12th International Dance and Performing Arts Festival in Syros
12th Akropoditi DanceFest 2025 (10th – 20th July 2025)
Age-fully-present
The body grows and changes: it is the body of all of us.
As time goes by, our body becomes more and more present; a presence which becomes richer as it evolves, matures and transforms. Not only does it constantly acquire new skills but it is also met with new needs. It guards memories and secrets, it becomes an integral part of our world. Through life journey and its experiences, the body becomes more fragile but also more resilient, transforming into a diverse landscape that carries within it all the seasons and all the visible and invisible marks of the journey.
Yet, there comes a time when the body -our body- is perceived as withdrawn, hidden, placed beyond sight, receding. It is cast aside. It remains alone.
Why?
Our festival this year focuses on the active presence of the mature body in the performing arts and embraces works that either include older performers on stage or are related to the thematic of this year (mature age, the relationship between age and presence in general, and specifically the performing arts, etc.).
The International Dance and Performing Arts Festival Akropoditi Dancefest the last five years has been hosting on a permanent basis movement and expression workshops addressed to people of mature age which usually conclude with an open presentation or performance. Due to the festival’s constant and unwavering commitment towards the encouragement of participation of older adults in the performing arts, this year we aim to support and encourage the interaction of artists of different generations and our primary aim is to emphasize the importance of the presence of the body and its exposure, as well as the utilisation of all its expressive means without age limitations. We also desire to set the ground for and contribute to, as far as possible, a redefinition of the perception of aesthetics, as well as determine the intentions and goals of an artistic work.
Collaboration between the Czech Centre (Embassy of the Czech Republic in Athens) and Akropoditi DanceFest 2024
This year, Czech artists are invited to submit proposals for a performance and a workshop to be hosted at the Akropoditi Dancefest 2024, in collaboration with the Czech Centre. Stay tuned to our page to be informed of additional workshops and events that will soon be added to our program!
More12th International Dance and Performing Arts Festival in Syros
12th Akropoditi DanceFest 2025
10th – 20th July 2025
Age-fully-present
The 12th International Dance and Performing Arts Festival, Akropoditi DanceFest 2025, has come to a close.
Another Festival has reached its end! Now well into its second decade, the Festival is maturing—carrying with it experiences that it embraces and transforms into the body of this year’s edition.
“Age-fully-present” was the theme of this year’s program of workshops and performances, focusing on the marks left by time—those very marks that enrich the body, make it more multifaceted, and ultimately more vibrantly present than ever before.
This year’s Festival welcomed mature artists as well as artists whose work explored the concept of “mature age” and the broader relationship between age and presence—especially within the realm of performing arts.
We had the honor of hosting artists from various countries and continents, including Greece, Belgium, Italy, Canada, Switzerland–Brazil, and Spain.
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s activities and events — To all our invited workshop facilitators and the artists who presented their work,
To our generous sponsors, who once again helped make the Festival more welcoming,
And always, to the people of our team and our invaluable volunteers for their presence and contribution.
We would also like to warmly thank the Municipality of Syros-Hermoupolis, the Region of South Aegean, and the Ioannis F. Costopoulos Foundation for their support of the Akropoditi DanceFest.
Special thanks also go to the Greek National Opera – Ballet of the GNO for our wonderful collaboration this year on a co-production with the renowned The Place, London.
And to all collaborating institutions: the State Airport of Syros, the Syros Port Authority, the Primary Education School Committee of the Municipality of Syros-Hermoupolis, the Syros Photo-Cinema Club, the Association for the Support of the Disabled and Individuals with Special Educational Needs of the Cyclades “Dikaioma”, and Flux Laboratory.
The 12th Akropoditi DanceFest 2025 was held under the auspices and with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture.
We wish you a wonderful summer and look forward to seeing you again at our next Festival!
The body grows and changes—it is the body of us all
11th International Dance and Performing Arts Festival in Syros
11th Akropoditi DanceFest 2024
11th – 21st July 2024
E x p a n d i n g identities
Counting 10 years from the establishment of our festival and its anniversary edition which took place in July 2023, we are now standing at the threshold of our second decade. Eager to breathe new life into our projects we are setting out a thematic invitation for the upcoming performances that are to take place in July 2024 (11th – 21st July 2024).
This year’s call, entitled “E x p a n d i n g Identities”, launches a series of thematic suggestions with the aim of enriching the festival’s identity and embracing creative works that will respond to the contextual reference.