Modris Tenisons
Encyclopedia
Modris Tenisons is a mime artist
in Lithuania
and Latvia
. He is especially well-known in Lithuania. He is also a multidisciplinary artist: a theater director, stage designer and theater consultant.
, Latvia
when he was six years old. During his school days, he showed talent in art.
, he studied and performed pantomime
for four years under Robert Ligera, until he fell in love and emigrated to Lithuania
. In 1966 at Kaunas
, Lithuania
, he founded the first professional pantomime team in the Soviet Union
. He directed several professional pantomime theater and radio performances, such as Ecce homo (1967), Dream Dreams (Sapņu sapņi,1968), Do Butterflies (Sargājiet tauriņu, 1969), XX Century Capricio (XX gadsimta Capricio, 1970), Collage (Kolāža, 1971).
Modris is loved and respected by Lithuanians, who consider him as a kind of local 'Charlie Chaplin
'. Modris was honoured by the Lithuanian government with an Order of Gedeminos for his contributions to the art of mime. He has been retired for years now but keeps drawing and attracting orders as an artist.
He has remained a legend in Lithuania theater for two generations. In 2003, he was visited and interviewed by a group of Lithuanians (Stasys Baltakis, Arvydas Lebeliunas, Tomas Girdzijauskas, Hannele Maianiemi, Ieva Zelionkante and Laisvunas Karvelis) to understand him as a phenomenon.
. He was involved in researching the symbolism of a Latvian traditional woven belt ('Lielvardes josta’) with 22 ancient symbols. This Latvian ethnic group is a major part of his creative work.
He and Armands Strazds
are the creators of the Zime Project, which was the central exhibit of the Latvia Pavilion at Expo 2000
. Zimes, from the Latvian word for "sign", are coloured graphic patterns generated by the computer encryption of texts, pictures, or sounds. During the course of Expo 2000, 300,000 visitors to the Latvia Pavilion generated their personal zimes, including the (then) President of Latvia, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga
.
, nonverbal theater methods and the Latvian sign system. Sixteen actors (Rūta Birzleja, Nadīne Bokovikova, Linde Dambe, Sanita Duka, Ilze Ikše, Jurijs Kondratenko, Dzintars Krūmiņš, Daiga Līcīte, Sandris Majars, Simona Orinska
, Dagne Reinika, Ieva Skopāne, Lena Smelova, Inese Upeniece, Agrita Vidže and Zigmārs Zakis) participated in his laboratory, which lasted for 4 months.
and Moscow
, where he had dedicated himself to mime, for his native Riga
in Latvia
. Occasionally, he was engaged in theatrical activities after he got married.
He survives his wife Ilze Tenisone and has two adult sons, Juveris and Peteris, who worked and studies in England
. He lives with his daughter Ilze and assistant, friend and life partner Simona Orinska
.
Mime artist
A mime artist is someone who uses mime as a theatrical medium or as a performance art, involving miming, or the acting out a story through body motions, without use of speech. In earlier times, in English, such a performer was referred to as a mummer...
in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
and Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
. He is especially well-known in Lithuania. He is also a multidisciplinary artist: a theater director, stage designer and theater consultant.
Background
Modris lost his father at an early age, so he had to learn the skill of independence when he was just a child. He started schooling in RigaRiga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
when he was six years old. During his school days, he showed talent in art.
Mime career
After graduating from the School of Applied Arts in RigaRiga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
, he studied and performed pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
for four years under Robert Ligera, until he fell in love and emigrated to Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
. In 1966 at Kaunas
Kaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, he founded the first professional pantomime team in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. He directed several professional pantomime theater and radio performances, such as Ecce homo (1967), Dream Dreams (Sapņu sapņi,1968), Do Butterflies (Sargājiet tauriņu, 1969), XX Century Capricio (XX gadsimta Capricio, 1970), Collage (Kolāža, 1971).
Modris is loved and respected by Lithuanians, who consider him as a kind of local 'Charlie Chaplin
Charlie Chaplin
Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
'. Modris was honoured by the Lithuanian government with an Order of Gedeminos for his contributions to the art of mime. He has been retired for years now but keeps drawing and attracting orders as an artist.
He has remained a legend in Lithuania theater for two generations. In 2003, he was visited and interviewed by a group of Lithuanians (Stasys Baltakis, Arvydas Lebeliunas, Tomas Girdzijauskas, Hannele Maianiemi, Ieva Zelionkante and Laisvunas Karvelis) to understand him as a phenomenon.
The language of ornamental signs
Modris also has great interest in ornamentationOrnament (architecture)
In architecture and decorative art, ornament is a decoration used to embellish parts of a building or object. Large figurative elements such as monumental sculpture and their equivalents in decorative art are excluded from the term; most ornament does not include human figures, and if present they...
. He was involved in researching the symbolism of a Latvian traditional woven belt ('Lielvardes josta’) with 22 ancient symbols. This Latvian ethnic group is a major part of his creative work.
He and Armands Strazds
Armands Strazds
Armands Strazds is a Latvian politician, education researcher, composer, record producer and software developer....
are the creators of the Zime Project, which was the central exhibit of the Latvia Pavilion at Expo 2000
Expo 2000
Expo 2000 was a World's Fair held in Hanover, Germany from Thursday, June 1 to Tuesday, October 31, 2000. It was located on the Hanover fairground , which is famous for hosting CeBIT...
. Zimes, from the Latvian word for "sign", are coloured graphic patterns generated by the computer encryption of texts, pictures, or sounds. During the course of Expo 2000, 300,000 visitors to the Latvia Pavilion generated their personal zimes, including the (then) President of Latvia, Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga
Vaira Vike-Freiberga
Vaira Vīķe-Freiberga was the sixth President of Latvia, the first female President of Latvia and the first female leader in eastern Europe. She was elected President of Latvia in 1999 and re-elected in 2003.Dr...
.
Other contributions
In 2006 he was involved in a creative laboratory: a survey on actors' psychophysicsPsychophysics
Psychophysics quantitatively investigates the relationship between physical stimuli and the sensations and perceptions they effect. Psychophysics has been described as "the scientific study of the relation between stimulus and sensation" or, more completely, as "the analysis of perceptual...
, nonverbal theater methods and the Latvian sign system. Sixteen actors (Rūta Birzleja, Nadīne Bokovikova, Linde Dambe, Sanita Duka, Ilze Ikše, Jurijs Kondratenko, Dzintars Krūmiņš, Daiga Līcīte, Sandris Majars, Simona Orinska
Simona Orinska
Simona Orinska is the only butoh artist in Latvia and a multidisciplinary artist - contemporary dancer, poet, director and choreographer of many art projects...
, Dagne Reinika, Ieva Skopāne, Lena Smelova, Inese Upeniece, Agrita Vidže and Zigmārs Zakis) participated in his laboratory, which lasted for 4 months.
Personal life
Modris had to leave KaunasKaunas
Kaunas is the second-largest city in Lithuania and has historically been a leading centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the biggest city and the center of a powiat in Trakai Voivodeship of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania since 1413. During Russian Empire occupation...
and Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, where he had dedicated himself to mime, for his native Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
in Latvia
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
. Occasionally, he was engaged in theatrical activities after he got married.
He survives his wife Ilze Tenisone and has two adult sons, Juveris and Peteris, who worked and studies in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He lives with his daughter Ilze and assistant, friend and life partner Simona Orinska
Simona Orinska
Simona Orinska is the only butoh artist in Latvia and a multidisciplinary artist - contemporary dancer, poet, director and choreographer of many art projects...
.