DANCE
Koen Augustijnen and Rosalba Torres / Siamese Cie "Lamenta"
From 23 June to 24 June 2020 · Athens
Venue Details
Ag I Rentis - Kaminia
Peiraios 260 - H Building
Peiraios 260 kai Polykratoys
Due to the ongoing pandemic crisis, all performance dates are subject to change.
One August night, in Kastania village, near Ioannina, the famous Belgian choreographer Koen Augustijnen had an almost transcendental experience, when he heard a band of young musicians combining traditional Epirus music with modern sounds. Intrigued by the hypnotic beats of the percussion, Augustijnen, along with Rosalba Torres Guerrero, the other half of the choreographic duo Siamese Cie, decided to create a performance inspired by the traditional moiroloi (laments) of Epirus, transferring the power of laments in the area of contemporary dance.
In an era where mourning rituals have no place in Western societies, where death is repressed as much as possible, the duo was fascinated by the power of expression and healing properties of this genre. Nine Greek contemporary dancers with a background in traditional dance, along with Greek and international musicians, join forces with Siamese Cie in order to explore moiroloi from a modern perspective as a jumping-off point for a series of questions: To what extent is traditional dance permeable to other influences? How do we relate to the past and tradition? How can traditional dance be represented on stage today in a way accessible to modern audiences and through an intercultural perspective?
As in the case of moiroloi, transcribing tradition on contemporary dance means letting go: something must be lost forever or change form in order for a new dance vocabulary to emerge.
Credits:
Concept - Choreography: Koen Augustijnen, Rosalba Torres Guerrero
Recordings at Studio Syn ENA - Athens by Giorgos Korres
Musical production by MOUSA, Athens (GR)
Recordings and mixing at DGP Studio - Oostende by Sam Serruys
Dramaturgy: Georgina Kakoudaki, Guy Cools
Costume design: Peggy Housset
Lighting design: Begoña Garcia Navas
Sound - Technical direction: Claire Thiebault-Besombes
General management: Herwig Onghena
Production and tour management: Nicole Petit
Musical artistic direction Xanthoula Dakovanou
Dancers: Lamprini Gkolia, Christiana Kosiari, Konstantinos Chairetis, Petrina Giannakou, Dafni Stathatou, Athina Kyrousi, Taxiarchis Vasilakos, Alexandros Stavropoulos, Spyridon Christakis.
Musicians: Magic Malik, flute, vocals, Nikos Filippidis, clarinet, Kleon Antoniou, electric guitar, vocals, Solis Barkis, percussion, Dimitris Brendas, clarinet, kaval, Xanthoula Dakovanou, vocals, Lefkothea Filippidi, vocals, Kostas Filippidis, luth, Stefanos Filos, violin, Avgerini Gatsi, vocals, Panagiotis Katsikiotis (drums), Dimitris Katsoulis, violin, Ourania Lampropoulou, santouri, Antonis Maratos, electric bass, contrabass, Alexandros Rizopoulos, percussion, vocals, Thanassis Tzinas, vocals.
As part of the Athens & Epidaurus Festival 2020. Α performance inspired by the traditional moiroloi (laments) of Epirus, transferring the power of laments in the area of contemporary dance.
One August night, in Kastania village, near Ioannina, the famous Belgian choreographer Koen Augustijnen had an almost transcendental experience, when he heard a band of young musicians combining traditional Epirus music with modern sounds. Intrigued by the hypnotic beats of the percussion, Augustijnen, along with Rosalba Torres Guerrero, the other half of the choreographic duo Siamese Cie, decided to create a performance inspired by the traditional moiroloi (laments) of Epirus, transferring the power of laments in the area of contemporary dance.
In an era where mourning rituals have no place in Western societies, where death is repressed as much as possible, the duo was fascinated by the power of expression and healing properties of this genre. Nine Greek contemporary dancers with a background in traditional dance, along with Greek and international musicians, join forces with Siamese Cie in order to explore moiroloi from a modern perspective as a jumping-off point for a series of questions: To what extent is traditional dance permeable to other influences? How do we relate to the past and tradition? How can traditional dance be represented on stage today in a way accessible to modern audiences and through an intercultural perspective?
As in the case of moiroloi, transcribing tradition on contemporary dance means letting go: something must be lost forever or change form in order for a new dance vocabulary to emerge.
Credits:
Concept - Choreography: Koen Augustijnen, Rosalba Torres Guerrero
Recordings at Studio Syn ENA - Athens by Giorgos Korres
Musical production by MOUSA, Athens (GR)
Recordings and mixing at DGP Studio - Oostende by Sam Serruys
Dramaturgy: Georgina Kakoudaki, Guy Cools
Costume design: Peggy Housset
Lighting design: Begoña Garcia Navas
Sound - Technical direction: Claire Thiebault-Besombes
General management: Herwig Onghena
Production and tour management: Nicole Petit
Musical artistic direction Xanthoula Dakovanou
Dancers: Lamprini Gkolia, Christiana Kosiari, Konstantinos Chairetis, Petrina Giannakou, Dafni Stathatou, Athina Kyrousi, Taxiarchis Vasilakos, Alexandros Stavropoulos, Spyridon Christakis.
Musicians: Magic Malik, flute, vocals, Nikos Filippidis, clarinet, Kleon Antoniou, electric guitar, vocals, Solis Barkis, percussion, Dimitris Brendas, clarinet, kaval, Xanthoula Dakovanou, vocals, Lefkothea Filippidi, vocals, Kostas Filippidis, luth, Stefanos Filos, violin, Avgerini Gatsi, vocals, Panagiotis Katsikiotis (drums), Dimitris Katsoulis, violin, Ourania Lampropoulou, santouri, Antonis Maratos, electric bass, contrabass, Alexandros Rizopoulos, percussion, vocals, Thanassis Tzinas, vocals.
As part of the Athens & Epidaurus Festival 2020. Α performance inspired by the traditional moiroloi (laments) of Epirus, transferring the power of laments in the area of contemporary dance.
