The annual Summer Dance Festival sees performances take place in the strangest places around Limassol town. DARA MILOVANOVIC-MICHAEL reports
Originally setting out as a dance festival taking place in and around Limassol’s Medieval castle, the annual Summer Dance Festival now takes in much of the old town.
Six years after an atmospheric evening at the Medieval Castle where the first festival took place the event’s sixth edition opened last night and will run for the rest of the week. Organised by the Nea Kinisis Movement of dance groups, choreographers and dancers, this year’s programme has something different: a guest choreographer from the UK, Rosemary Lee, who will create a work for local dancers within a workshop taking place during the festival.
All events will now be held in the old town of Limassol at sites that are within walking distance of the castle. The festival is supported by the Limassol festival, which takes place at the same time.
The challenge for choreographers is to find a space that inspires them to create dances outside classical stage settings. They can use the landscape, architecture, positioning and facing of the space to give them countless possibilities not afforded in a theatre. The beauty of this week is that contemporary dance gains exposure and attracts audiences who do not necessarily seek to watch alternative art. It also exposes Limassol in a different light and uncovers its nooks and crannies.
The festival opened last night with performances by Natasa Georgiou’s group Interact and Chloi Melidou’s Omada Pente. Georgiou’s piece Are you Coming? Shall I Wait for You? performed by Nicole Constandinou, Eleana Alexandrou and Amy Lazarou at the Medieval Castle is an abstract theatre piece that examines the idea of idyllic love from medieval times through to modern times in an attempt to demystify the idea of the woman as a princess in waiting. Melidou’s Happy Girls continues her choreographic journey and investigation of unreasonable personal goals. The piece is set at the First Park at the Promenade and performed by Yiolanda Christodoulou, Roula Kleovoulou, Petros Konnaris, Maria Mavromichali, Alexia and Fotini Perdikaki and Christina Patsali.
Omada Aelion will show their work Room to Grow choreographed by Maria Mavromichali and Alexia and Fotini Perdikaki, joined in performance by Dyonisia Basta and Fotis Nicolaou. This is their first site-specific work, which will be shown at Artmmisshimou gallery.
Echo Arts led by Arianna Economou will dance by the Public Toilets/Parking at the Municipal market. Alexandra Waierstall’s In Fluid Grounds is a continuation of her previous works In Fluid Times (I and II) and it explores the concept of identity and, you guessed it, fluidity. It will be performed by beautiful dancers Chrisos Papadopoulos, Savvas Baltzis and Rania Glynitsa at the Parking at Columbia Plaza.
Lastly, Anna Charalambous’ group Solipsism will present the new work Are you Talking to me? at Morfi Gallery. The piece plays with idea of therapy, confessionals and delusions and is performed by Milena Ugren Koulas and Alexis Vasiliou. Also appearing are Amy Lazarou and Evi Demetriou.
The Festival will close by a performance on July 31 at the Library of Cyprus University of Technology by Rosemary Lee whose choreographic experience lies in combining different media and contexts. She has created large site-specific works, using professional performers and community members, at times numbering up to 250. Lee has also created solos, films, dance works for conventional theatres and video dance.
The charm of site-specific, outdoors performances is that their environment enhances them and gives them a mystery. Often, the dancing is opposed by the roughness of the surroundings, or correspondent to them. Unfortunately, often the choreographers are not able to create pieces that are specific to their location and therefore lack the intention and true motivation that is beyond the individual. A couple of pieces every year manage to appeal and prove why dancing outside a theatre is so exciting and important to make dancing as democratic as dancers wish it to be.
WHERE TO GO
Tonight
Natasa Georgiou: InterAct 20:30 and 21:30 (Mediveal Castle)
Alexia and Foteini Perdikaki, Maria Mavromichali: Aelion 20:30 (Studio Artmishimou)
Monday July 27
Arianna Economou: Echo-Arts 20:30 (Public Toilets, Parking at Public Market)
Chloi Melidou: Omada Pente 21:00 (First Park on Promenade)
Tuesday July 28
Arianna Economou: Echo-Arts 20:30 (Public Toilets, Parking at Public Market)
Alexia and Foteini Perdikaki, Maria Mavromichali: Aelion 20:30 (Studio Mishimou)
Alexandra Waierstall: Noema Dance Works 21:00 (Parking at Columbia Plaza)
Wednesday July 29
Chloi Melidou: Omada Pente 21:00 (First Park on Promenade)
Alexandra Waierstall: Noema Dance Works 21:00 (Parking at Columbia Plaza)
Anna Charalambous: Solipsism 21:30 (Morfi Gallery)
Thursday July 30
Arianna Economou: Echo-Arts 20:30 (Public Toilets, Parking at Public Market)
Alexia and Foteini Perdikaki, Maria Mavromichali: Aelion 20:30 (Studio Mishimou)
Alexandra Waierstall: Noema Dance Works 21:00 (Parking at Columbia Plaza)
Anna Charalambous: Solipsism 21:30 (Morfi Gallery)
Friday July 31
Anna Charalambous: Solipsism 21:30 (Morfi Gallery)
Rosemary Lee: 20:30 (Library of Cyprus University of Technology)
