HOW BEAUTIFUL IS PANAMA
The children’s dance performance “Panama Is Very Beautiful” is based on the beloved book by Janosch (Horst Eckert). With the language of dance and music, it tells a story in which even the youngest audience members can recognize timeless values—happiness, friendship, and the ability to find beauty and joy in every moment.
The creative team—composer Silvija Miliūnaitė, librettist Sondra Simana, choreographer Daria Verovka, music director and conductor Giedrius Vaznys, set designer Sigita Šimkūnaitė, costume designer Sandra Straukaitė, and lighting designer Andrius Stasiulis—worked to ensure that art merges with meaning and that visual beauty becomes storytelling.
Daria Verovka, a member of the KVMT ballet company and a young choreographer, says that “Panama Is Very Beautiful” speaks to children through the language of dance about eternal values—friendship, happiness, the joy of discovery, and many other beautiful things. The audience will experience the journey of familiar characters—Little Bear, Little Tiger, and Duck—and see what unexpected discoveries await them.
Set designer Sigita Šimkūnaitė subtly incorporated plastic objects into the stage design, creating a stream, fish, flying elements, and other important details. In this way, the performance invites us to reflect on whether we consume responsibly and think about future generations. This fairy-tale world is enriched by Silvija Miliūnaitė’s music, which, according to conductor Giedrius Vaznys, “seems to tell the story on its own.” Costumes by Sandra Straukaitė and lighting by Andrius Stasiulis add joyful magic to the performance.
The book “Panama Is Very Beautiful,” written in 1978, is one of the most beloved children’s books in Germany and was awarded the German Youth Literature Prize. An opera based on this work was staged in Berlin, and generations of theater lovers have grown up with this story and cherish it to this day.
Don’t miss the chance to dive with your whole family into a bright, heartfelt, and inspiring fairy-tale world where Panama truly is very beautiful.
