The folk dance and song ensemble gathers students from various faculties of Klaipėda University. The Vytinė ensemble was founded in 1994. The student initiative to have their own ensemble was enthusiastically supported by the rector Stasys Vaitiekūnas. Vytautas Saikauskas was the first artistic director of the ensemble, and Vidmantas Mačiulskis was invited to lead the dance group. The directors and members of the student ensemble are convinced that this student art self-activity collective becomes a meaningful center for communication, nurturing native melodies, and folk music traditions. The ensemble's creative credo is the preservation and reconstruction of the cultural heritage of Lithuania Minor (Mažoji Lietuva). The ensemble performs authentic and stylized folk music from Lithuania Minor, as well as original works of folk art. Directors often search for orchestrations or original compositions suitable for folk melodies or dances. The members of the ensemble, apparently not by chance, chose the name Vytinė which means a raft, a fishing boat, or a baidak in Western Samogitian. This obliges them to embark on distant and bold journeys with the always youthful Vytinė ensemble. The ensemble's tour routes have already covered not only Lithuania but also England, Estonia, Latvia, Spain, Scotland, Poland, Italy, Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Hungary. Vytinė ensemble members are regular participants in the Lithuanian Song Festivals and the Gaudeamus student festivals of the Baltic countries. They are also winners of the national folk dance ensemble competitions Kadagys and Klumpakojis.
