Vilma Pitrinaite’s solo work, Miss Lithuania, explores the authenticity of performances of nationalism through a parody of beauty pageants. Miss Lithuania expresses her desire to promote and simultaneously escape her country and, in the course of this ambiguous Spiel, compares the European Union to the Soviet Union and confuses the EU flag with the US flag. The programme claims that Miss Lithuania demonstrates a conflict with norms, although the work saw her embody rather than reject popular images. In doing so, Pitrinaite highlights the absurdity of overidentification with place and the false pride and success projected by national icons. The strength of this work lies in her comedic talent and ability to subversively expose the constructedness of cultural markers, however, the parodic humour explored in dance scenes—sometimes folkloric, other times referencing US pop culture—lacked the sensitivity displayed in her well timed and edited stand-up routines.
– LUKE AARON FORBES
Published by Aerowaves Springback, 18 April 2015. See: http://aerowaves.org/springback/reviews/article/miss-lithuania
