Nadja-Who Am I? – Athanasia Kanellopoulou

Greece

You cannot see me from where I look at myself
Francesca Woodman

Named after André Breton’s novel, Athanasia Kanellopoulou’s ‘Nadja – Who am I?’ is a choreographic reverie on the work of American photographer Francesca Woodman. Inspired by Woodman’s fascinating photographs, the piece focuses on the female gaze, the vulnerability of female existence. It seeks to raise questions and concerns about female nature. Four powerful performers meet on stage and take us, each with her special movement quality and choreographic vocabulary, into a world where the body is exposed to the passing of time, pain, expectations, the views of others, but also to its own obsessions, desires, and inner struggles. Each performer follows her own unique trajectory, while all four of them coexist and communicate through female sensitivity, sensuality, strength, and their awareness of aging. As their bodies disappear inside mirrors, turn upside down, become fragmented they find their totality, their earthly dimension, their true and essential self.

Concept & choreography: Athanasia Kanellopoulou
Performers: Evangelia Chamilothori, Stamatina Kostiani, Vasiana Skopetea, Maria Fountouli
Assistant choreographer: Vasiana Skopetea
Music: Konstantina Polychronopoulou
Scenography & costumes: Sotiris Melanos
Production manager: Yolika Poulopoulou, Chloe Aligianni
Lighting design: Tzanos Mazis
Graphic design: Melina Koulia
Production: Athanasia Kanellopoulou Performing Arts

With the financial support of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports (2020-21).

Duration: 50 min
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/618820882

Athanasia Kanellopoulou, choreographer

Athanasia Kanellopoulou is an independent choreographer, pedagogue and performer. She has studied with a scholarship both at Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, London and at Martha Graham School, New York and Spanish Literature and Culture at Hellenic Open University and traditional music (lavta).  Over 17 years she lived and worked in Europe with artists and companies as, Les Ballets C de la B, Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch (guest artist), Jasmin Vardimon Company, Cocoondance, Alexandra Waierstall, GregorZoellig, In jung Jun, Guy Weissman, Rami Levi, Jossi Berg. Since 2008 she has developed over 18 works presenting them in numerous festivals in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. She has been invited as a guest choreographer from JV2 (JasminVardimon), ZfinMalta Dance Ensemble ,Sareyyet Ramallah Palestine,  Iceland Academy of Arts, University of Malta Dance Studies ,SEAD Salzburg, Norwegian University of Dance. She has been invited to deliver workshops of contemporary dance technique, choreography and improvisation in companies and dance institutes in Greece and abroad such as: SEAD Academy, Greenwich Dance Agency, Malta University, Seoul Arts Centre, Cairo Contemporary Dance Centre, State School of Athens (KSOT), Iceland Academy of Arts, Garage 29 Brussels, Dance Cultural Centre, Athens, Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University Istanbul etc. Since 2017, she is teaching at the School of the Greek National Opera. in 2018 she founded the company ‘’Athanasia Kanellopoulou Performing Arts’’, as a platform of cultural exchange.

Evangelia Chamilothori, dancer

Evangelia Chamilothori graduated from Athens University of Economics and Business (AUEB) and she was an athlete of rhythmic gymnastics and acrobatics for over than 15 years. Later on, she studied dance in the Professional Dance school ‘Rallou Manou’ and in 2011, she was awarded a scholarship by Onasis Cultural Foundation in artistic and technical improvement in Brussels, Belgium (Danscentrum Jette), where she attended for two years several workshops of contemporary dance and improvisation.
As a dancer she has worked with several dance companies in Greece and abroad (Athanasia Kanellopoulou Performing Arts, Kinitiras, la ignorancia, Ki omos kineitai, Creo dance company, Paracoon, krama dance company, Transito, Carmen Blanco Principal, Prosxima dance co etc). Furthermore, she worked as an assistant choreographer in Fora etc company and she was a founding member of the European project “home@home”.
She gives classes of contemporary dance and acrobatics at the professional dance school “Chorochronos”, at Athens Drama School and more dance schools in Athens.

Vasiana Skopetea, dancer-assistant choreographer

Vasiana Skopetea is an Athens based researcher of movement, dance performing artist and choreographer. With degrees from both Professional Dance School AKTINA, Athens, Greece and Department of Law, Democritus University of Law, Komotini, Greece. In 2019, she began collaborating as a dancer and assistant choreographer with choreographer Athanasia Kanellopoulou (RUPTURE Persephone, Nadja-Who Am I?). She has collaborated as a dancer and performer with cochlea_collectiφ under the supervision of Georgia Paizi (Things my hands sea, audible dances|georgia paizi&cochlea_collectiφ) and with the Spanish dance company, La coja dansa (Carve a niche). Her choreographic works have been presented in Athens Video Dance Project (stigma(te), Theeres exodou|EXILE), and her latest piece is expected to be presented in In Progress Feedback Festival of Kinitiras artistic network for performing arts (continuous to be continued). From February till March of 2020, she developed her choreographic practice, called Fictional heroes, during the residence program of Duncan Dance Research Center in Athens. She actively participates in classical ballet, contemporary dance, improvisation and repertory workshops. In parallel, she is very interesting in mixing dance with other arts; for this reason, she takes classes of acting and sculpture

Stamatina Kostiani, dancer

Stamatina Kostiani is an Athens based dance performing artist and teacher. She received an education in classical dance from an early age, but fell in love with contemporary dance as soon as she experienced its different techniques (Limon, Release, Graham). She decided to study dance at a professional level while she was studying Architecture at the NTU of Athens. She got accepted into AKTINA professional dance school and managed to complete her architectural studies later on. It was at AKTINA that she specialized in release technique, through practicing next to Betty Dramisioti and Kiki Bacca (exceptional dancers of the field). During her professional studies, she took part in performances and festivals such as Athens Video Dance Project and Dance School Ways. After her graduation in June 2019, she started offering both classical and contemporary dance classes for different ages and levels, while she participated as a performer in dance and theatrical pieces. From July 2020, she is part of the choreographic project “Nadja-Who Am I?”, created by Athanasia Kanellopoulou Performing Arts.

Maria Fountouli, dancer

Maria Fountouli studied dance at State school of dance in Athens. She has also graduated the Pedagogical Department of Primary Education of National Kapodistrian University of Athens. Since 2007 she has cooperated with several dance companies in Greece, such as Sinequanon, Wrong Movement, Dancers, Zita, Hellenic dance company, Ermira Goro and others. She also teaches contemporary dance at professional dance school “Aktina” and in many others pre-professional dance schools.

Konstantina Polychronopoulou, music composer

Born in Athens. She holds a master’s degree in “Science of Education-Music Education” from the University of Nicosia. Under a full scholarship, she graduated Cum laude from the Hellenic American University with a BM in Music Theory and Composition. She has a Piano Degree of which she completed with honours and praise for Best Performance. Furthermore, she holds Harmony and Counterpoint Diplomas. She teaches piano at Ph. Nakas Conservatory, music theory and history at the professional dance school “Horohronos”. She collaborates regularly in chamber music concerts and her musical compositions have been presented in various venues in Greece and abroad by renowned ensembles as well as at Festivals. She composes music for choreographies and video-performances.

Sotiris Melanos, scenographer/costume designer

Sotiris Melanos is a set designer and architect working in theatre and advertising. He was born in 1989 in Athens, grew up in Kalamata and currently lives in Athens. Sotiris studied architectural engineering at the National Technical University of Athens, focusing on architecture and schenography. He has attended classes of sculpture, painting, ceramics as well as theatre mask workshops. Since 2015, he has been working as a set designer and an assistant set designer for theatre and advertising. As a set designer, Sotiris designed the set for the music performance “Sotiria’s Songs” (Athens and Epidaurus Festival 2021), for the performance “To Kitos” (Bios, 2021) and the set and costumes for the performance “Nadja – Who Am I?” (Kalamata International Dance Festival 2021). As an assistant set designer, he has worked at lots of theatres in Greece (National Theatre of Greece, National Opera of Greece, Theatre of Palea Epidaurus, Odeon of Herodes Atticus etc.) as well as theatres out of Greece such as Dramaten (Stockholm, Sweden). He has collaborated with directors, choreographers and set designers such as N. Karathanos, E. Papageorgakopoulou, E. Papakonstantinou, M. Panourgia, A. Kanellopoulou, K. Rigos and T. Akokkalidis.