Already this Sunday, Lithuania will ring with salsa rhythms for the last time. Or rather, from her last chords, which will reach us directly from Cuba, because the grand finale of the TV3 dance and knowledge project “Salsamanai” will take place this evening. During it, even the 4 best couples will dance their last dance, which will give victory to one of them. However, their fate is only in the hands of viewers from Lithuania. Vote and choose the winner!
After tonight’s live broadcast begins, viewers will be invited to vote for their favorites by phone – they will choose the winning couple. And if your favorite couple has already been eliminated, but you would still like to show them some attention, we invite you to collect the most beloved couple of “Salsamans”. Vote and maybe you’ll be lucky enough to win great prizes!
To dance love, to dance life, to dance feeling and salsa, which already runs in the blood not only of Cubans, but also of Lithuanians – this is exactly the task that the 4 best couples of the project set themselves for the last time: Tadas Gryn and Cher, Jurgita Jurkutė and Adrianas, Gailė Butvilaitė and Oddebi and Norbert Liatkovskis and Raquel.
Which one will you vote for?
Tad and Cher
Tad does not hide it – he will never forget why he decided to travel to Cuba in the first place. “I didn’t come here to dance steps. I came to dance love,” said Tad.
And he will be right – by the end of the project, the talented actor realized that he loves more than just the stage. “I’m sick of loving my partner,” he admitted, repeating over and over how special Cher is.
It was this love of his that became the key that opened the way to success – Tad and Cher’s connection was established immediately. This was noticed not only by other participants, but also by all teachers of the project. Unlike other couples, they were constantly accompanied by inspiration on this salsa journey – there was no anger or tension between them.
And Tad himself never allowed himself to give up. Once on the brink of relegation, he immediately understood the importance of working hard and moving forward. “Then came a second breath, a new energy – as if some spirit had entered me. New forces appeared and I immersed myself in all this even more. That was the main turning point,” he said.
Gaile and Oddebi
As the dizzying journey of salsa drew to a close, Gailė did not hide the feeling that she had spent a much larger period of her life in Cuba. “It seems like years have passed. Internal experiences, dramas with partners, excitement about other friends… There were so many dramas that it really seems like years have passed,” she said.
And while her and Oddebi’s relationship was accompanied by constant emotional roller coasters, everyone immediately agreed that they were both insanely talented. They are certainly not spared the necessary data – both of them come from families of dancers. Oddebi, like his parents, is a Cuban folkloric dancer. And here is Gailė, whose mother is a ballerina, until now she goes to her mother almost every morning to learn ballet.
The fact that she spent the first 18 years of her life in Venezuela helped Gail understand Cuba and its people. Spanish is almost native to her, she has spent more time near the Caribbean Sea than the Baltic Sea, and the environment and the hot sun have warmed her character.
“I really try to enjoy every moment because I don’t know when I’m going to die.” When I suffer, I suffer to the end. If I cry – I cry, if I’m sad – I’m sad. That the way it is. I can’t lie – it’s better to say frankly that I don’t like something,” she said.
And here is the second most frequently heard phrase of Gaile in Havana, is “I need love”. “I really need a lot of her. Maybe because I give a lot of it away. I gave a lot of love to Oddebi, to dance. Then I feel empty and maybe that’s why I go to hug everyone,” said Gailė.
And now Gailė can’t imagine her life without dance anymore… Will Gailė and Oddebi manage to once again enchant not only all Cubans, but also the inhabitants of Lithuania?
Norbert and Raquel
During all this time, while he was in Cuba, Norbert experienced probably the most emotions. He wasn’t the only one who had to spend a night in a Cuban hospital as soon as the project started, or constantly find ways to communicate with his partner who doesn’t speak a word of English. Norbert was also the one who celebrated his 23rd birthday in Cuba.
“The last show, the finale, and, perhaps, I found that golden mean – both in my personality and in dance. It seems to me that this will also be reflected in our performance today,” he said before the final.
And although it now seems that he and Raquel speak the same language, which is based on salsa, the so-called “non-conversations” have also happened in this couple. “Raquel and I have had a winding road. “When I asked if we were going to do something or if she had any thoughts, sometimes she just said no,” he recalled.
But Norbert’s stubbornness did not end even then – he did everything to find a way not only to the final, but also to the heart of his partner. “At that time, when he was dancing, probably no one from the side could notice that there was no connection between him and his partner, and that there were all sorts of behind-the-scenes things. Just because he has this quality of a fighter, he has to be in this final”, choreographer Sandra Saikauskaitė said about Norbert before the final.
Jurgita and Adrianas
Although Jurgita will be almost fluent in Spanish by the end of the project, this couple has achieved something even more important. They began to communicate without words – just a look or a movement is enough. However, the most important thing is that the project revealed other colors of charming Lithuania that no one has seen.
“As Jurgita Jurkutė-Širvaitė, whom Lithuania was used to seeing elegant in projects, here I had the opportunity to show a much wider spectrum of my colors. And Adrian, as a professional dancer and teacher, saw my colors very well. It’s strange that a person who knows you so little can notice it so quickly,” she did not hide her surprise.
However, not everything was simple for this couple either – their rehearsals were constantly watched by Adriana’s wife, who was a little jealous of “Miss Lithuania”, and where else was the huge excitement of the Cuban, which Jurgita had to control…
“It’s one thing when you come to learn to dance, and it’s another thing when you come and realize that you also have to be a psychotherapist for your partner. I really had to do a lot of maneuvering and turn on my other knowledge to make it easier for our couple and to prevent emotions from getting in the way,” admitted Jurgita, and Adrian insisted until the last moment that Jurgita was the best source of peace.
The couple’s final performance, which Jurgita and Adrianas will dedicate to the woman’s daughter in Lithuania, will be even more special. “Daughter, this is a dance that is meant for you,” said Jurgita.
All these couples are amazing. However, only the audience will decide which of them will become the winner of the project!
The grand finale of “Salsamanė”, where viewers from Lithuania will vote for each couple, is already today, at 7:30 p.m. on TV3!
