Laurynas
Teacher House Slow AirLaurynas Žakevičius – graduated social pedagogue, trainer of the bullying prevention programme. The dancer, better known as Lau on the Lithuanian and international breakdance scene, started dancing in 2001. Since then, the dancer has had the opportunity to participate in numerous breakdance events, both local and world-class, ranging from battles, to judging, to stage performances of dance theatre; being competitive in dance battles, to this day, Laurynas focuses on self-improvement and learning from the pioneers and creators of the street dance culture, and also from other representatives of other artistic disciplines and cultural phenomenons.
The most memorable achievements of the breakdance and house dance styles, not only in terms of victories, have shaped and encouraged the dancer to grow. The contribution of the Left City 54 breakdance team has helped to be among the best in events such as Top Fint, Urban Dance 3 times, Can I Kick It?, IBE 10th Edition, Juste Debout, Baltic Session, Battle of EST and others.
Self-improvement in residencies and workshops all over the world: the Marina Abramovič “Cleaning the House” workshop, Ohad Naharin “Gaga movement Lab”, “B12”, “ImPulsTanz”, “Summer dance Forever”, “SDK” etc.
In addition to regular training, Laurynas has spent a lot of his time organising events (Urban Essentials, Colony winter dance summit, etc.) and various dance and cultural projects (gLowbal Air, Grow Air, sLow Air, etc.). He has gained more recognition after his performance in the TV project “Tu gali šokti / So You Think You Can Dance”, his victory in the LRT TV project “Šok” and his participation as a jury member in the TV dance project “Šokio revoliucija”. In 2012, together with Airida Gudaite, he founded the first urban (street) dance-based theatre in Lithuania, expanding the dancer’s possibilities and approach to art. Together with his co-creators of Low Air, Laurynas has been awarded five of Lithuania’s highest performing arts awards and several awards for his creative achievements. Having created and/or performed 11 dance performances around the world, travelling from Greenland to South Korea, from the USA to Europe, Laurynas has been gathering knowledge and experience about dance, while at the same time sharing it and promoting Lithuania’s name in the world. Now dance is a tool for Laurynas to be emotionally and physically healthier, to speak and speak to people, to express himself through breakdance, house and improvisation, to be seen and discovered, to discover art and himself in it.
Festivals in which Laurynas performed:
Lithuania: “Young as Vilnius” (part of the programme of Vilnius 700th birthday celebrations): performance for Pope Francis during his visit to Lithuania; International Contemporary Dance Festival “New Baltic Dance”, Vilnius; International Arts Festival “Plartforma”, Klaipėda; International Contemporary Dance Festival “Aura”, Kaunas;
Midsummer Vilnius Festival, Vilnius; International Festival for Children and Youth “Kitoks”, Vilnius;
Festival “Audra” (part of the European Capital of Culture Kaunas 2022 programme), Kaunas; International Street Theatre Festival “SPOT”, Vilnius; Vilnius International Theatre Festival “Sirenos”;
Ukraine: GogolFest
Italy: Auditoprium Parco Della Musica
Israel: Tmuna Theatre; Suzanne Dellal Centre, Lithuanian Story – Culture Festival In Tel-Aviv; Machol Shalem Dance House
China: Tour in China: Beijing New Dance Festival; Harbin Grand Theatre; Dancestage Shanghai dance festival
Germany: Internationale Tanzmesse NRW; „Sharing Across Borders” euro-scene Leipzig festival; Westwind Festival
Bulgaria: One Dance Week festival
Austria: Burgenländische Tanztage
Georgia: South Caucasus Contemporary Dance & Experimental Art Festival in Tbilisi
France: Festival de Danse Cannes; International tour in 20 cities; Festival de Danse Cannes – Studiotrade Platform
South Korea: Seoul International Dance Festival – SIDance 서울세계무용축제.
Island: Curated residencies „Questioning arts“; Tjarnarbíó
USA: Event for Lithuanian community
Belarus: International festival of Modern Choreography
Great Britain (Scotland): International Fringe festival; Dance International Glasgow, DIG
Sweden: Plattform X / Göteborg Dans & Teater Festival
Greenland: Nuuk Nordisk Festival
Awards and nominations:
Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Lithuania Young Creator Award, 2017;
Borisas Dauguvietis Earring for successful searches for new forms of stage expression combining street dance and theatre in performances and for pedagogical activity changing the face of contemporary dance in Lithuania, 2017;
Golden Stage Cross (Best Dance Work of the Year, performance “Game Over”, 2016); Nomination for Golden Stage Cross (Best Dancer of the Year in Low Air performances “Game Over”, “The Rite of Spring” and in the LNDT performance “Little Red Riding Hood”, 2016);
Lithuanian Contemporary Dance Association Award (Most Memorable Choreographic Work of the Year, performance “Game Over”, 2016);
Golden Stage Cross (Best Choreography of the Year, performance “Home Trip”, 2013);
Special nomination by the Expert Jury of the XXV International Festival of Modern Choreography “IFMC’12” in Vitebsk (Belarus) for the choreography of the dance performance “Feel-Link”, 2012;
Nomination for the Golden Stage Cross (Young Artist category, for Feel-Link, 2011).
THREE KEY EVENTS:
-The moment when I saw on the music TV channel Viva “Music Instructor ft. Flying Steps’ music video “Super Sonic”, where the dancers were spinning on their heads and otherwise surprising with the breakdance moves. It left a lasting impression on me, which made me move the living room furniture and start trying to dance. The physical and creative trials and tribulations have continued for 22 years, and the dancer’s journey has given me the best of friends – the Left City 54 team, journeys of exploration and the curious eyes of an emotional audience.
-Studying social pedagogy and working with disabled people and seniors as a personal carer in the UK. This stage of life has shaped the qualities of empathy, courage, listening, which today, combined with dance, break many stereotypes and give birth to creative, educational and social projects.
-The birth of the most sustainable and borderless Low Air dance phenomenon. Low Air is about ideas, activities, knowledge, communities, possibilities, transformations. The joy when the company’s performances travel around the world, when foreign dancers and choreographers get to know Lithuania and its dancers, when dancers from Low Air dance school enrol and continue their studies in Lithuania and abroad, when an 86 year old dances with optimism.