residencies en

Inspired by dramatists such as Antonin Artaud, Jerzy Grotowski, Eugenio Ionesco and Samuel Beckett the physical theater company Iraqi Bodies was formed.
The members of the company were young theater and performing arts students studying at The Fine Arts Institute in Baghdad, Iraq. Starting out in 2002 they performed at festivals in Egypt, Jordan, South Korea and Iraq until 2006, when one of the members was killed due to the increased sectarian violence that took hold of the country after the US led invasion in 2003.
One of the members, Anmar Taha, was at the same time shot and had to flee. Relocating to Sweden he could there resume his work in 2009 and has since acted as choreographer, performer and artistic director of Iraqi Bodies.
The necessity of telling stories through our own physical expression emerged from the memories that lay hidden in our bodies. From the ruins of a war torn country we found ourselves subconsciously dealing with mythical images from a long lost cultural past influenced by Gilgamesh and Sumerian traditions intertwined with the contemporary customs and rituals of Muslim and Sufi traditions. These influences created a set of archaic characteristics that distinctively colored our work. It was as if our bodies channeled a collective memory and the only way for us to transform those memories was to present them in theatrical compositions.
Our work has since then evolved together with the evolution of our own lives. The move to Europe proved to be as much a challenge as a resurge in theatrical inspiration. Exposed to a society so different from the one we came from we tried to find the points of convergence between East and West in our common humanity. This meant that the subject matters that we had dealt with before became infused with a reality that prioritized other values than the ones we were accustomed to. Even if we had been oppressed in Iraq because of our artistic ambitions we were still imbued by values such as communality, generosity and accident. These values were opposed to our new reality, which emphasized individuality, structure and premeditation. How could we merge these in our theater practice and with the people we worked with? Which stories could we tell without being looked upon as exotic?
We found that point in the works which had begun our artistic practice. In the works of Antonin Artuad, Jerzy Grotowski, Eugenio Ionesco, Samuel Beckett and others we now anchored our practice even firmer. By letting the body speak of the trauma of life and the predicament of man our work could transcend any human differences and instead create scenes to show a reality we all share. A poetic reality that finds the light in the deepest darkness of life.

During this Artistic Residency the following performance “KILLING FROM A DISTANCE” was given.

We are concerned and frightened with the current state of political affairs that has been evolving in Europe as well as in the Middle East. The last couple of months have been a parade for the ferocious IS in Iraq and Syria – leaving piles of burnt bodies in their trail. World leaders have since decided to put an end to IS by agreeing to send military forces and wage war in both Syria and Iraq. In reality that means that homes of families are being ruthlessly bombed in the name of ‘anti-terrorism’. This alliance of the West has also expressed their reluctance to find common points with Russia and Iran in their so-called fight against IS. To us this looks suspicious. At the same time Europe has seen an alarming rise of nationalist and fascist parties taking hold over a large number of people in the latest EU elections. The latest of this trend being the victory of the Sverigedemokraterna in the recent Swedish parliamentary elections. What we are seeing – internationally and in Sweden – is a negation of human values.
We watch the media and are time and time again met with reporters and journalists asking empty questions of ‘why?’ and ‘how could this happen?’ We fear that these questions will lead to a bigger sense of apathy and helplessness in the citizens of Europe. The problem is here and is not going to magically vanish. We are struck by the empty ideologies politics today is built on and instead see the trend of a pop-culture politics where people become disillusioned by what they think they need and what they think they will get – preferably as fast as possible. The empty ideologies are not our biggest concern as ideologies built on thorough analysis and sound arguments can be just as deceiving in real life. No. We say no to ideologies – be they empty, valid, or pop-culture. Instead we want to point towards our common experience of being human. Of sharing the void of existence which places man in a constant disequilibrium between his thoughts and his reality.
Steering clear of any worn-out clichés might seem hard in cases like these. One could easily complain about the historical aspects, the political aspects, and the religious aspects. All these grand aspects and ideas might give relief in an all-too-incomprehensible world but do they really question the value of one single human life? Our insides turn upside-down watching the news. We are short of breath when imagining the headlines of the world. It all seems too much to handle. This physical experience that we feel when interacting on a global scale is also very prone to apathy. We are left silent in our homes with an aching soul and heart – with no one to turn to or to ask for help.
We refuse this silence. Now is not the time to be numb. We start over.
Killing From A Distance is a submersion into the depths of torment and absurdity. It is a place-in-between. Neither alive nor dead. It is a forgotten place no one no longer visits after the battle has been fought between big ego-states. It is a place where all the lost souls wander in confusion, contemplating their brief existence on this earth, which was filled with committing inexcusable acts.
He appears. Reappears. Start over.

Director: Anmar Taha
Performers: Ioanna Antonarou, Nabil El Barage, Josephine Gray
Production: Iraqi Bodies

Born in Athens, Theodosia Stathi spent a number of years in Brussels, working as a freelance dancer and yoga teacher. Graduate of P.A.R.T.S. she danced with Ann Van den Broek in Co(te)lette, a piece that received the Dutch Swan Award for the most impressive production of 2007/08. Naturally inclining towards improvisation she took part Into the Riff, a collaborative project between dancers and musicians and later on the company of Thomas Hauert with whom she danced for two years.
Searching more for depth and soul, she joined the company of Julyen Hamilton and participated in all its productions.
In wish to stand ‘on her own’ and go back to her roots, she returned to Greece and is currently based in Amorgos, island of the Cyclades, whose natural beauty has stolen a little piece of her heart. An enthusiast traveller and explorer of the inner and the outer, has visited India a few times for studies in Yoga and Ayurveda. She is certified in Iyengar Yoga and Ayurvedic massage and is genuinely interested in healing and the evolution of human consciousness. She is now working as a massage therapist in Aegialis Spa in Amorgos Island.

During this Artistic Residency the following performance was given:

“Making Home”
Adam

Untouched you slide
Dolphins as support
Free from heart piercing fiery arrows.

The city of Hermes greets your soul
And beach with stardust sprinkled on its sand
Lets bright light defeat the shadow
Lets waves break spells that bond

Washes sorrow and dries up tears.

With sun returning to its primal spot
A new year cracks its wings to open
For love, clarity and centering, allowing trust to grow
Falling so as to resurrect. Anew.

So as to bring you to higher grounds
Where air is thin and breathing is deep. Untouched!
So as to see, what you’ve longed for
Has been with you all along

Your journey home.

Daniel Santos Megina is a professional photographer. He also has a Degree in Economy Sciences and a Master’s Degree in Scientific and Environmental Journalism both from the University of Madrid
He works as a photography teacher in the photography school “Madphoto” and a usual contributor for print magazines: “Muy Interesante”, “Supefoto digital” and the blog “foto24blog”. He also works as a freelance photographer for editorial projects, exhibitions, assignments, features and advertising, as a photography speaker in conferences for Ministry of Development in Spain. Furthermore, he writes reviews and makes tests on cameras.
Daniel has received many awards and recognitions for his work such as: Technology and Photography / City of Alcobendas (1st award), Photographic Prize / Marbella / Bycivic, Madrid City and Patrimony Photographic contest, Montphoto contest 2011.

www.danielsantosmegina.com

During this Artistic Residency a photography workshop was given.

Eugenia Arsenis, Director – Dramaturg, Ph.D in Philosophical Aesthetics, has collaborated with international cultural organizations (Royal Albert Hall, San Francisco Opera Center, Center for Contemporary Opera, Skylight Music Theatre, Oakland Opera House, Greek National Opera, Megaron Athens Concert Hall, National Theatre of Northern Greece etc). She is the Dramaturg of the Center for Contemporary Opera. Coordinator and Dramaturg of the Experimental Stage of the Greek National Opera from the beginning of its inception (2004-2011). For her performance Mendelssohn’s Antigone, which she directed and adapted at the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms, Eugenia Arsenis was honoured at the Antikenfestspiele in Trier. Holder of numerous scholarships. Speaker at international conferences. She has taught Directing at the Department of Theatrical Studies at the University of Peloponnese, Opera at the Department of Music Studies at the Ionian University, Acting for Opera at the National Conservatory and she is the designer and coordinator of the Minor in Theater and Performance at the Hellenic American University. She also coordinates the Melodrama School (Acting for Opera) of the Athens Conservatory. Dr. Arsenis studied Dramaturgy and Directing at the Department of Drama, Theatre and Media Arts at Royal Holloway University of London. She pursued her postgraduate research in Philosophy (University College London) and her Doctorate in Philosophical Aesthetics, Opera and Greek Tragedy at the University of London (RHUL). She was Visiting Researcher at the School of Music of the College of Fine Arts at Boston University for Musical Analysis and Opera Directing. Moreover, she studied Film Directing at the New York Film Academy. She was trained over fourteen years in the theory and the performance of music and she studies dance until today. She was a Board Member of the National Theatre of Northern Greece, she is a regular member of the Greek Directors’ Guild, the International Theatre Institute and the Hellenic Theatre Studies Association.
www.eugeniaarsenis.com

Yannis Adoniou, the renowned artist was born in Athens, where he received his first formal dance education at The State School of Dance and later at John Neumeier’s Hamburg Ballet School in Germany. Since 1998 he has been leading in San Francisco the critically acclaimed arts organization, KUNST-STOFF productions, co-founded with Tomi Paasonen and In 2010 he founded KUNST-STOFF arts, a studio/art space located in downtown San Francisco, designed to host performing and visual artists from around the globe. Adoniou works in dance, film, opera and takes active roles as a curator, producer, and educator. Adoniou has frequently been in collaboration with nationally known composers, and visual and media artists. His production, “Rebetiko-ρεμπετικο”, on the music of Minos Matsas sung by Catherine Clambaneva, received critical acclaim and toured in the USA and Europe. Adoniou was a principal dancer with Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet from 1993-1998 and a regular guest artist across the USA and Europe. In addition to his work with KUNST-STOFF Dance Company, Adoniou has created works for companies and Universities such as Seattle Opera, Sacramento Ballet, Bonn Ballet, Opera Santa Barbara, the Modern Department at the University of Utah, West Bay Opera, West Edge Opera, and Lines Ballet/Dominican University, among others. Adoniou’s works has been commissioned and presented by Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, ODC Theater, CounterPULSE, Dock11 Berlin, Burning Man, Herbst Dance Festival in Heidelberg, Germany, Dance Forum Monaco, Dimitria International Dance Festival, the Athens International Festival, and Ballet Frankfurt, among others. He earned the first place award at Sacramento Ballet’s capital choreographic competition for his creation, “Gomidas Songs”, based on the music of Gomidas Vardabet, and has received support and acknowledgement for his work as a dancer and choreographer from the Isadora Duncan Awards, Irvine Foundation, Dance/USA, 2005 Goldie Awards, San Francisco Arts Commission, MANCC national center for choreography, and the Gerbode Foundation, among others.
www.kunst-stoff.org

During this Artistic Residency the following performance was given:
“Scale made/«now»”
A new work by the choreographer/dancer Yannis Adoniou and the director/dramaturg Eugenia Arsenis.
KUNST­STOFF Productions.

Yiannis Adonou and Eugenia Arsenis present the solo performance “Scale made /«now»”, a hero on stage, a procedure of thought and consciousness, a game of words and movements, as they are expressed in the instant moment, what we call “now”.
Eugenia Arsenis and Υannis Adoniou met in San Francisco in 2007 and immediately discover their common interests in artistic creation and education. Both hold international experience, as they have worked in numerous productions in leading arts institutions in Europe and the United States. Through their new project “Scale made /«now»”, they are looking forward to share their findings, experiment and discover the artistic and personal “voice” of a here, through an alternative approach of Movement – Text – Expression and Music.

Yiannis Tsigkris was born in Athens, Greece, where he started his education in professional dance. He graduated from Greek National Opera Dance School in 2012 and then, he completed his Master of Arts at London Contemporary Dance School in 2014. He has collaborated with Greek National Opera for opera and ballet productions, with UK based choreographers such us Jorge Cricis, Sasha Rubicek, Paolo Mangiola, Eleesha Drennan, Jenni Wren, Joe Moran and he performed a series of Merce Cunningham’s works at the Barbican Gallery for the Dancing around Duchamp exhibition curated by Jeannie Steele. During his undergraduate studies, he choreographed two pieces for the Greek National Opera Dance School, T(w)ogether (2011) which was performed at the 11th Festival for Greek Choreographers, and Nossebios(2012), drawing inspiration from the everyday life of people in an urban environment and how they deal with their thoughts, feelings and obsessions. After his experiences and collaborations in London, he started his research for a new choreographic piece called butterknife (2014) with references on classical geometry as practiced in Ancient Greece.

Angeliki Gouvi was born in Heraklion Crete where she took her first steps in dance. She studied at the Thessalian Ballet School in Larissa (GR) and the State School of Dance in Athens. In 2013, she graduated from London Contemporary Dance School in London (UK) with a Master of Arts in Contemporary Dance, as awardee of the State Scholarship Foundation of Greece (IKY). In 2013-2014, Ageliki collaborated with Sasha Waltz & Guests for the ZKM Exhibition “Installations Objects Performances” in Karlsruhe, Germany. Furthermore she has collaborated with Jorge Crecis, Morgan Runacre- Tmple and Paolo Mangiola in the UK. In Greece, she collaborated with the Dance Theatre Oktana by Konstantinos Rigos for the Athens Festival 2014 as well as the Arc for Dance Festival.

During this Artistic Residency the following performance was given:
“u_for_ia”
u_for_ia is composed by everyday actions and habits which aim to provoke pleasure, enjoyment and excitement. It is a journey of personal experiences and states of being that unfolds in space and time, and constitutes our version in this exploration.

Concept/ Choreography: Yiannis Tsigkris in collaboration with Angeliki Gouvi
Performer: Angeliki Gouvi
Photos by Loukia Batsi

Meri Pajunpää started dancing in Finland at Nurmijärven Tanssiopisto and continued as a free student at Tanssivintti dance school in Helsinki. In 2004-2008 she studied at the Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten (MTD) during which she started to create her own work as well; The difficulty of… a solo, Leftovers at the Waterlooplein a duet with Anat Yaffe and Stupid Light, a piece for two other dancers, performed at the Muiderpoort Theater Amsterdam. After her graduation in 2008, Meri has been working with choreographers such as Francesco Scavetta (touring the “Surprised Body project” 2010-2014 in Europe, Asia and South-America), Vera Tussing, Jenni Kivelä, Sanna Myllylahti, Itamar Serussi, and Arno Schuitemaker among others. In 2010 she founded together with a group of dancers and musicians an improvisation collective Tail Collection, which performed in the Netherlands between 2010-2011. Along her career as a performer, Meri has also been teaching contemporary and partnering classes for amateurs and professionals. At the moment Meri is based in Belgium and currently working with choreographers Peter Savel and Vera Tussing.

During this Artistic Residency the following performance was given:
“There will probably be some music, but we’ll manage to find a quiet corner where we can talk”(work in progress)

Short introduction of the work in progress showing of Meri Pajunpää entitled: “There will probably be some music, but we’ll manage to find a quiet corner where we can talk”.
This project started from a curiosity to combine text and movement, to take elements of language and search for ways of using them in movement research.
Texts, spoken words, have a meaning, sound and rhythm to it. Using text in a performance directly implies multilayered communication. How can I respond to, and play with text in all its dimensions with my moving body? As a source of inspiration I have used some early works and recordings of the American composer John Cage. I was intrigued by Cage’s way of looking at the world with a child like curiosity and by his endless passion towards sounds. But I also just started to get interested in him as a character, in his way of talking and in the way he tended to inject a bit of humor and mystery in every answer he gave to the interviewers. So I started to wonder, is it possible to have a conversation on stage with someone who lived in a different era?

Photography: Thibault Gregoire

Yannis Adoniou, Artistic Director/Choreographer KUNST-STOFF productions.
Born in Athens Greece, Yannis Adoniou, a Goldie Award winning art maker is the co-founder and the Artistic director of the critically acclaimed dance company KUNST-STOFF. A renowned choreographer and a master teacher he choreographs and conducts classes/workshops across the United States and Europe. In 2010 Adoniou founded KUNST-STOFF arts, a studio/art space located in downtown San Francisco that is designed to host performing and visual artists from around the globe. Mr. Adoniou curates and organizes the performances and artistic teams for Stoffwechsel – Metabolism Festival, Berlin.
www.kunst-stoff.org

During this Artistic Residency the following performance was given:
In Limbo (excerpt)
Created and performed by: Yannis Adoniou and Minos Matsas

A musician and a dancer on stage. Their performance can take an unexpected twist.
The bodies, the sounds, the lights, the musical instruments-objects suggest a story, which is not really a story, since there is no beginning, middle, or end and no heroes. It consists of an “open” narrative adventure that calls the spectator to experience it “here” and “now” as an act of theater in progress.
“In Limbo”: nothing is final and everything is being reconsidered. There is no “final version”: changes are embodied the moment they are born. The bodies create horizontal and vertical axes, symmetrical lines and then break them; bodies and music engage in a dialogue or just ignore each other; they expose themselves or withdraw; they adjust the tension, improvise and try to find a way to co-inhabit the space in a fluid way, which is not preconceived; they are in quest of a relationship that is constantly under scrutiny; they are seeking a form, a brilliant idea or a moment of aesthetical pleasure.
Experimentation in synthesis is of utmost importance for both performers and audience. The rhythm, the atmosphere and the flowing structure trigger the spectators’ imagination, inviting them to create their own story. A story without boundaries based on the sensations that unfold in the surrounding fields of vision and sound.

Lindsey Renee Derry is a graduate of Purchase College Conservatory of Dance with a BFA in Dance Performance—summa cum laude. At Purchase she performed repertory by Mark Morris, Paul Taylor, Merce Cunningham, Lauri Stallings, and Jacqulyn Buglisi. She is the recipient of the 2006 Thayer Fellowship, a prestigious award given by the New York Foundation of the Arts to outstanding State University graduates. As a performing artist Derry has had numerous touring opportunities, taking her thus far to fourteen countries spanning North America, Europe, and Asia. In New York City she has worked with RIOULT (Pascal Rioult), Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, and TAKE Dance (Takehiro Ueyama). For five years, Derry spent several months out of the year working with José Navas/Compagnie Flak in Montréal. Highlights include performances at the Guggenheim Museum in Spain, the new Oslo Opera House in Norway, and the MODAFE festival in Seoul, South Korea. Presently, Derry is a Contributing Artist with European based KUNST-STOFF Productions (Yannis Adoniou and Tomi Paasonen) and dancer at Hope Mohr Dance in San Francisco. In 2012, Derry launched L i n s d a n s to serve as the platform for her solo work both choreographed by herself and guest artists. She is the recipient of the 2013 John D. and Susan P. Diekman Fellowship, an award that enabled her participation at the Djerassi Resident Artists Program. This summer, with support from American Dance Abroad, she will participate in three consecutive residencies in Greece and festival Stoffwechsel-Metabolism in Berlin where she will create new solo work and perform her solo show POR·TRAI·TURE throughout.
www.linsdans.org

During this Artistic Residency the following performances were given:
FAIL SAFE
Created by Yannis Adoniou and performed by Lindsey Renee Derry

failing#responding#unlocking#solutions
A solo work that suggests failure in a way that will cause no harm but will unlock doors, ensure escapes, and present solutions all within the human body.
http://vimeo.com/96204642

POR·TRAI·TURE
Performed by: Lindsey Renee Derry
Choreography: Lindsey Renee Derry (San Francisco), José Navas (Montréal), Sidra Bell (New York), Alex Ketley (San Francisco), Iratxe Ansa (Barcelona)
Video designer Erin Malley (San Francisco)

In the hour that Lindsey Renee Derry journeys through a shifting landscape of complex movement languages and unpredictable electronic music, a collection of moving portraits emerge. In them, a multi-faceted artist is revealed who reaches many energetic and emotional extremes, from the cool and meditative to the fiery and explosive. Text and video projection serve as the connective tissue that links one dancing solo to the next, revealing both candidly and with exaggeration her personal and vulnerable sides.
Interested in exploring not only her choreography but also the work idioms of several choreographers in one evening, Derry approached some of the contemporary dance scene’s most compelling and innovative choreographers for the creation of POR·TRAI·TURE. In support of her vision and helping to move it forward were choreographers José Navas (Montréal), Sidra Bell (New York), Alex Ketley (San Francisco), and Iratxe Ansa (Barcelona), along with video designer Erin Malley (San Francisco).

“…I’ve never seen a series of distinct solos blend together so seamlessly…even her costume changing all become part of the ritual of dance.” — Jim Tobin BayAreaDanceWeek
http://vimeo.com/92190954

Jurij Konjar was born in Ljubljana in ʼ78. He trained Judo and singing from an early age, then began dancing with ballroom competitions. In 2007 he suffered a head injury that shifted the focus of his work towards the potential of the present moment. An in-depth observation of Steve Paxtonʼs Goldberg Variations video triggered what became an improvisation practice.

During this Artistic Residency the following performance was given:
“Goldberg Variations”:
In 2007 Jurij Konjar started looking at Walter Verdinʼs video work, ʽGoldberg Variationsʼ, based on Steve Paxtonʼs performance “The Goldberg Variations by J.S. Bach, played by Glen Gould, improvised by Steve Paxton”. In 2009, through a chain of events and choices he began practicing regularly; dancing the whole piece every day of the following year. The official premiere of Goldberg Variations was in Vienna in October 2010.

Created and performed by: Jurij Konjar
Music: Goldberg Variations, by Johann Sebastian Bach. Performed by Glen Gould (1981)
With gratitude to Steve Paxton and Lisa Nelson
Produced by: Jurij Konjar
Coproduction: Tanzquartier Wien
With the support of Slovene Ministry for Culture

http://www.jurijkonjar.com/

Theodosia Stathi was born in Athens and is currently living in Brussels, working as a freelance performer and as a dance and yoga teacher. She graduated PARTS in 2006. She has studied Iyengar yoga in Belgium and India, and is a certified teacher. She has collaborated with several choreographers, Deborah Hay, Julyen Hamiltion, Thomas Hauert, Ann van den Broek and Bud Blumenthal. She is currently member of Allen’s Line the company of Julyen Hamilton, as well as The Wheel the company of Billie Hanne. Inspired by her ongoing research through dance and yoga she has been developing her personal approach to improvisation; which she wishes to share.

Silver Ground
On this ridge we climb
and this land is our food
in the water we wash our clothes and hair
under the sun we become still
knowing before thought
we remember what love is all about.

Silver Ground is a solo performance where movements and actions rise by listening to the present moment and by serving that which each instant wants to bring into life.
Concept and choreography: Theodosia Stathi