Lithuanian professional ballroom dancers, five-time national ten-dance champions and founders of the dance studio “Dance4fun” already know the gender of their upcoming baby – the couple will have a son next winter.
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G. Slausgalvienė says that this pregnancy is different from the previous ones. This time, the body seems to dictate a slower pace – wanting to rest more, work less, and the appetite has significantly increased.
“I feel that this time I need to take better care of myself and listen to my body. I want more peace, rest, I no longer want to rush everywhere and cover so much. The appetite has also changed – it seems I just ate, and I’m already looking for a snack,” laughs Gintarė.
The firstborn, Vakarė Slausgalvė, was born thirteen years ago, Gabrielė was born almost three years later, and the youngest, Adrija, will soon celebrate her third birthday. According to Gintarė, the age difference between the sisters does not prevent them from creating a close bond – the older ones take great care of the little one, so the family is confident that the future brother will not lack attention.
“The older sisters really help a lot with the little one – they take care of her, play with her, and sometimes even prepare breakfast for me or help around the house. Could I say that right now they are all best friends? Probably not, but with sisters, it’s different – one moment you love each other, the next you argue, and soon everything is fine again. But their bond is strong, so I have no doubt that the little brother will receive just as much love and attention. I generally find it beautiful to see a growing big family – when you have your own people around to be silly with, laugh, and sometimes even quarrel,” smiles the future mother of four.
However, the anticipation of the son is accompanied by very sensitive emotions. Just three days after Gintarė found out she would become a mother again, her father passed away. Because of this loss, the news about the upcoming son gained even deeper meaning for the family – the boy is expected to be born in the same month as Gintarė’s father was born.
“Those days were very emotionally intense – one piece of news brought great joy, and soon after, a painful loss had to be endured. Therefore, the thought that the son should be born in the same month as my father was born warms my heart especially. For me, it is a very sensitive and meaningful coincidence,” says G. Slausgalvienė.
An integral part of life
Gintarė shared the sensitive family news on the evening of the opening of the authorial jewelry studio-gallery “Rima Berg.” According to her, jewelry had different meanings at different stages of life, but adornment has been inseparable from the life of a professional dancer since youth.
“In adolescence, I really liked jewelry – now I notice the same looking at my older daughter. Back then, I mostly liked silver and costume jewelry, and I didn’t like gold at all. Over the years, my taste changed – now I have discovered amber and really like very minimalist gold jewelry. In general, adornment is an inseparable part of a dancer’s life because we dress up a lot for competitions. At sixteen, I was already decorating my dresses with Swarovski crystals myself, so the creative process itself is close to me,” says G. Slausgalvienė.
She was fascinated by the exhibition “When the Heart Blooms,” which will be held in the gallery until September 30. Its highlight is jewelry created using the rare background filigree technique.
The founders of “Rima Berg” are jeweler Rimantė and her husband Danielius.
“For me, working with metal is primarily a search for textures and shapes. This search is ongoing – observing the surrounding world, living daily life, experiencing new impressions, or meeting new people. Sometimes ideas come spontaneously and pour out in sketches. Others require long puzzles, resembling mosaics, and countless attempts that don’t leave me until I feel the piece is complete,” said jeweler Rimantė Landsbergienė, well known in the creative world under the name Rima Berg, at the exhibition and gallery opening.
According to the author, this jewelry-making technique, which appeared in Mesopotamia 3000 years BC and was later used in Egypt and Greece, is unjustly forgotten today.
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“I really like it because it allows creating a raised yet fine and subtle relief, providing almost unlimited pattern possibilities. The preparation of the wires themselves – from weaving to soldering – is like a kind of meditation for me, an opportunity to focus thoughts and feelings, which are ultimately reflected in the created pattern. It is my conversation with the world, an expression of feelings and thoughts, energy, a frozen moment, the observed beauty of nature that I want to share,” says the jeweler known as Rima Berg.
“I discovered background filigree while studying at the Kaunas School of Applied Arts. However, I see it as a texture, a small element of the piece that complements but by no means completes the idea of the work,” she adds.
Rimantė creates authorial handmade pieces from gold and silver by combining various techniques – from background filigree to wax sculpture.
Has a privilege
Danielius Landsbergis looks at his wife’s creativity from a special position – he is not only her husband but also part of the created “Rima Berg” brand. Having a unique sense of aesthetics, beauty, and composition, he gets involved in the creative process: evaluating, asking, suggesting, and when necessary – criticizing.
“I am probably one of Rimantė’s strictest critics. She knows that I will express my opinion even when it is not easy to hear. But at the same time, I am her biggest fan of creativity. Sometimes I take an unfinished piece of jewelry in my hands and realize – it lacks nothing. Then I stop being a critic and just look at the object created by my loved one, which emotionally affects me,” says Danielius.
His contribution also includes the practical side of “Rima Berg” activities – fairs, exhibitions, logistics, gallery, and technical solutions. Danielius admits he tends to take risks more often and suggest ideas that seem difficult to implement at first glance. “I like to ask: why not? What if we try? Because behind all the discussions, technical solutions, and business matters, the most important thing remains – art can evoke emotion,” he says.
Tangible form for feelings
Rimantė’s path to jewelry began with long searches for herself and the most suitable form of creativity. Although she was drawn to arts, literature, and humanities since adolescence, when choosing studies, she took a more practical path – engineering taught in French at Kaunas University of Technology. After graduating, she worked for several years in a field related to electrical engineering but gradually realized that creativity was what she missed most in her professional activity.
An important change occurred when her son was born – then Rimantė seriously admitted to herself for the first time that she wanted to create. She painted on silk, wrote a book for her pleasure, tried different forms of creativity, searching for the one closest to her. Later, after the birth of a daughter in the family, the choice to make creativity an important part of her life only strengthened.
The desire to create tangible objects that could become part of everyday life led her to the Kaunas School of Applied Arts, where she discovered one of her favorite techniques – background filigree.
Today, creating “Rima Berg” jewelry, Rimantė seeks a balance of texture and form, drawing inspiration from observing the environment, people, and everyday life.
“Jewelry is my choice to give feelings a tangible form,” she sums up her creative path.
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