The day we photographed this month’s cover story, Barrington was blanketed in snow—and Vilia Putrius and Mindaugas Bauzys were right where they feel most at home: in their studio. It’s fitting, because for this husband-and-wife team of classically trained professional dancers, ballet has always been more than a career. It’s the thread that’s linked their lives since childhood, carried them across countries, and brought them to Rhode Island to build Ocean State Ballet.

Vilia and Mindaugas are both from Lithuania and began their training at the country’s national ballet school, an elite program that selects talented children from around the country around age ten. From there, students train intensively for eight years with a clear goal: graduate ready to become a professional ballet dancer. “It’s very prestigious,” Vilia explains, describing the rigorous standards and discipline required to succeed.

After graduating, both dancers joined the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre, where they continued their careers—and where their relationship truly began. Although they had known each other since their early school days, they became a couple while dancing professionally at the theatre. They later married and welcomed their daughter, Izabele, in Lithuania before an opportunity abroad changed everything.

In 2001, Vilia and Mindaugas moved to the United States after spending two years as guest artists with a ballet company in Texas, that regularly invited them for short performance programs. When the company expanded, they were asked to join full-time. “We were thinking, let’s try—we’ll see what’s going to happen,” Mindaugas says. Their daughter was just two years old when the family relocated to Texas. After about two and a half years, the next chapter brought them to Massachusetts, where they danced with Boston Ballet, living in the South End and South Boston.

In 2008, another professional opportunity—this time with Festival Ballet Providence—brought them to Rhode Island. While searching for a strong school community for Izabele, a friend suggested Barrington. One visit was all it took. “I told Mindaugas, ‘I want to live here and retire here,’” Vilia recalls. They rented at first, then eventually bought a home, and Barrington has been home ever since.

Today, Vilia and Mindaugas channel their world-class experience into Ocean State Ballet, now in its sixth season. After years as principal dancers at FBP, they transitioned into leadership roles—Vilia as a school director, Mindaugas as ballet master. During the pandemic, a realization surfaced: they wanted to work for themselves and build the kind of training environment they believed in. At Ocean State Ballet, the intensive ballet program is taught by the two of them, with additional faculty offering jazz, character, modern, and contemporary.

Their culture blends high standards with genuine care. “We demand good quality, but at the same time we are kind,” Vilia says. She loves watching students grow—not only as dancers, but as people—and describes a community where students cheer each other on. The results speak for themselves: in just a few years, several students have already moved into respected professional programs.

Ocean State Ballet also welcomes adults. Their adult ballet offerings now include both experienced dancers and a newer beginner class. Vilia says many adults arrive expecting ballet to be intimidating—then leave smiling. “It’s all about practicing and repeating,” she explains. “If you go slowly and methodically, people start to understand what this is all about.”

This spring, the studio will present the Ugly Duckling, a performance Vilia describes as both beautiful and meaningful—showing young audiences how bullying impacts others and how transformation and hope are possible. The show takes place at the end of May at The Woodman Center, at Moses Brown School. 

When they’re not teaching, the couple enjoys Barrington’s calm pace, bike path, nature walks with their two dogs, and time near the beach. “It’s nice to visit a big city,” Vilia says, “but it’s nice to come back home.”

From Lithuania’s national stage to a beloved East Bay studio, Vilia and Mindaugas have built a life shaped by discipline, artistry, and heart—and a place where the next generation can do the same.