Born in Lithuania in 1995, Anna-Marija Adomaityte studied for a Bachelor’s degree in contemporary dance at the Manufacture in Lausanne from 2014 to 2017. She also holds a Master’s degree in visual arts at the Lausanne University of Art and Design (ECAL). Her current, third work TikTok-Ready Choreographies is a fascinating collaboration with a group of young TikTokers. In 2019, Anna-Marija Adomaityte founded her own dance company, A M A, based in Geneva. She was associate artist at L’Abri’s residency programme between 2019 and 2020. Her second piece, Pas de Deux, premiered at the La Bâtie festival in Geneva in 2021 and was selected for the European dance network Aerowaves in 2022. A M A is currently receiving support under the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia’s COMPASS funding scheme for emerging artists.
Her first piece called workpiece, in collaboration with Gautier Teuscher, was based on her experience of working at McDonald’s and toured in several European countries. Her second, Pas de Deux, saw Mélissa Guex and Victor Poltier dance a contemporary pas de deux to live music from Gautier Teuscher in defiance of preconceived social norms. On a deep blue floor, a woman and a man are stuck in the performance of a romantic relationship, caught up by the violence of heteronormativity. In her latest work, TikTok-Ready Choreographies, she continues her research into the exhaustion of movement together with seven young TikTokers from French-speaking Switzerland. Anna-Marija Adomaityte investigates how young people stage their bodies and asks what happens when they get together in a group to dissect the typical dance moves of TikTok. TikTok-Ready Choreographies was co-produced by the ADC pavilion in Geneva and the Théâtre Vidy-Lausanne and performed at both venues in spring 2024.
Anna-Marija Adomaityte has undergone an impressive evolution in the last four years, from solo to duo and finally a group piece. She tirelessly puts social phenomena under the microscope. The monotonous routine of a fast-food restaurant or the drama of a love affair constrained by norms are portrayed using movements that are minimal, repetitive and incisive. She developed her current group piece “TikTok-Ready Choreographies” together with a group of young TikTok dancers. Something that is normally presented in a virtual space becomes real and palpable in a touching and fascinating performance. Hips waggle, arms swing, girls exchange looks, defying the predefined systems with individuality and high precision.
