Roots to Routes
Les Parallèles du sud – Manifesta 13 Marseille

Pirouette
Lina Lapelytė
Performed by Valentina Pace and Emmanuel Recht
August 28, September 11, 2020
93 Rue de la République, Marseille

Curated by Merilin Talumaa, Maija Rudovska, Justė Kostikovaitė

Watch the performance here.

Conceived for a retired ballerina and a saxophonist using the circular-breathing technique, Pirouette is an intimate and experiential meditation on physical endurance, ageing, movement, displacement and fragility. The work is rooted in Lapelytė’s research into the physical and psychological discipline that is behind the performance of traditional live art forms.

About the artists:

Lina Lapelytė is a Vilnius and London based artist, exploring the topics of gender and ageing, working within the remit of pop music, architecture, folk songs and sound art. She holds a BA in classical violin, a BA in Sound Arts and an MA in Sculpture from the Royal College of Art, London. Her performance works ​Ladies​ (2015), ​Hunky Bluff (​2014) and ​Candy Shop​ (2013, 2015) were shown in different contexts and locations including the Serpentine Pavilion in London, the Venice Architecture Biennial and MACBA (Barcelona).

Her collaborative work with Rugilė Barzdžiukaitė and Vaiva Grainytė, opera ​Have a Good Day!​ (2014) is translated into 9 languages and has been touring extensively. Their newest durational performance work​ Sun and Sea (Marina) presented at the Lithuanian Pavilion of the Venice Biennale in 2019 received the Golden Lion award for the best national entry.

Valentina Pace is a Marseille-based performer and works as a rehearsal assistant at the Ballet National de Marseille direction (LA) HORDE.

Emmanuel Recht is a Manosque-based saxophone player. He teaches at the Conservatoire à Rayonnement Départemental des Alpes de Haute Provence.

Pirouette performance was supported by:
Baltic Culture Fund, Lithuanian Culture Institute, Manifesta 13 Marseille. The European Nomadic Biennial

Acknowledgments: Chloé Angiolini, Ilze Aulmane, Ryan Galer

Pirouette by Lina Lapelytė. Performed by Valentina Pace and Emmanuel Recht. All photos © Aurélien Meimaris