June 2021

DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT

Discovering our Under/pants

“Discovering our Under/pants” is actress and performer’s Nayias T. Karacosta project in relation with her residency programme “Moving the new” at Dance house Limassol.
The project was created out of the need to talk about the female body, our self-disposition and pleasures through techniques derived from documentary theater.
This research started from a series of recorded interviews of women who spoke about their experiences regarding (or lack of) self-pleasuring.
Their stories were then morphed into a script and the script into a performance (“Under/pants” part 1).
As the research went along, it branched out into workshops, where through the use of theater games we talk about our bodies and our experiences- memories regarding them.
At the same time the second part of this research is how the narration of the interviewers/participants true body affects her own body as a performer and how this new body can transform into a new artistic expression.
The project aims at the collection of research data for further expanding on the ongoing script to become “Under/pants” part 2.

OPEN CALL FOR “Discovering our under/pants”

How do we talk about our bodies?
How does our body become a documentary?

The experiential workshop “Discovering our Under/pants” calls on adult women of all backgrounds to talk about their bodies through the use of a series of theater games.
This workshop serves as part’ A of the ongoing research project “Discovering our under/pants” where it focuses on the use of theatre games as a questionnaire of experiential interviews.
The workshop will be recorded and the data acquired will be used as a documentary for presenting at the 8^th International Dance and Dancetheatre Festival Akropoditi DanceFest 2021, as well as material for future Under/pants iterations, having of course acquired the consent of the participants.

* The first meeting at 18th of July will be at 12:00 – 14:00 at Akropoditi Dance and Performing Arts Centre (Iroon Polytechneiou 84, Hermoupolis, Syros) and the time of the future meeting will be decided by the team

** No experience at theater or dance required.

Submission: until Saturday 10 July
Τel. : +30 6944-771449, +30 6973-792685
E-mail: akropoditidancecentre@gmail.com

Organized by the Akropoditi Dance and Performing Arts Centre, in collaboration with the Dance House Lemesos

Moving The New Abroad
Dance House Lemesos, Moving the New, artistic residency programme has at its core the artistic development of Cyprus based artists that performing arts. The programme serves the goal of Dance House Lemesos that focuses on encouraging the continuous progress of local choreographers, dancers and artists from the field of performing arts, their participation within the broader European dance/performing arts scene, as well as the reinforcement of audience engagement.
As part of ‘Moving Abroad’ strand the selected artists have the opportunity to visit like- minded centres/organisations/festivals for 5 days, in order to explore their artistic idea further and present their research and methodologies with the local communities /audiences.

Nayia T. Karacosta
Nayia T. Karacosta graduated from the School of Drama, Faculty of Fine Arts- Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Specialized in Acting and Performance Arts.
As an actress she co-founded with Eleni Anastasiou the theatrical group Intra Portas with whom they perform site-specific plays happening inside the classrooms at schools. They also co-wrote and she performed the documentary play ‘’Under/pants’’ based on interviews about women’s masturbation. She also worked with Nastazia Christodoulou, Aris Stefani, Magdalena Zira, Asteris Peltekis, Louis Patsias, Themis Theocharoglou, Ersi Vasilikioti, Stergios, Dinopoulos, Tasos Rantzos, Alexandros Politakis and others, in plays, films and tv-series.
As a Drama facilitator she teaches Educational Drama and Theatrical games across a variety of groups, ages and backgrounds.
Nayia was also a member of the artistic committee in the 32rd Pancyprian Festival of Amateur Theatre.