Day 1 / 15.11.2024 / Friday
White. Noise.
Panayiotis Tofi
20'
It’s here. Nothing. Silence. It’s rare. I believe in them. Little things. Listen. No context. Empty. Flesh. A body. Shattered. A stage. There. Look. Transparent. An object. A stage. It appears. Separately. Nobody. A murmur. Listen. It disappears. It floats. It vanishes. This moment. It’s rare. When it _ escapes its destiny.
Concept & choreography: Panayiotis Tofi
Performance: Damianos Aggelos Efstathiou
Music composition: Andreas Economides
Costume design: Rea Olympiou
Lighting design: Panagiotis Manousis
Panayiotis Tofi’s choreographic research embraces topics of concealment, dispossession and decentralisation, while he focuses on the beauty and exhaustion of the uninhabited human body and the uncanny presence of the unfamiliar. His works are recognised by subtle minimalism, the use of poetic text, elements of romanticism, as well as intense physicality. Initially a trained visual designer, Panayiotis graduated from Trinity Laban with a First Class Bachelor of Contemporary Dance and a Diploma in Dance Studies. He is a highly appreciated theatre movement designer and director who received the “Creator of the Year” award from Cyprus Theatre Organisation in 2018 for his artistic versatility, imaginativeness, and boldness towards experimentation. Based on his choreographic research and movement vocabulary, he has led movement and composition workshops in Stockholm, Naples, Athens, Ermoupolis, Limassol, and Nicosia.
@panayiotistofi
NO IM NOT
Panos Malactos
30'
NO IM NOT serves as a continuation and response to the themes explored in Are You Okay?, Panos’ latest group work. This performance delves deeper into the ongoing struggles of mental health, emphasising the impact of abuse and power dynamics within the dance world. It highlights the intersection of internal turmoil with the external pressures of a toxic work environment, challenging the façade of wellness often presented in the industry. The piece confronts the complexities of anxiety and panic attacks, while also examining how dancers navigate the systemic issues of abuse, manipulation, and unrealistic expectations in their professional lives. By showcasing the duality of their experiences, the performance seeks to unravel the dissonance between the societal pressure to appear “okay”, and the reality of their struggles.
Choreographer: Panos Malactos
Music credits: Aenaa - Die Arkitekt; The Swan - Camille Saint-Saëns; Dystopia - Wax Wings, Die Arkitekt; NO IM NOT - Music and production by TEO.x3 , Lyrics by Ody Icon
Costume designer: Orestis Lazouras
Lighting designer: Vasilis Petinaris
Dancers: Styliana Apostolou, Natalia Vasiliki Vagena, Melina Sofocleous
Assistant: Magda Argyridou
Panos Malactos has been working with Peeping Tom in Belgium since 2020. At the age of 17, he moved to London to study musical theatre with a scholarship (Dance & Drama Award) at the Bird College. He then continued his training at the Rambert School, where he obtained a BA in Ballet and Contemporary Dance. He worked with Festspielhaus St. Pölten, Austria (Ohad Naharin/Shahar Binyamini), Liliana Barros (DE), Fresco Dance Company, KENZO Paris, Compagnie Tabea Martin (CH), Andre Uerba (DE), Jason Mabana Dance (UK), Emma Evelein Dance (NL), X-it Dance Theatre (CY/GR), Milena Ugren Koulas (CY), Asomates Dynamis Dance Company (CY), and collaborated multiple times with Greek director Elias Adam as a performer and choreographer. His choreographic works travelled to New Zealand and all over Europe.
@panosmalactosdance
@panosmalactos
EPISODES
Maria Gerasimou
Diversity Dance Company
15'
“If you don’t know your history, then you don’t know anything. You are like a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree.”
Michael Crichton, 1942-2008, American writer
EPISODES is the second part of a trilogy, which deals with and processes the history of my roots. It is identified with memories of a true story. It reveals episodes of the predatory side of human nature and the primitive thrill of pain, acceptance, salvation, and freedom.
EPISODES, produced by Diversity Dance Company, led by founder and artistic director Maria Gerasimou, is one of her most personal works to date. In collaboration with co-founder Polina Panagiotou, they express that “this work is a piece about everything we have to burn, speaking of bodies that are broken, but they find a light through their darkness by the echo of rhythm and the freedom that music gives to their soul.”
“Having roots is perhaps the most important and most unrecognised need of the human soul.”
Simone Veil, 1909-1943, French philosopher
Choreographer: Maria Gerasimou
Dancers: Izabella Anastasiou, Chris Mills
Idea & production: Maria Gerasimou, Polina Panagiotou, Diversity Dance Company
Set: Rafaella Christoforou
Costumes: Magda Ruggeri
Lighting design: Aleksandar Jotovic
Project supporters - Rehearsal Studio: City Stage Center, Dance Frosso Hadjigeorgiou, Nea Kinisi, Dance School Maria Messis
Project supporters - Kinesiology / Human Movement Specialist: The Stoned Ape Therapy by Rafael Eleftheriou
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Maria Gerasimou was born in Cyprus in 1996. She began her dance training at Dance Frosso Hadjigeorgiou. Maria was part of the Dance Cyprus Junior Company. She participated at YAGP finals and received scholarships for The Ailey School and Bolshoi Ballet. In 2013, she was selected at the YAGP semi-finals amongst the top 12 dancers. She also participated in the Pancyprian Ballet Competition, winning the 1st place (Junior category) in 2010, and the 1st place (Senior category) in 2013. Maria received full scholarships for Chateau-roux, The CapeSchool, and Alonzo King LINES Ballet. In 2014, she began her studies at The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater School after receiving a full scholarship. Maria has performed for well-known choreographers such as Dwight Rhoden, Desmond Richardson, Jae Man Joo, Carmen Rozenstraten, Earl Mosley, Judine Sommerville, Davide Bombana, Fotis Nicolaou, et al. She joined the Complexions Contemporary Ballet Dance Company in 2016 as a soloist artist.
Diversity Dance Company was established in 2023 by Maria Gerasimou and Polina Panagiotou. Maria studied at The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater School, and Polina studied at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. Their in-between synergy made them realise that they could overcome their challenges much more efficiently: it all started with simple thoughts about the difficulties we go through as dancers, followed by deeper conversations, over the course of time, about not having as many opportunities, about the denial of others, and even the acceptance of this diversity.
“We tried to figure out a name that represents us, as human beings and dancers, and the answer was right there in front of us: “Diversity!”
Our Diversity.
Diversity of People.
Diversity of Dance.”
@mariagerasimou96
@diversity_dancecompany
SIDE EFFECTS
Konstantina Skalionta
30'
“It is the irony of being a woman: at once hyper-visible when it comes to being treated as the subservient sex class and invisible when it counts – when it comes to being counted.”
Caroline Criado Perez, Invisible Women
In this work, the choreographer explores the “side effects” of being a woman, which are passed on from woman to woman, generation to generation, with all the things she may inherit. By imposing her body to a demonstration of “disappearances” that she has practiced, endured, and enjoyed from time to time, the performer claims the Italian stage as a place and the performance situation as a frame, in which she can restore her visibility, in a patriarchal society that constantly displaces, shrinks, silences and, finally, vanishes the female experience.
Choreography & performance: Konstantina Skalionta
Dramaturgy: Rodia Vomvolou
Sound design: Panos Bartzis
Artistic collaborator: Eleana Alexandrou
Visual material: Artemis Evlogimenou
Lighting design: Aleksandar Jotovic
Konstantina Skalionta is a dance artist living and working in Limassol since 2020. She studied in London at the Central School of Ballet (BA (Hons) in Professional Dance and Performance, 2011) and the London Contemporary Dance School (Master of Arts in Contemporary Dance, 2018). For the past five years, her choreographic research and practice have explored the themes of female identity and of the body as landscape and visa versa, in dialogue with the dramaturg and PhD researcher Rodia Vomvolou. Her performances have been presented as independent productions or as part of platforms, festivals, and exhibitions in Cyprus, Italy and the UK, during the past decade. Since 2021, she has been a member of the administrative board of Nea Kinisi of Dance Groups, Dancers and Choreographers of Cyprus, which she currently serves as its president.
IG: @ skalionta_dance
F: @ skalionta.konstantina