Posts Tagged :

2015

Clara Durán Calero 1024 683 dancecenter

Clara Durán Calero

13/12/2015 – 20/12/2015

Performing Arts
Title of project: ” ”
Spain

Clara Calero is a musician from Spain who worked with members of Akropoditi Dancetheatre during her Artistic Residency at Akropoditi Dance Centre. The results of this work were presented.

A few words about the presentation:

For any economical system, people are considered as productive bodies, one more element of the engine. Individuals are immersed in the culture of performing and are constantly required to show and produce, having to push aside feelings, physical needs and all what really makes their lives meaningful. The starting point of the project is the time restrictions set by our lifestyle. The score is structured in fixed periods of time that explore the following topics: labor time-free time, productive body-human body, performing needs-emotional needs. The piece is a critique to the performing society we are subdued to and the effects this causes in our lives. It is an invitation to take action: only we possess the power to prioritize and decide where we want to invest the time we have left.

Clara Calero

Silke Bake, Ash Bulayev, Zoi Dimitriou and Peter Stamer 672 538 dancecenter

Silke Bake, Ash Bulayev, Zoi Dimitriou and Peter Stamer

03/08/2015 – 14/08/2015

Performing Arts
Title of project: “DRafting Togetherness”
Greece, USA, Denmark

Research project DRafting Togetherness

The crisis in Greece has proved it necessary to not only pose important questions of solidarity but also to practice new ways of learning how to live, think, and learn together. The recent European rhetorics of guilt and blame reflect this shortcoming of a common practice: in the end we all do sit in the same boat. Now the first question is not who is rowing the boat, but how do we keep it up and running, how to keep it waterproof in times when tides are getting higher than we are able to deal with. Thus the question is not anymore who are the ones who steer (who is the captain?), who are the ones who are said to be ‘parasitic’ (‘stowaway’ passengers), but rather: how to construct such a boat in order to make it through stormy weathers of political and social crisis? We would like to interpret this question not just metaphorically but take it at face value by building a raft together.
Silke Bake (D), Ash Bulayev (US), Zoi Dimitriou (GR), and Peter Stamer (D), being artists from the fields of choreography, performance, and theatre want to conduct the first phase of their research project on creating communality on Syros in August 2015. In a series of meetings, encounters, working sessions both situated in the Akropoditi dance centre and in town, we want to undertake preliminary steps towards the building of floating structures in 2016.

Finding out how things go, leaving routines behind, circumnavigating given knowledge, conquering new ways of appropriation and sharing is part and parcel of our adventure – and it’s that kind of curiosity we would ask people to come with.
Our work methodology entails to start with the landscape we are working in, using the material we find, fabricating the tools we are in need of, taking the circumstances into account and thus produce the knowledge, skills, and intelligence we require to work together.

In this research phase in summer 2015, we want to get acquainted with the actual circumstances the crisis has produced in Europe and develop practical methods of collaboration that base upon the following assumptions:
– By implementing an objective of and for collaboration we create togetherness and communality with the means of artistic tools
– By negotiating of what it needs to bring this boat or raft afloat we learn more about techniques and practices of ourselves and each other than any kind of political rhetorics can provide us with
– By working with a multi-disciplinary, socially and culturally heterogenous group of people we understand more about political processes than listening to so-called decision makers
– By learning together we give each other the chance to overcome the arrogance of those who seem to know better and the ignorance of those who’d rather abstain from committing themselves

Since we are steered by the conviction that sharing practices exercise democracy and agonistic togetherness we wish for this project to take a noteworthy stand on the challenges the economic crisis imposes on contemporary Europe, Greece and its citizens.

Supported by Bundeskanzleramt Österreich, Akropoditi Dance Centre Syros

Iraqi Bodies 1004 803 dancecenter

Iraqi Bodies

11/06/2015 – 11/07/2015

Performing Arts
Title of project: “KILLING FROM A DISTANCE”
Sweeden

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

Theodosia Stathi 900 640 dancecenter

Theodosia Stathi

18/05/2015 – 24/05/2015

Performing Arts
Title of project: “Making Home”
Greece

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 1024 820 dancecenter

Daniel Santos Megina

09/03/2015 – 29/03/2015

Photography
Spain

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.

Yannis Adoniou and Eugenia Arsenis 1000 800 dancecenter

Yannis Adoniou and Eugenia Arsenis

26/02/2015 – 04/03/2015

Performing Arts
Title of project: “Scale made/«now»”
Greece

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 and Angeliki Gouvi 1024 944 dancecenter

Yiannis Tsigkris and Angeliki Gouvi

01/02/2015 – 28/02/2015

Performing Arts
Title of project: “u_for_ia”
Greece

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

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