“On Hula Hooping”. Photo by Dmitrijus Matvejevas from Menuų spaustuvė archive

Giedrė Degutytė (b. 1991), a creator, performer and researcher of circus, clowning and physical theatre, currently lives and regularly works between France, the United Kingdom and Lithuania.

She began her studies at the University of Leeds in the north of England, where she obtained a Bachelor’s degree in cultural studies in 2014. Later, Degutytė graduated from the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London, with a Master’s degree in performing arts practice as research. Here, she discovered the practice of hula-clowning. This artist explores clowning as a potential dramaturgical tool in the context of the circus. Since 2020, Degutytė has been attending the London Clown School.

Degutytė has also tried her hand at fire dancing – between 2007–2012, she was a member of the Ugnies ratas (Fire Circle) studio. Between 2017-2020, she collaborated with the international physical theatre ensemble Duende, which at the time was led by John Britton. Since 2018, along with the London International Clown Troupe, she is part of the Friday Flop performance (directed by Jon Davison).

In 2019, at the International Clown Festival in Mönchengladbach (Germany), Degutytė was awarded a special jury prize, the Golden Clown award.

In her mono-performance Apie lanko sukimą (On Hula Hooping, 2019), Degutytė examines the relationship between the performer, the hula hoop and the audience. In her artistic practice, she combines the disciplines of clowning and hula hooping, but even this synthesis can sometimes be boring. Therefore, the young creator decided to share this and other existential problems of a hula hooper with the audience. By technically manipulating the hula hoop, Degutytė emphasises the contemporary circus artist’s desire not only to demonstrate their mastery but also to communicate with the audience.

gudryte@gmail.com https://giedredegutyte.com