Visit to Senegal by LMTA Faculty and Staff: Strengthening International Collaboration in Contemporary Dance
From May 24 to June 1, 2025, faculty members from the Contemporary Dance study program at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (LMTA), based at the Klaipėda Faculty’s Dance Department, along with LMTA administrative staff, visited Dakar, Senegal as part of the “Erasmus+” International Mobility Program (KA171).
The KA171 strand of the “Erasmus+” program has been promoting cooperation with higher education institutions outside the European Union for over five years. Through this initiative, LMTA has established strong ties with the National Higher School of Arts (École Nationale Supérieure des Arts – ENA) in Senegal, as well as with private dance education institutions, including the internationally renowned École des Sables (“School of the Sands”) founded by celebrated contemporary dance artist Germaine Acogny, and the Kaay Fecc contemporary dance biennial-festival.
This was LMTA’s second visit to Senegal. The delegation consisted of 11 members, including teachers and administrators from the LMTA Faculty of Music (MF), Theatre and Dance Faculty (TDF), Klaipėda Faculty (KF), and central administration:
- Prof. Aira Naginevičiūtė-Adomaitienė (TDF, Department of Dance and Movement)
- Concertmaster Vladas Dieninis (TDF, Department of Dance and Movement)
- Assoc. Prof. Inga Kuznecova and Assoc. Prof. Darius Berulis (KF, Department of Dance)
- Giedrė Kabašinskienė (Senior Specialist, International Relations Office)
- Edvinas Sėliūnas (Coordinator, MISC)
- Ignas Šoliūnas (Music Project Manager, Arts Centre)
- Loreta Mockevičienė (Finance Director)
- Kristina Kazilionienė (TDF Administrator)
- Assoc. Prof. Agnė Jurgaitytė-Avižinienė (Art History and Theory)
- Lecturer Andrius Maslekovas (MF)
During their stay in Senegal, LMTA representatives met with the leadership and faculty of both École des Sables and ENA. A highlight of the visit was a meeting with Germaine Acogny, a pioneer of contemporary African dance. On the same day, following an intensive two-hour African dance workshop led by Acogny, she was warmly celebrated by students and staff of École des Sables on the occasion of her 81st birthday.
The meetings also focused on future collaboration, particularly the potential to invite traditional and contemporary African dance instructors to work with students in Vilnius and Klaipėda.
One tangible result of the visit is the upcoming visit of Omilade Davis Smith—contemporary dance instructor and director of École des Sables—to Vilnius in June 2025.
In addition, LMTA faculty members Inga Kuznecova and Darius Berulis participated in a three-day intensive African dance course at École des Sables. The practical and methodological knowledge they gained will be integrated into the dance curricula at the Klaipėda Faculty.
The visit also included working meetings focused on developing a new international joint master’s degree program titled International Master in Performance Art and Choreographic Technologies. The program is being developed in cooperation with five partner institutions:’
- National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Lyon (France)
- Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp (Belgium)
- Taipei National University of the Arts (Taiwan)
- LMTA (Lithuania)
- École des Sables (Senegal)
This visit marks a significant step in expanding LMTA’s international partnerships and strengthening academic ties with Africa, particularly in the fields of contemporary dance, performing arts, and music.
Prepared by the International Relations Office
2025 06 10