The Trap

Have you ever felt like you were stuck in space and in your own mind? It’s as if you have built a trap that you can’t get out of. How does this trap feel to you? How can you free yourself from it? 

The Trap is a piece that combines dance, theatre, sculpture, architecture and urban poetry. It speaks of the state of feeling stuck inside oneself and in the environment one finds themselves in. The costume, which consists of a ‘second skin’ cocoon from which long pieces of fabric stretch out, intertwines with the objects around the performer to illustrate this physical and mental entrapment. 

“The idea for this project came to me on a night of insomnia, kept up by my anxieties and lack of direction. I entered a state of paralysis, mentally in my thoughts and emotions but also physically, feeling very literally stuck in my bed. I did realise that this barrier holding me back was in my imagination, but still felt incapable of moving.“
– Rita Lira 

Presented in Lithuania with the support of Ukrainian Institute 

Rita Lira

Rita studied contemporary dance in Kyiv. In her work, she combines contemporary dance, street dance styles, visual and documentary art. Her artistic work is closely connected with theory and reflections on the theme of mental traps, as well as reflections on the experiences of war and displacement. Rita’s performances were presented in France, Lituania, Romania, Spain, Czech Republic, Poland and Ukraine. She is also a member of the UA Contemporary Dance Platform. In 2022 Rita was forced to leave Ukraine. She moved to Paris, where she spent a year on a residency at Cité Internationale des Arts. Here she created and presented her performances “The Way from/to” and “The Trap.”

She has recently completed the Hérodote education program at the Beaux-Arts de Paris during the 2023-2024 academic year. Currently she is a part of the international project “Moving Borders” organized by Aerowaves (Partners: Tanec Praha Festival, Czech Republic; Arte Sella, Italy; La Briqueterie, France).

Credits

Concept, Direction & Performance: Rita Lira

Costume Designer: Louise Carton

Sound Seamstress: Yana Shliabanska

Director of Photography: Denys Lisovets

Photographers: Mauricio Saldaña, Miri Hamada

Premiere: March 1, 2023