Tartu's Vanemuine theatre stages Yevgeni Grib's ballets "Light in the Window" and "Tango"

For the first time, Tartu's Vanemuine theatre hosted a joint performance of two ballet productions by choreographer Yevgeni Grib — "Light in the Window" and "Tango." "Light in the Window" previously won an award from the Estonian Theatre Union in the ballet category and has now returned to the stage.

According to Grib, who serves as choreographer, set designer and costume designer for both works, the productions differ visually, structurally, choreographically and musically, yet are connected by one theme — love.

In "Light in the Window," the audience effectively peers into the windows of a large house, witnessing the separate and very different lives inside. The piece weaves together four storylines: one about loneliness, one about a couple in love, one about a family with a child, and one about people who are close to each other yet sometimes fail to notice one another.

"Tango," by contrast, portrays a man and a woman facing each other for the first time. Grib explained that he was drawn to the idea of imagining how a first encounter between a man and a woman might unfold if neither knew of the other's existence — how a first impression, and ultimately love, might be born.

Ballerina Selma Strandberg noted that Grib has a distinctive style built on very specific movements that push dancers to reveal themselves anew each time, expand their capabilities, and get the most out of their ability. She said that dancing his choreography brings a constant sense of developing one's movement and quality as a dancer.

The two productions also differ musically. "Tango" is set to works by foreign composers, while for "Light in the Window" Grib chose music by Estonian composers, which he believes better conveys the mood and choreographic ideas of the piece.