10-11-2025, LNOBT Red Foyer
On December 4, 2025, the Lithuanian Ballet celebrates its 100th anniversary! While admiring the magnificent ballet performances on stage, we often forget how much physical and mental strength this profession requires. While giving us beauty that is created seemingly without any effort, artists are constantly faced with great physical exertion, competition, and the pursuit of constant improvement. These factors can negatively affect their physical and mental health, increase the risk of injuries, and cause stress, anxiety, depression, and other psychological problems.
However, many performers do not have enough knowledge and tools to properly care for their health and well-being. To draw attention to this problem and help, we invite you to the first symposium in Lithuania for ballet dancers – professionals and amateurs, working in companies or aspiring to this profession in ballet schools.
"Mastery in ballet is born where technique meets care for the body and mind. In this symposium, which features top-level international professionals, healthcare becomes everyday mastery. If we strive for the highest artistic level, we must take equal professional care of both technique and health – so, at the symposium, we will share insights into holistic mastery, career longevity, and a meaningful career as a ballet artist," – says Jurgita Dronina, Artistic Director of Ballet at the LNOBT.
The aim of the symposium is to fill the gap in practical knowledge, introduce self-help strategies, and provide tools that can be used in daily lives, which are essential to fostering physical and mental health, achieving maximum mastery, and a long-term career in ballet.
The symposium will feature speakers who deal with ballet dancers’ everyday problems: physiotherapist Shane Kelly, who has been working with dancers at the Royal Ballet in London for over 15 years, will talk about the importance of physical healthcare in the activities of a ballet artist and will introduce them to healthcare practices at the Royal Ballet. Dr. Imogen Aujla, a prominent researcher and lecturer in dance science and dance psychology, will talk about mental health and psychological well-being, discuss existing literature on dancers’ mental health and offer strategies for both dancers individually and companies as a whole to maintain mental health and psychological well-being. LNOBT’s doctor Austėja Pečeliūnienė will share her knowledge about painkillers and their sometimes unnecessary or excessive use, usually due to lack of knowledge. The history of Lithuanian ballet will be recalled by art historian prof. dr. Helmutas Šabasevičius. At the end of the symposium we will invite you to a discussion about the formation of a dancer's career, which will feature prima ballerina, LNOBT’s artistic director of ballet Jurgita Dronina, former LNOBT ballet company’s soloist, currently studying practical psychology at the Human Studies Centre Rūta Lataitė, former LNOBT ballet company’s leading soloist, National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Arts Deputy Director for Ballet Education Eligijus Butkus, and others.
We invite everyone who is interested in these issues to participate, so that we can celebrate the 100th anniversary of Lithuanian ballet together, healthy and "in shape"!
The event is free, however, please note that registration is required.
PROGRAM
10-11-2025, LNOBT Red Foyer
12.30 Opening
12.40–13.10 Helmutas Šabasevičius
Ballet Coppélia and its Lithuanian variants
13.10–14.10 Shane Kelly (United Kingdom)
The Importance of Healthcare in Professional Classical Ballet (presentation in English)
14.10–14.40 Austėja Pečeliūnienė
Painkillers: What is important for ballet dancers to know?
14.40–15.00 Coffee break
15.00–16.00 Imogen Aujla (United Kingdom)
Mental Health in Dance (presentation in English)
16.00–17.00 Discussion about shaping a dancer's career
Participants include Jurgita Dronina, Rūta Lataitė, Eligijus Butkus and others.
The program may change slightly.
