Cyprus Contemporary Dance Platform 2017
10 dance projects by established and upcoming choreographers are presented within the framework of the 17th Cyprus Contemporary Dance Platform, organized by the Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Rialto Theatre.
This year offered, according to the call of submissions, the opportunity to oldest productions presented at Terpsichore and Culture Programs, even in previous editions of the Platform to participate. In this framework will present their works Alexandros Michael, Machi Dimitriadou – Asomates Dynameis, Elena Antoniou and Milena Ugren Koulas. Along with these 4 performances, another 6 new proposals by established and younger choreographers, selected by the Selection Committee, complete the 10 performances will be presented at this year's celebration of Dance.
During the three-day long festival of contemporary dance, a large number of choreographers, dancers, musicians and other artists will join their strong artistic forces in order to present the best artistic effect. Away from strict forms, they highlight the expressive dance in various ways and modern forms, the creators through their work show the evolution and the level of the contemporary dance in Cyprus.
Representatives and personalities from international festivals and the international dance community are invited by the organizers (Cultural Services of the Ministry of Education and Culture and Rialto Theatre) to attend this years’ three-day event of contemporary dance and discuss with the artists and the public. Particularly noticeable this year is the presence of personalities from Greece. Specifically attending: Katerina Kasioumi – Artistic Director of Kalamata Dance Festival, Chistina Liata from the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation (Athens), Vaggelis Theodoropoulos - Artistic Director of the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, Christiana Galanopoulou – Artistic Director of MIR Festival (Athens) and Sofia Falierou from the Dance Days Festival of Chania (Crete). Rosa Stehle from Tanzhaus Züric will also attend, invited by Dance House Lemesos.
DAY 1 - 3.3.2017 FRIDAY
Asomates Dynameis Machi Dimitriadou Lindah
Suppliants (47’)
The work is inspired by The Suppliants, by Aeschylus, the earliest tragedy surviving to this day and the first play in the history of mankind that exposes the issue of violence against women, migration, asylum seeking, as well as the rights of women to decide over their bodies and lives. The human drama that inspired the tragic poet 2.500 years ago is, unfortunately, still ongoing.
Choreography/Directing/ Dramaturgy: Machi Dimitriadou Lindahl
Text revision/Acting coach: Annita Santorineou
Music: Giorgos Kolias
Set/ Costumes: Elena Katsouri
Lighting design: Panagiotis Manousis
Performance/ Co-creation: Anna Julia Brendle, Loizos Constantinou, Paulina Ioannou, Vicky Kalla, Christiana Larkou, Alexia Nicolaou, Fouli Stylianidou
Melissa Garcia Carro and Pascal Caron
Fugue (10’)
The Choreographers have co-choreographed this piece taking into consideration that at the origin of the duo, there is a certain idea of the Other as part of the Same.
Hence, a duo is not primarily about gender or couple. It is about the distorting mirror effect that we experience every time we really look at someone else and feel, even briefly, that this person is us. A duo is a device of empathy. How close can we be together while remaining apart? How to move with the Other while being the Same?
Choreography/ Performers: Melissa Garcia Carro, Pascal Caron
Visual artist: Melita Couta
Technical support: Marios Constantinides
Alexandra Waierstall
ANNNA (20’)
ANNNA Alexandra Waierstall creates a physical landscape where movement is weaved like a long breath through ever changing relations of sound and silence, fast shape shifting movements and stillness, where various yet never definite spaces and images emerge.
Concept/Choreography/Creation: Alexandra Waierstall
Performer: Anna Pehrsson
Sound: HAUSCHKA
Artistic collaborator: Marianna Christofides
Lighting design: Alexandra Waierstall
Technical support: Yiangos Hadjiyiannis
DAY 2 - 4.3.2017 SATURDAY
Milena Ugren Koulas
The Elephant (40’)
The title of the piece The Εlephant came from the Indian parable where the elephant symbolizes God, surrounded by blind men who want to touch him. Each man is touching different body parts of the elephant thinking that it is something else but, in fact, they are touching the same body.
The piece was inspired by how religion affects the relationship between people. Religion and traditions bring people together, but they also separate them. This has existed since the beginning of history.
Choreographer/ Dancer: Milena Ugren Koulas
Dancer/ Co-creation: Eleni O’Keefe
Music: George Koulas, Rodos Panayiotou and Marios Takoushis
Costumes: Ase Lazarou
Lighting design: Aleksandar Jotovic
The performance was funded by Terpsichore (2016)
Alexander Michael
The Mess I’m In (17’)
The choreography The Mess I’m in was originally presented at the Contemporary Dance Platform in 2007.
The work explored ideas and possibilities of growing relationships between people and the vision of one’s path. Through musical and spatial patterns, the choreography illustrates one’s self-distorted vision and path in an abstract way. The need to revisit this work comes at a time of personal and choreographic evolution, and provides an opportunity to examine the intention of the work at this time. The movement draws influences from popular culture, namely martial arts films and video games, whilst remaining deeply connected to contemporary dance aesthetic, presenting a psychological study of person and his/her surroundings.
Choreography: Alexander Michael
Dancers: Dara Milovanovic, Roza Maria Pantzi, Arianna Marcoulides, Elena Gevriel, Fouli Stylianidou
Music: Chris Charalambides
Costumes: Nataly Constantinidou
Lia Haraki .pelma.Lia Haraki
WORDMARCH WORDMARCH (20’)
Can choreography be an aural experience?
The piece proposes a choreography of words by physicalizing sound and making movement audible.
The viewing is expected to happen within the spectator’s imagination when assuming what each sound might look like.
The performers are in a constant dialogue of simultaneous talking via repetition and variation.
The power of their coordination was inspired by the fact that unity and togetherness are the strongest forms of resistance.
Concept/Choreography/ Composition/ Performance: Lia Haraki
Performance/ Collaboration in creation: Arianna Marcoulides
Mentor: Guy Cools
Rhythm and sound mentoring: Christos Hadjichristou
Lighting design: Alexander Jotovic
Supported by: Dance House Lemesos
DAY 3 - 5.3.2017 SUNDAY
Elena Antoniou
i open my palm.i called a space. (42’)
The project focuses on the choreographer’s research about the physical and emotional limits of a solo performer.
Here, the movement creates parallel conditions, evoking the constant transition between the sound and the visual environment. The body exists in space as a material, using different textures and dynamics; sometimes in harmony with the architecture and sometimes in contrast. The beholder exists equally in the space, having responsibility and an active relation with the details of the action. The movement is unilateral, with lack of response, starting from one point and heading to another, yet never reaching an end. The acceptance or rejection of this state of mind, together with the absence of message, equals incitement to madness.
Choreography/Performance: Elena Antoniou
Directing/ Dramaturgy: Polys Peslikas
Music/Sound Installation: Stavros Gasparatos
Photos/Video: Stelios Kallinikou
Project Manager: Argyris Argyrou
The performance was funded by Terpsichore (2016)
Panayiotis Tofi
Never Been Missed (10’)
Two bodies welcome a transparent energy that discreetly makes its way into the space. The concealed presence, that has never been missed, initiates an unfamiliar movement journey, awakening withdrawn painful memories while testing physical limits.
The research embraces the writings of: Franco Bifo Berardi: The Soul at Work. From alienation to autonomy, Avery F. Gordon: Ghostly Matters. Haunting and the sociological imagination and Miltos Sahtouris: The Orange Tree.
Performance: Alexia Nicolaou, Panayiotis Tofi
Music composition: Emiddio Vasquez
Voice/Narration: Melissa Garcia Carro
Costumes: Rea Olympiou
Mentor: Bush Hartshorn
Special thanks: Viky Kalla, Philipos Evangelou
Eleana Alexandrou
10’ (10’)
The fact that I’m taking part in the Cyprus Contemporary Dance Platform is quite unexpected. I’m not a “normal” dancer (according to its standards), but I’m very happy to be part of the festival.
As it is officially the first time I participate as a choreographer, I have ten minutes. I will do my best to communicate, within this timeframe my sense of alertness about the times we currently live in, as well as my need to enter into a dialogue with the Platform itself. I have a lot of questions about my role as an artist or the role of Art in general, especially the role of this “incomprehensible” dance - as my dad calls it.
Choreography/ Dramaturgy: Eleana Alexandrou
Performers: Fotis Nikolaou, Eleana Alexandrou
Sound design and performance: Panos Bartzis
Lighting design: Alexander Jotovic
Sevim Akpinar
She/LL (10’)
She/LL reveals the physical and emotional struggle of three women who attempt to reach “perfection”. They bear the burden of their incorporated history, which derives from the influences of social coercion, prohibiting any expression of weakness.
Their ongoing struggle for flawlessness – in which they are requested to admirably succeed – is their only way to avoid being considered as “vulnerable”. However, in this pursuit of prevention and fear of failure, they are trapped in the unhealthy obsession with perfection.
Choreography: Sevim Akpinar,
Performers: Sevim Akpinar, Liliya Biroğul, Yuliya Meyzin Hermaniuk
Set/ Costumes: Toya Akpinar
Video: Israel Pimenta, Sezin Uluch,
DANCE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR / BLAST FROM THE PAST
Parallel events Cyprus Contemporary Dance Platform 2017
Friday 03/03/201
20:00 Into the stillness 25’
Chorotheatro Omada Pende
@ Andrea Drousioti Street
(in front of Rialto Theatre)
Saturday 04/03/2017
@ Heroe's Square Monument
17:00 - 20:00 In a Dark Time , Arianna Economou
Blast from the Past: A retrospective to the future, In the framework of the project Blast from the Past: A retrospective to the future. Curated by Blast collective.
@ Dance House Lemesos
18:30 Sunday of Life 20’Julia Anna Brendle
19:00 Coralia 7’, Panos Malactos
19:15 Red VelVet 25', Aneesha Michael
Sunday 05/03/2017
@ Dance House Lemesos
11:00-13:00 Round table discussion
18:30 In Another’s Shoes: #ifeeljustlikeachild 30΄Arianna Marcoulides
19:15 For George 15’Milena Ugren Koulas
22:30 Closing Party
@ Heroe's Square Monument
17:00 - 20:00 In a Dark Time, Arianna Economou
