Standing on Earth

Grėtė Šmitaitė

The research of March-August 2020 approaches environment and society as constantly in-formation, while one is opening one’s eyes upon them, always a participant of them. The research was led by: -rigorous practice of observing, adapting and dancing ‘out in the open’. Seeking to uncover the dance that has the sizzling, restless feeling, the butterflies in the stomach. Dance that would primordially reveal connections between elements and in such way uncover the possibilities of experiencing what they are. Polyrhythms, joining consonant and dissonant were there as the access points. -reading Tim Ingold and diving into the understanding of the world that is worldling, that is changing as the weather does. -reading Contact Quarterly Contact Improvisation Source book, perceiving these meetings of letters as a platform that encourages to think around the power and various facets of contact; that inspires to build by staying in dialogue. -weaving webs of sharing one’s doings with other artists - staying in dialogue in the form of letters and calls. With: mentor of the research Stephen Batts and the very inspiring colleagues Christine Quoiraud, Rūta Junevičiūtė, Hanna Kritten Tangsoo, Magdalena Meindl, Lyllie Rouvière, Forough Fami, Iivy Meltaus and others. Last to mention the exchange that happened without my prior understanding with Giedrė Šmitienė who at that time was researching relations through the letters of poet Janina Degutytė.

About

‘Standing on Earth’ started in March 2020, when all plans started getting canceled and the wish to rethink one’s relations with places and people became strong. We decided to stay for a week - that extended to a half a year and became a research time - in Šimonys woods, living in a house, where my grandfather was born, where my first childhood memory comes from, where the most of what you meet are the growth of vegetation, waters, fluxes of air and wild animals.

The research of March-August 2020 approaches environment and society as constantly in-formation, while one is opening one’s eyes upon them, always a participant of them.

The research was led by:

-rigorous practice of observing, adapting and dancing ‘out in the open’.

Seeking to uncover the dance that has the sizzling, restless feeling, the butterflies in the stomach. Dance that would primordially reveal connections between elements and in such way uncover the possibilities of experiencing what they are. Polyrhythms, joining consonant and dissonant were there as the access points.

-reading Tim Ingold and diving into the understanding of the world that is worldling, that is changing as the weather does.

The collection of most activating thoughts by Tim Ingold Being Alive

-reading Contact Quarterly Contact Improvisation Source book, perceiving these meetings of letters as a platform that encourages to think around the power and various facets of contact; that inspires to build by staying in dialogue.

The collection of stimulating thoughts from Contact Quaterly’s Contact Improvisation Source book, Volumes 1-14

-weaving webs of sharing one’s doings with other artists - staying in dialogue in the form of letters and calls. With: mentor of the research Stephen Batts and the very inspiring colleagues Christine Quoiraud, Rūta Junevičiūtė, Hanna Kritten Tangsoo, Magdalena Meindl, Forough Fami, Lyllie Rouvière, Iivy Meltaus and others.

Noticing exchanges that are so rooted or that soft that happened, without a prior or not even yet understanding of them.

I am deeply thankful to Lithuanian Dance Information Centre and Lithuanian Council for Culture for trusting and supporting this research.

It will last. Thank you

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