Press release
On May 9 and 10, the Reverb’as contemporary ballet diptych will be performed for the first time at the Jūra Hall of the Klaipėda State Musical Theatre. Created by the international choreographic duo Gaj Žmavc (Slovenia, Lithuania) and Douglas Lee (United Kingdom, Germany), the production follows its impressive premiere at last year’s Klaipėda Festival, which took place on the open-air Elingas stage. Now, the evening of two one-act ballets moves into the theatre and promises an even stronger visual and emotional impact.
Destined for Acclaim
Reverb’as consists of two dance pieces: Gaj Žmavc’s Audio Unit and Douglas Lee’s Callisto. These are modern ballets with meticulously crafted choreographic structures, where dance, sound, and light merge into a cohesive, hypnotic artistic world. Both works explore the relationship between the human body and sound waves, space, and time—expressed through the diversity of contemporary dance movement, precision rhythm, and the energy of collective motion.
Premiering last summer at the Klaipėda Festival, the world premiere not only drew large audiences but also received exceptional critical acclaim. Musicologist and professor Daiva Kšanienė emphasized the production’s modern, plastic, and astonishingly flexible dance language, which also incorporates complex and acrobatic elements. According to her, the duets and group scenes convey an otherworldly ritualistic aura, enhanced by pulsating electronic soundscapes and striking lighting.
Theatre critic Jūratė Grigaitienė noted the noticeably improved professional level of the Klaipėda State Musical Theatre (KVMT) ballet troupe, highlighting the dancers’ coordination, precision, and the dynamic choreography, where solos and ensemble scenes fluidly intertwine to create compelling dramaturgy.
“Modern sounds and exquisitely refined dancer movements are mesmerizing. It’s like a Swiss watch mechanism you can’t take your eyes off,” wrote 15min journalist Aurelija Jašinskienė.
Composer Loreta Narvilaitė highlighted the cohesive integration of choreography, music, and stage visuals, which makes the performance highly impactful and appealing—even to discerning contemporary audiences: “I believe Reverb’asshould become a successful staple in KVMT’s repertoire, especially attracting younger audiences.”
United by Sound
For years now, the KVMT ballet troupe has been steadily proving its artistic maturity, technical skill, and creative vitality. Internationally recognized, the troupe has successfully staged works by renowned choreographers like Edward Clug, Robert Bondara, and Alexander Ekman, earning numerous prestigious awards. Constantly evolving, the troupe now represents a high standard of contemporary ballet.
In the first half of Reverb’as, KVMT ballet artistic director and Slovenian choreographer Gaj Žmavc presents the entire troupe as a unified organism. “We named this ballet diptych with the trendy word Reverb because we hope its artistic resonance will echo widely—not just in Lithuania, but internationally,” says the choreographer.
A former dancer at the Slovenian National Theatre in Maribor and now a freelance choreographer and multimedia artist, Gaj Žmavc began working with KVMT in 2021 while staging Edward Clug’s pieces. His creative bond with the Klaipėda ballet grew into a permanent collaboration, and since the start of the 2023–2024 season, he has officially served as the troupe’s artistic director.
“In Audio Unit, the title reflects two core elements important to me—sound, which I create myself, and unit—as in the unity of our dance troupe,” Žmavc explains. For this piece, he not only choreographed the movement but also composed the music (for harpsichord, strings, and percussion), designed the costumes, and contributed to the visual concept—ensuring a uniquely cohesive artistic result.
An Invitation to Discover the Fantastic
In the second half of the evening, renowned British choreographer Douglas Lee, invited by Žmavc, presents his new work to Lithuanian audiences for the first time. A graduate of ballet studies in London and a long-time member of the Stuttgart Ballet, Lee has lived and worked in Germany for nearly three decades. Since 2011, he has been a freelance choreographer, creating productions for leading theatres across Europe, the U.S., and Canada.
The two choreographers met a year ago in Dortmund while working on the “Da Vinci Mode” project for the North Rhine–Westphalia Youth Ballet. “I liked his choreography, and he liked mine,” says Lee. “What impressed me was the Klaipėda theatre’s vision—a young, ambitious troupe with a daring repertoire. When I arrived in Klaipėda, I was amazed. The dancers are open to new ideas and capable of executing a wide range of concepts. It’s a choreographer’s dream.”
The result of this creative synergy is Callisto—a dance piece that subtly combines abstract contemporary choreography, electronic music, and a futuristic aesthetic. The music was composed by Australian-born, Berlin-based sound artist and producer Nicolas Sávva, a frequent collaborator of Lee.
“Callisto is my stage alias and also the name of a Greek nymph and one of Jupiter’s largest moons. Its surface is marked by deep craters, some of which are capped with ice. I asked the composer to reflect nature and water sounds in the music. I also wanted the piece to evoke the feeling that it takes place in a distant future. I’m fascinated by theatre as a place to discover fantastical worlds—maybe even other planets. In this piece, I want to portray a world inhabited by future humans—or perhaps another civilization,” says Douglas Lee.
The choreographer also designed the minimalist, elegant costumes to complement the performance’s visual aesthetic.
Reverb’as invites audiences to discover contemporary ballet. It’s a unique opportunity to witness how sound transforms into refined movement, and how movement becomes a story that reaches the emotions. This will also be the last chance to see both pieces performed together—next season, they will be featured as parts of separate dance programs.
KVMT info.