MEETINGS: Athens
With the desire to create a collective experience that values diversity and redefines the notion of power and beauty, choreographer Ermira Goro is setting up “meetings” between very different people – of different sex, ethnicity, body type, age, skill – in an attempt to invalidate the stereotypical identification of the dancer with a youthful, muscular, fit, “perfect” body. At the same time, the work poses a series of questions:
How do the particular characteristics of each body affect or enrich the performance of a movement?
How is an “untrained” body transformed by a movement or a rhythm that lies beyond its everyday vocabulary?
What emotions may be generated by this almost voyeuristic identification between dancer and viewer?
Through the exploration of individuality and personal kinesiological expression, as well as through the variety and diversity of the bodies of the performers, some of whom are amateurs, Meetings leads the viewer to intuitively discern on stage elements of him- or herself and to rethink what "right" or "appropriate" even mean.
Arguably the greatest significance of this work lies in that it is seeking to abolish the rift that is torn between public and performers when physical skill, expressiveness and labor are confused with bodily youthfulness and vigor. Ultimately, Meetings was created to argue that dance is precisely an experience to be shared in community, provided that the latter’s cohesion rests on the desire of its members to be other, together.
Concept & Choreography: Ermira Goro
Dramaturgy: Anastasios Koukoutas
Original Music: Underwater Chess
Lighting Design: Vaggelis Mountrichas
Assistants to the Choreographer: Alexandros Stavropoulos, Ioannis Karounis
Production Manager: Maria Vasariotou
Production Supervision: Konstantinos Sakkas
Produced by: Delta Pi
Performed by:
Polyxeni Alexiou, Georgia Aliferi, Nefeli Ananiadi, Yannis Angelidakis, Νatassa Aretha, Μarina Bampali, Spyros Bekiaris, Zoe Bogea, Lia Chamilothori, Dionysia Chasapi, Faye Chatzi, Mary Georgiopoulou, Katerina Gevetzi, Lena Giaka, Nikoletta Gialelaki, Martina Gomez, Katia Gouloni, Mersianna Eleftheriadou, Maria Kakoliri, Soti Kallia, Efi Karagiannopoulou, Lia Aglaia Karampela, Sotiris Karayiannis, Ioannis Karounis, Eleftheria Kazana, Eleftheria Kontogiorgi, Niki Koufonikou, Thanos Kotsis, Anastasios Linardopoulos, Aulona Lupa, Marianna Makri, Isabella Margara, Vasso Morfiadaki, Mabel Mosana, Magda Mosxou, Flavio Neagu, Stratos Papadelis, Areti Petropoulou, Panagiotis Politis, Fredalyn Resurreccion, Giannis Siabalias, Margarita Simopoulou, Maria Sotiropoulou, Eleftheria Sotirchou, Olga Spyraki, Antonios Stamopoulos, Nefeli Stamouli, Alexandros Stavropoulos, Avgoustina Stylianou, Evy Thanella, Ioanna Toliou, Pindaros Topouzis, Lida Touloumakou, Angeliki Tsoupra, Rinos Tzanis, Filomila Vakali, Τassos Ziakkas, Vassia Zorbali
Photography & video
Vagelis Jannis, Aggelos Kaltsis, Alekos Bourelias, Christina Karagiannis, Christos Karnakis, Marta Bakri
Premiered at Arc for dance Festival
