Events

Choreographers, performers: Krišjānis Sants, Erik Eriksson
Musicians: Mārtiņš Miļevskis (vibraphone), Rihards Lībietis (guitar)
Producers: New Theatre Institute of Latvia/ Laura Stašāne, TUVUMI
Trailer: vimeo.com/796286934/26d24b6bb5
Duration: 50 min.
N-9

RECOMMENDED for those who want to immerse themselves in the whirlwind of movement

In the performance "Vērpete" (lit. whirlpool), creators and performers Erik Eriksson and Krišjānis Sants use the principle of spinning in pairs, more commonly found in games, folk and entertainment dances, as a starting point and develop it into a dance of precision, speed, trust and excitement. Spinning through space, holding hands, the performers bring the audience together and then separate them again with dynamically repeating movements.
The dancers create a paradox, committed to providing support through opposition, cooperating by pulling each other in opposite directions. The dance Vērpete is accompanied by rich and captivating soundscapes created by live vibraphone and guitar music performed by Mārtiņš Miļevskis and Rihards Lībietis. The audience shares the same space with the performers and often describes their experience as being surrounded by natural forces, perceived not by the mind but by the body.
Vērpete premiered in 2015 at the international contemporary theater festival Homo Novus and received the highest praise from critics and audiences, including the 2016 Latvian Performing Arts Award for Achievement of the Year in Contemporary Dance.
Eriks and Krišjānis met in Brussels while studying at the P.A.R.T.S. contemporary dance school and have collaborated on many projects since then.

Erik Eriksson completed his master's degree at the Danish National School of Performing Arts in 2022. Working in Sweden, Latvia, Belgium, and Finland, he is a performer, teacher, and choreographer interested in sharing his experiences in dance.
Krišjānis Sants earned his master's degree in scenography from the Latvian Academy of Arts in 2018. In the duo IevaKrish with Ieva Gaurilčikaite-Sants (LT/LV), he creates performances that focus on non-verbal expression of space and rhythm and contemporary interpretations of traditional Baltic polyphonic singing. As a performer, Krišjānis works with the international project fieldworks (Heine Avdal and Yukiko Shinozaki).
Mārtiņš Miļevskis is a versatile percussionist who has played with several well-known Latvian bands, such as H2O, Astro'n'out, Otra Puse, the folk music group Auļi, as well as the Riga and Liepaja orchestras.
Rihards Lībietis plays the acoustic guitar and composes music. He has released four albums with his eponymous instrumental group, the Rihards Lībietis Orchestra.

***ENG***

Dance performance "Vērpete" / Erik Eriksson and Krišjānis Sants (Sweden / Latvia)

Choreographers, performers: Krišjānis Sants, Erik Eriksson
Musicians: Mārtiņš Miļevskis (vibraphone), Rihards Lībietis (guitar)
Producers: New Theatre Institute of Latvia/ Laura Stašāne, TUVUMI
Trailer: vimeo.com/796286934/26d24b6bb5
Duration: 50 min.
N-9

RECOMMENDED for those who want to immerse themselves in a whirlwind of movement

In “Vērpete” (vortex, whirl), the creators-performers Erik Eriksson and Krišjānis Sants take the principle of a turning couple—a movement that is more familiar in games, folk and ballroom dancing—as a starting point and develop it into a dance of precision, speed, trust, and exhilaration. As they vortex through the space, turning hand in hand, the performers bring the audience together and take apart in dynamic patterns of repetition. Dancers create a paradox by committing to support one another through opposition and collaborating by constantly pulling apart. Vērpete is accompanied by live music on vibraphone and guitar, creating a dense and embracing soundscape, performed by Mārtiņš Miļevskis and Rihards Lībietis. The audience shares the same space as the performers, and many have described their experience as finding themselves in the midst of a natural force, perceived by the body rather than the mind. "
Vērpete" premiered at the International Festival of Contemporary Theatre "Homo Novus" in 2015 and has won the highest praise from critics and audiences, including the Latvian performing arts award in 2016 for "Achievement of the Year in Contemporary Dance."
Erik and Krišjānis met in Brussels during their studies at P.A.R.T.S. and have since collaborated on numerous projects.

Erik Eriksson holds an MFA from the Danish National School of Performing Arts (2022). He works in Sweden, Latvia, Belgium, and Finland as a performer, teacher, and choreographer, taking an interest in sharing the physical sensation of dancing.
Krišjānis Sants has an MA in Scenography from the Latvian Academy of Arts (2018). He is part of the duo “IevaKrish” and, together with Ieva Gaurilčikaite-Sants (LT/LV), has been creating performances that focus on the tacit communication of space and rhythm and the contemporary reinterpretation of traditional Baltic polyphonic singing. As a performer, Krišjānis works internationally with “fieldworks/ Heine Avdal & Yukiko Shinozaki”.
Mārtiņš Miļevskis is a versatile percussionist and has played with several well-known Latvian bands, such as “H2O”, “Astro’n’out”, “Otra Puse”, folk group “Auļi”, as well as orchestras in Riga and Liepāja.
Rihards Lībietis plays acoustic guitar and writes music and has released four albums with his instrumental band “Rihards Lībietis Orchestra”.