various media.