Dance Festival-Competition "Dawn Star": from traditional events to premieres

On May 15–18, 2025, the 18th international dance festival-competition “Dawn Star” will be held in the spaces of Šiauliai city, annually bringing together dance enthusiasts and professionals from Lithuania and foreign countries. The event, organized by the choreography studio “Aušrelė” of the Šiauliai Cultural Center (artistic directors M. Kosaitis and V. Adomėnaitė-Butnorienė), will bring together almost 1,500 participants this year. A rich program is planned, which will present Šiauliai residents and city guests with professional competition performances, folk dances “Šoka visi”, the premiere of the dance performance “Vienos kartos istorija”, and the celebration will be crowned by the final event – ​​the dance performance “Emocijos” by the Ballet Department of the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Arts.
Organizer – Šiauliai Cultural Center. Financed by Šiauliai City Municipality. Events are free of charge.

The festival-competition “Aušrinė žvaigždu” has been enriching the cultural life of Šiauliai for almost two decades – it is a true beacon of dance art, inviting you to immerse yourself in the harmony of rhythms, colors and body language. The event is organized by the choreography studio “Aušrelė” – one of the longest-running and most appreciated collectives of the Šiauliai Cultural Center, which began its activities in 1962. This year, the festival returns for the eighteenth time and promises a great celebration – on May 15–18, Šiauliai is expected to welcome almost one and a half thousand talented dancers from various corners of Lithuania and abroad. This is a true gathering of international cooperation and creative inspiration, testifying that dance is a universal language that unites different cultures and hearts.

The author of the festival idea, coordinator and implementer, cultural activities manager Zita Mundinienė is pleased with the constantly improving event. “The festival grows every year in both the number and quality of participants. It is a great honor for us to see how dance unites collectives from different cities and countries, creates a sense of community and encourages artistic development,” says Z. Mundinienė.

According to Vita Adomėnaitė-Butnorienė, artistic director of the choreography studio “Aušrelė”, the secret of the festival’s success is not only a carefully prepared program, but also the love of the participants and organizers for dance. “Every year we create a celebration where different dance languages ​​meet, but everyone’s hearts beat in one rhythm,” says V. Adomėnaitė-Butnorienė.

The main highlight of the international festival-competition “Aušrinė žvaigždė” is the competition performances. Traditionally, the event has three competition parts: folk, classical and contemporary dance. All participants are divided into different age groups – performances are given by collectives, duets and soloists. Each performance, no longer than four minutes, will be judged by a professional jury, taking into account the appropriateness of the repertoire for the age group, the technical level of performance and aesthetic expression. The organizers remind that all competitive parts of the festival "Aušrinė žvaigždė" program will take place at the Šiauliai Cultural Center.

Mindaugas Kosaitis, the coordinator and implementer of the artistic part of the festival, the artistic director of the choreography studio “Aušrelė” of the Šiauliai Cultural Center, is pleased that dancers not only from Lithuania but also from abroad participate every year. “The dance festival-competition “Aušrinė žvaigždu” invites participants not only to the stage – for the fifth year in a row, it is also possible to dance from afar. Lithuanian, Estonian, Latvian collectives will present their performances live in Šiauliai, and we will meet dancers from the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Denmark and the United States remotely,” explains M. Kosaitis.

On May 16, at 5 p.m., the opening event of the 18th international dance festival-competition “Aušrinė žvaigždu” will take place at Prisikėlimų aikštė. The audience will be treated to a festive concert and awards for the winners of the first part of the competition. After the grand opening program, at 7 p.m. The organizers will invite you not to disperse - the festive mood will move to the folk dances "Šoka visi", in which the energetic evening rhythm will be created by the folklore ensemble "Salduvė" (led by D. Daknys) of the Šiauliai City Cultural Center "Laiptų galerija".

On May 17, at 5 p.m., the concert "Šokis jungia mus" by the participants of the 18th international dance festival-competition "Aušrinė žvaigždu" will take place at the Rėkyva Culture House (Energetikų g.7). The organizers point out that entry is only possible with invitations, which will be distributed from May 7 at 9 a.m. by "Ticketmarket.lt", the Rėkyva Culture House and the Šiauliai Cultural Center box office.

That day, at 7 p.m., the action will continue at Prisikėlimų Square, where the dance performance "The Story of a Generation" will take place. The performance, created by Kaunas choreographer Kęstutis Baranauskas, will feature the dance studio “Fresko” of the Vilkaviškis Children and Youth Center, the choreography studio “Aušrelė” of the Šiauliai Cultural Center, the dance studio “F.U.” and the live band “Voiceless.” In the premiere, the dancers will depict the life of one couple, full of love, anger, anxiety and other feelings, from birth to death. The performance promises many emotions, which will be enhanced by live cello music.

On the last day of the festival-competition, May 18 at 10 a.m., the Šiauliai Cultural Center will host Part III of the festival-competition “Aušrinė žvaigždė” – classical dance. The audience will be treated to a closing concert of the festival and the winners’ awards. At 2 p.m., the festival-competition will be crowned by the dance performance “Emotions” by the Ballet Department of the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Arts, intended for children, but also of interest to adults. The emotional life of a person, its complexity and diversity will be expressed in various scenes, in which dancers will demonstrate feelings - joy, love, sadness, anger. The music, dance and even interaction with the audience in the performance will strengthen the emotional messages.

As every year, the entire team of the choreography studio "Aušrelė" contributed to the organization and implementation of the festival-competition: artistic directors Mindaugas Kosaitis and Vita Adomėnaitė-Butnorienė, accompanist Vilma Begonienė and cultural activities manager Zita Mundinienė.

The entire program of the 18th international dance festival-competition "Aušrinė žvaigžda" can be found on the website of the Šiauliai Cultural Center (www.siauliukc.lt).

Information is provided by Zita Mundinienė, cultural activities manager of the choreography studio "Aušrelė" of the Šiauliai Cultural Center, mob. +370 678 36 701, e. p. zita.mundiniene@siauliukc.lt.

Photo by Liubov Yarmoshenko, Rolandas Parafinavičius and the ballet department of the National M. K. Čiurlionis School of Arts.