Jazz dance and music performance „Lindyhopera“

Live music, jazzy, almost vocal, bodies, a sense of freedom and abandon, the grace and elegance radiated by dance – this is Lindyhopera, which will pull you out of the daily routine, awaken your dormant vitality, and get your blood flowing. The energy of a vintage jazz ensemble, The Schwings Band, the movement architecture crafted by choreographer Elzė Višnevskytė, and the cascades of jazz and swing from composer Remis Rančys will guarantee a delightful evening.

The main playwright of the performance is the body – or rather, the actors of the Old Theatre of Vilnius and their bodies. The director is music and rhythm. It’s no coincidence that jazz and swing have become synonymous with freedom, and Lindy Hop is undoubtedly a rehearsal for liberty. Jazz dance – which also incorporates Charleston, Black Bottom, tap, acro, solo jazz, Balboa, among others – was born out of a need for liberation and joy.

Jazz is diverse and omnipresent; its language is based on rhythm, improvisation, individuality, and expression. These elements have the power to create identity, to forge a bond with self and others. Jazz dance was born and evolved in nightclubs, but would be performed both in the streets and living rooms. Lindy Hop is a very energetic partner dance that originated in the 1920s within the African-American community of Harlem, New York.

The performance explores the relationship between freedom and structure. Is limitless, structureless freedom possible? Can structure provide security? What kind of freedom are we striving for? How and what does jazz communicate to us today, and what can it teach us?

Live music and choreography create a theatrical miracle, which we all await daily like a promise – one that nonetheless never comes true. This fiesta of expression is for everyone: young, mature, elderly; for those who love jazz and don’t want to worry about ‘serious matters’, i.e. trifles. Here, no one loses.