Marija Simona Šimulynaitė – director, choreographer, pedagogue. Born on October 17, 1983. In Vilnius.
Maria has been dancing ballet professionally since the age of five;
In 2004, she graduated from the National M.K. Čiurlionis Arts Gymnasium, ballet department, Vilnius.
Marija danced at the Estonian “Vanemuine” Theater in Tartu, and at the Estonian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, Estonia; at the Finnish National Opera, Helsinki; she did practise as a director, choreographer and ballerina at the “Royal Swedish Opera” in Stockholm;
Marija visited and also did practise at: the Norwegian Theater Academy; in Finland at the Sibelius Academy; Tallinn and Viljandi theater academies, Estonia; at the English National Ballet/ Royal English Opera and Ballet Theatre/ Guildhall Academy of Drama and Music/ Royal Academy of England in London; in the Icelandic Contemporary Dance Troupe in Reykjavik; At the Grand Theater of Havana, Cuba; Sydney Dance Company in Australia;
Participated in the international dance fair organized in Germany in Dusseldorf for several years; etc.
In 2010 she founded the Baltic Ballet Theater BBT.
She was teaching for 5 years at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theater – the Faculty of Theater and Cinema, and the Department of Singing.
Since 2008, the director-choreographer has staged over 40 performances, including operas, modern ballets and theatrical musical performances. Marija cooperates with Lithuanian and foreign theaters, universities, and events organisations. Conducts creative seminars and trainings on various topics: body language (non-verbal communication), sense of space, freedom of emotional expression, contemporary and classical dance. Also provides specialized services for corporate events in Europe.
She has created exceptional performances using enchanting three-dimensional video visualizations, holograms, and unconventional musical compositions.
Since 2019, Marija together with Erlandas Smoskas has founded the Baltic Ballet Theater BBT educational studio, whose ballet students participate in competitions and receive gold and silver medals. Marija organizes and prepares gifted children for admission to prestigious European ballet schools. Some of the young ballet dancers are already studying in France, at the Cannes Ballet School; in Italy at the Verona Ballet School; in England at the Royal Ballet School in London; LA School of Contemporary Dance in the USA, etc.
