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disability

Improvisation for people with and without disabilities – Anna Vekiari 1024 1024 akropoditi13

Improvisation for people with and without disabilities – Anna Vekiari

Living Statue
Improvisation workshop for people with and without disabilities

This year’s workshop inspired by the art of tableau vivant will focus on the creation of static and moving images. The use of negative space and contact will be our most important tools throughout the workshop. At the end of the workshop there will be an open presentation in an outdoor space. For the smooth running of the workshop, attendance is required on all days.

OPEN PRESENTATION
We invite you to the open presentation of the workshop “Living Statue” by Anna Vekiari on Sunday 20/07 at 19:30 at the 4th Elementary School.
(Free entrance)

Ages: All
Levels: Disabled and non-disabled people who have movement experience (professional dancers, actors, special education professionals, group facilitators, etc.)

Photo credit:

Anna Vekiari

Artistic Director of EXIS, Dance Instructor, Dancer, Dance Therapist
Anna Vekiari was born and raised in Athens. She is the founder and artistic director of the professional inclusive contemporary dance company EXIS and co-owner of ISON Theatre – Dance, the first workshop for inclusive education (disabled and non-disabled) for theatre and dance in Athens. She graduated from the Anna Petrova Higher Professional School of Dance in 2010. She is a senior dance therapist at the Greek Dance Therapists Association and a Polestar Pilates instructor. She has attended seminars and dance classes in Greece and abroad. She has worked as a choreographer and assistant director in theatrical performances and has attended the theatrical lighting design workshop with Katerina Maragoudaki. In the summer of 2012 she attended the DanceAbility Teacher Training with Alito Alessi, improvisation/contact improvisation method for inclusive groups, in Vienna and since then she has been working as a dance teacher in an inclusive context with children and adults. She has collaborated with various associations MDA (Association for the Care of People with Neuromuscular Diseases), SamSkP (Association of People with Multiple Sclerosis), PEGKAP – NY (Panhellenic Association of Parents and Guardians of Mentally Retarded Children), Prototype Center of Haidari etc. and with special and general education schools. In the academic year 2020-2021 she collaborated with KEA-AMEA (Centre for Vocational Rehabilitation of People with Disabilities) as a choreographer in the framework of the action “Performing Arts Workshops for Social Inclusion” for the promotion of universal accessibility for people with disabilities in culture, under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture. She has worked with groups and inclusive organisations in Greece and abroad. In February 2023 she was accepted to the Alleyne Dance Mentorship Programme for young choreographers. In 2015 she created the professional inclusive contemporary dance group EXIS in which she choreographs and organizes seminars (Akropoditi Dance Festival, Lyric Stage, Mill of Performing Arts, Cumana Dance, Forward Theatre etc.). Currently she has been participating in European projects and collaborating with inclusive dance groups and inclusive institutions from abroad.

Inclusion and Accessibility – Christos Papamichael & Andreas Plemmenos (liminal) 1024 1024 akropoditi13

Inclusion and Accessibility – Christos Papamichael & Andreas Plemmenos (liminal)

Introduction to Inclusion and Accessibility in Culture with a focus on the art of Dance

The workshop sets the appropriate theoretical basis for participants to approach issues of inclusion and accessibility of people with disabilities in culture from a contemporary and informed perspective, eliminating possible unconscious stereotypical prejudices. At the same time, it exposes participants to a plethora of methodologies, accessibility services and best practices, equipping them with both inspiration and practical tools for their practices. From accessible communication and inclusive programming to accessibility services, their production process and related strategy formulation, 2 facilitators with and without disabilities from liminal cover a wide range of topics focusing on the art of dance.
Key subjects:

  • Social Model of Disability
  • Universal Design
  • Accessibility services
    Audio Description
    SDH Subtitling
    Sign Language Interpretation
    Complementary services (accessible brochures, structured environment, tactile tours, ticketing, etc.)
  • Accessibility chain (communication, mobility, etc.).
  • Good practices from Greece and Europe.

The workshop is addressed to professional and amateur dancers and other cultural professionals (with and without disabilities).

Ages: Adults
Level: All

Photo credit:

Christos Papamichael

Christos Papamichael is a theatrologist and actor, a graduate of the Department of Theater Studies of the School of Philosophy of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, and the higher education drama school “Praxi Epta.” He works as a performer and producer, specializing in inclusive and accessible creation. He is one of the co-founders of EMEIS [WE], a group for the promotion of collective culture (2013), and of the annual event “Our Festival – A Meeting of Artists in Solidarity” (2015), where he works as a production manager. In 2016, he founded the socio-cultural organization “liminal,” with the aim of implementing the concepts of inclusivity and accessibility into artistic and cultural practices. He works as a producer, trainer, and accessibility manager.

Andreas Plemmenos

Andreas Plemmenos was born in 1997 in Athens with hearing loss. From an early age he turned to theatre and painting as ways of personal expression.
His love for writing gave him the opportunity, even as a teenager, to capture stories about the world through his own eyes.
He studied theatre at the NCCA and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in special education. His goal is to be able to encourage his peers to express themselves through their imagination. Through theatre he is involved in programs and activities for children from Ukraine, from camps for disabled people etc. with the aim of encouraging and cultivating their creativity.

Dance Improvisation for people with and without disabilities – Anna Vekiari 1024 1024 akropoditi13

Dance Improvisation for people with and without disabilities – Anna Vekiari

The importance of personal development and coexistence within a diverse group
Dance Improvisation workshop for people with and without disabilities

Movement is the mirror of personality. It influences and creates changes in the psyche. It is the result of heredity, nurture, and social influences. According to Laban, “Behind our every movement is an intention. “When I am able to recognize it, then its expression becomes conscious and empowers the individual and his presence. Our meetings are aimed at getting in touch with the subjective preference for movement, self-awareness and recognition of the innate qualities and dynamics of the body. We will also explore the movement elements that “were not developed as much as others”. We will create a personal movement map. Key components of the research we will do are Intention, Weight, Flow and Time. The workshop draws from Laban and DanceAbility methods. It aims at awareness and insider contact with subjective movement preferences, co-educating through the inclusive nature of the. It focuses on the uniqueness of each body and expands personal and social skills. We will attempt a simultaneous exploration of “inside-self”, with “outside- group”. We focus on connection and work with solos, duets, small and large group.
The workshop is for people with and without disabilities, with previous experience in movement

OPEN PRESENTATION
We invite you to the open presentation of the workshop “The importance of personal development and coexistence within a diverse group” by Anna Vekiari on Wednesday 17/07 at 4th Elementary School (Nik. Mandilara 22, Ermoupoli) at 18:30.
(Free entrance)

Ages: 15+
Levels: The workshop is for people with and without disabilities, with previous experience in movement

Photo credit:

Anna Vekiari

Anna Vekiari was born and grew up in Athens. She is the founder and the artistic director of the professional inclusive dance company Exis and the co-founder of ISON Dance Theater – the first training facility for performing arts for disabled and non-disabled performers in Athens. She graduated from the Professional Dance Academy “Anna Petrova” in 2010. She is a dance therapist from the Greek Dance Therapy Union and a Polestar Pilates Instructor. She is a certified DanceAbility teacher, a method of contemporary dance and improvisation for inclusive dance groups created by Alito Alessi. Since 2012 she teaches classical, contemporary and improvisation dance to children and adults with or without disabilities, in an inclusive concept. She has collaborated with many Associations for disabled people like MDA for Neuro-Muscular conditions, PEGKAP for learning disabilities and the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation in Greece, KEA-AMEA – Vocational Rehabilitation Center for People with Disabilities, many schools for disabled children and several inclusive organisations and dance festivals in Greece and abroad. In 2021 she was the artistic director of the Erasmus plus project “CONTACT”. Contact project focuses on contact and inclusion through dance and music. She collaborates with inclusive As a dance therapist she has collaborated with EPAPSY – Association for Regional Development and Mental Health and currently collaborates with IASIS ΝGO DAY CENTER for Mental Health.