– I tried to track down all the victories of you and the students in the press, but I got lost in the numbers. It would be best if you could tell yourself which of them, when it comes to dances, are the most important, dearest to the heart, most wanted and expected?
“Honestly, that’s all.” Every concert, competition, festival, performance is a joy to my soul. It is an indescribable feeling to see your students dancing. If I really had to be specific, I can say which achievements are the most memorable. The achievements of my first contemporary dance company, Fiesta, will always have a nostalgic feeling in my heart, as it was the first time I went out officially with my company. Winning with the Quartet “Close/Sweet” is also something that evokes wonderful emotions and is good to remember. The participation of the youth group of the folk dance ensemble “Nemunėlis” in the Dance Day “Bridges of the Ages” of the centenary Lithuanian song festival “Kad giria žaliuųť” was like an event of the century for me. I was happy, cried and proud of my team while watching the show. All the victories would not be so sweet if there were no wonderful dancers by my side, colleagues with whom it is good to work together and strive.
– Coincidentally, no one hangs medals for developers. How much work and feeling is hidden under them? Is there enough talent?
– I think it’s no secret that a lot of work is needed. Lots of rehearsals, lots of repetition. It takes time to create something, learn it yourself, then teach others. Very often I find ideas and movements in my dancers by observing them, doing various tasks and improvisations with them. For some, talent is enough. It really seems that the man is made for the stage. But you can expand that talent, nurture it, “clothe” it with different feelings and characters. And here again work awaits. The work is not bad. By repeating movements that we seem to know perfectly, we may accidentally do something different that turns out to be a discovery and innovation. A whole new dance might even emerge from it. I always try to show that dancers not only “have” talent, but know how to use that talent.
– Is it true that you dream about your dance performance? What is he like in those dreams, and when can viewers expect him?
– Yes, that’s true. I dream of both a solo dance performance and a modern dance group performance. I fully understand how much effort, resources and other things it takes to put on a play, so I’m not in a hurry. I have many ideas, but they need to be refined and selected. It must be relevant, interesting not only for me, but also for the future viewer. I have great examples of how directors create performances, how choreographers create performances for themselves and others, so I make really high demands on myself, I look at everything with self-criticism. The performance that the audience sees has “walked” a very long way before that. From the idea, movement searches, work with scenographers, sound and light technicians, consultations with directors, etc. I believe that I will develop such a performance that will be worth showing on stage. But when exactly this will happen, I cannot say now.
– What do the students call you? You dance with them and most of the time no one realizes that you are a teacher. Have there been any curiosities about it? Do you have your own ways to achieve results?
– He addresses me in every way. Just “teacher”, “teacher Ieva”, there is also “leader Ieva”, the dancers of the collective “Fiesta” are simply “Ieva”. And in the first lesson of this September, I heard my little first graders calling me “Ievute”. Very cute. And because they don’t understand that the teacher is dancing with them when they dance with the group, it’s probably also because they like to put on the same make-up and clothes, which gives its own result. Also, most of the dancers are bigger than me. And there have been curiosities. Some have told me: “It would be good if I invited the head of the team, because you can’t talk to the student.” They have talked to another head standing next to me – they thought that she was the person who brought the team. They have stopped me at school while rehearsing with high school students and asked why I am not in class. I don’t even remember some situations. But, you know, I have a lot of fun, I’m not really complaining.
And if we talk about whether I have ways to achieve results in dance, then the best answer would be that I am always looking for new ones. So that there is no monotony for me or the dancers. Sincere communication and listening, hearing what the students say, what they themselves want and expect. Encouragement to improve, to have goals and to move towards that goal in a structured way. It helps a lot when we understand each other, when we know how to recognize emotions, when we are not afraid to talk and express things.
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2024-09-24 13:00:59