CLAP & SLAP explores the tense and paralysing relationship between Lithuania and Belarus which emerged after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Drawing from their personal experiences — Igor’s participation in the 2020 Belarusian protests and Agnietė’s demonstrations in Vilnius — the artists confront political, social, and emotional divisions between fear and action, guilt and responsibility. Igor was forced to flee Belarus; Agnietė chose to stop collaborating with Russian-speaking artists. Meeting on stage, they search for dialogue amid conflict, questioning how to defend oneself without reproducing aggression, and how to protect freedom while respecting the other.
Dance artists Agnietė Lisičkinaitė (Lithuania) and Igor Shugaleev (Belarus/Poland) are internationally recognised for their politically engaged work, exploring protest culture, the impact of political regimes, and personal interpretations of freedom. Central to their creative practices is the physically exhausted body, symbolizing those who are oppressed by various systems.
Idea and choreography: Agniete Lisičkinaite, Igor Shugaleev
Performers: Agniete Lisičkinaite, Igor Shugaleev
Composer: Agne Matulevičiūtė
Scenographer: Oles Makukhin
Dramaturg: Bush Hartsorn
Consultant director: Olga Lapina
Light designer: Povilas Laurinaitis
Production: Be Company / Agniete Lisickinaite
Funded by: Lithuania Culture Council
Creative residencies: Radialsystem Berlin, Studio ALTA, Bora Bora dance center, Santarcangelo festival.
Premiere: 2025, New Baltic dance festival
Pictures: D Alisauskas, Martynas Norvaisas
