The ballet company consists of 68 dancers and since 1992 the leader of the ballet troupe is Tatjana Sedunova

Through all the long period I have been following the Lithuanian National Ballet, I have noticed how well the ballet chief, and in that position, responsible for the repertoire and casting, how she in addition to using her famous soloists, also are giving very many possibilities to the many young and older talents in the company, such as for example Anastacia Cumakova, Inga Cibulskyte, Romas Ceizaris and Martynas Rimeikis, The last mentioned lately brilliant in the demanding role as Franz in Coppelia. So they can grow and become leading soloists
. I have specially been following dancers, without mentioning names here, where I have seen their talents, and then a short time later having noticed that they have got even bigger and more demanding solo parts.

Furtherone the choice of international cooperators as choreographs, scenographs and costumiers. It has been interesting to notice how well the balletchief, together with her staff, with the highest possible professional competence in Lithuania, leaded by the excellent former male soloist in the company, Voldemaras Chlebinskas, which I am happy still to enjoy on stage in demanding character roles in ballets such as Coppelius and Madge in La Sylphide, in The Sleeping Beauty, and in other connections as in operettas. How well they staff together are choosing experts from abroad each with their specialty in what they are invited to Vilnius to present through new productions.

A very good example is Johan Kloborg, a highly acclaimed soloist from the Royal Danish Ballet and from the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden, London. Who came to Vilnius to stage the famous Danish/French choreographer August Bournonville s ballet La Sylphide, with the very complicated and demanding Bournonville technique, which is not yet registrated as a World Heritage in the ballet world.

Olga Konosenko, White Swan, foto Olga Stapsiene 2010

The Bournonville School is the basic for the Royal Danish Ballet. Its steps are like from another world than the Russian School, which from that, most of the former Eastern Europe’s dance companies are having their background
. And as there only are a few basic school, as the Bournonville, the French School and the Russian school as the most important classical schools, it is demanding for a company as the Lithuanian National Ballet to present one of the most famous worldwide ballets, La Sylphide, with Bournonville´s original steps, epaulement and mime.

As all big national ballet companies it is the company’s most important duty to present the big classical ballets to the audience, and this is the Lithuanian National Ballet doing very well. That is the basic for the ballet world, a lot of it based on the French choreographer Petipa and his school, but many places renewed by other choreographers, such as Rudolf Nureyev, John Neumeier, to only mention a few. In this work is another good example, the brilliant Russian capacity Liudmila Kovaliova who have been staging the two famous classical ballets Sleeping Beauty Choreography by the French choreographer Marius Petipa in a renewed version and La Bayadere Stage choreographers Liudmila Kovaliova and Altynai Asylmuratova, based on the French choreographer Marius Petipas original steps. Both with absolutely wonderful results. La Bayadere, as still in Vilnius, ends with the famous white 3^rd act. I find the Vilnius production nearly better than the Rudolf Nureyev production in Paris, which I have seen several times.

The Lithuanian Don Quixote is too a brilliant example, and not to forget the Swan Lake, Choreography by the French choreographer Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov in a good Revised version by Konstantin Sergeyev which is marvellouse.

There are many great contemporary dance companies, theatre and others in Lithuania, taking good care of the contemporary ballets, and for that kind of contemporary dance and dance milieu, it is important that the country is having a National Ballet Company, which seriously and with big variations are presenting the most important classical works. Therefore it was a great pleasure that the company for its 85 years Jubilee, found back to the roots of the company, with a new demanding expressive and a bit modernized version of Coppelia, as a marking of the first roots of the company. And the French composer Leo Delibes wonderful music is outstanding and very inspiring.

The company celebrated the Paris 100 years of Dhiaghilevs Ballet Russes, with presenting the actual double contemporary performance The Firebird to music by Igor Stravinsky by the Choreographer and Author of Libretto Uwe Scholz (Germany) made by Tatjana Thierbach (Germany) in combination with Dhiaghilev Fantasies to music by Ottorino Respighi and Gioacchino Rossini, Choreographer Peter Anastos (USA), was premiered the 25 April 2008.The third good example is the cooperation with and presentation of Russian Hamlet and Red Giselle by Boris Eifram, which is a combination of dancing theatre, classical ballet and contemporary dance. Who needs dancers which are having talent in many directions. In these popular productions the dancers can show their talents in many ways.

If I should propose some young contemporary choreographers to be invited to Vilnius. It could be Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon from the Netherlands, which would give the dancers a completely other view on expressive dance. In their programs, often consisting of 3-4 small ballets there are big demands to the dancers and the audience.

To reach a young audience, I would recommend two young Norwegian choreographers Kristian Støvind, a young brilliant dancer at the Norwegian National Ballet and choreographer, his choreographies which specially are meeting the young audience. For example a short modern version of Romeo and Juliet, with reduced orchestra. – But it needs a smaller hall. Further one the popular Jo Strømgren, who right now is having his latest premiere, his first whole evening ballet, with the Norwegian National Ballet “The Seasons” with Vivaldi Music for a chamber ensemble. It is not yet filling up the large hall in Oslo.

Furtherone the French choreographer Thierry Malandain, leader of the Malandain Ballet in Biarritz, which for example are renewing and right now presenting some of the most popular and famous ballets to the music of Tchaikovsky in short versions. Last but not least Jean-Christophe Maillot and his Ballet des Monte Carlo, presenting renewed version of classical ballets. Trying to lift the heritage after the Diaghilev Ballet des Monte Carlo.

As the internationally acclaimed choreographers, often are demanding sky high honorary for staging and choreographing a production, and in addition copyright money for every time a production is being shown, of course all the ballet companies has to consider, how much money do they have in the budget to invite expensive choreographers. I am sure that this is a reason for why for example some world famous choreographers names Glen Tetley, George Balanchine, Jiri Kylian, William Forsythe and others, nearly don’t exist in the former Eastern Europe.

I hope that in the future the Lithuanian country will give the ballet of Lithuania better conditions and support so that they also can permit them self to invite these big names to make ballets for the Lithuanian National Ballet.

But the contrary is that all company’s and countries shall not show the same ballets by the same choreographers. This is giving the variations, and is doing that for example tourists and ballet lovers are travelling to the Baltic Countries to enjoy big classical ballets and specialties as Egle, Queen of Grass Snakes. Boris Eiframs ballets, where I lately enjoyed his version of Anna Karenina in Riga together with 35 ballet- and opera lovers from Norway, who visited Vilnius (for the second time in two years) , Riga and Tallinn.

In this way I have had the great pleasure to follow the ballet management, headed by its brilliant ballet chief Tatjana Sedunova´s efforts to present a program with big variations, in the frame of the economical possibilities, with a lot of possibilities for the company’s dancers, headed by its three outstanding prima ballerinas, Egle Spokaité, still going strong and with her beautiful expressive presentations of her many different roles, both in the important classical repertoire and in contemporary ballets, such as Egle, Queen of Grass Snakes. In addition the two younger prima ballerinas Miki Hamanaka and Olga Konosenko, which both are having each their own personalities in their expression and developing of their leading roles. I still remember Olga Konosenko in two of her very first leading roles with the company, Snow White and Red Giselle.

Through the last 15 years I have seen nearly all of the Lithuanian National Ballet many different productions, several of them more than one time.

It is difficult to fill up a big hall when it is contemporary dance. Internationally It is normally the big classical productions, which is filling up the halls. It is the same every where I am visiting around in Europe. Therefore it is a vice acceptance that to make the ballet company rentable for the house, it needs to show performances, where the hall can be filled up. Then the smaller contemporary companies have to take care of the other business, and the big companies are taking the tuff work to keep the big ballet traditions alive by showing the important classical ballets.

Congratulations:

Tatjana Sedunova

I am sending all the staff and brilliant dancers of Tatjana Sedunov´s company my congratulations and all my best wishes to the 85 years jubilee and for the future, which I shall follow closely.

“To be a serious critic, – “as to be a manager of an opera and ballet house”, – you can only survive in your job by honest serious behavior and by respecting the Arts of performance”.

Henning Høholt