Online lecture, held by Steriani Tsintziloni, part of the parallel program of FOCUS GREECE

One of the most notable events in the performing arts scene today is the unexpected boom of the Greek contemporary dance scene. Boosted by Dimitris Papaioannou, this presence is fostered by his genius. Although he started his career in the 1980s, he established his international exposure only in 2012 with the performance PRIMAL MATTER.

Papaioannou’s remarkable contribution to the Greek scene is also his mentorship to a next generation of performing artists in the country. The exceptionally talented Euripides Laskaridis and Christos Papadopoulos, former collaborators of Papaioannou, are nowadays part of the programs of the most influential festivals and theatres in the world.

In order to spotlight this inspiring success, ONE DANCE WEEK 2021 presents exponents of the Greek contemporary dance scene in FOCUS GREECE. The program includes a series of lectures, films, workshops, screenings of performances, so that we recreate the context of the origination of this unprecedented Balkan artistic phenomenon.

In the ONE DANCE WEEK 2021 general program, we have included the performances TRANSVERSE ORIENTATION by Dimitris Papaioannou, LARSEN C by Christos Papadopoulos, ZEPPELIN BEND by Katerina Andreou and VANISHING POINT by Alexandros Vardaxoglou & Dafin Antoniadou.

credit : VANISHING POINT by Alexandros Vardaxoglou & Dafin Antoniadou

ABOUT THE LECTURE:

The talk investigates and presents a set of interrelated issues (historical, socio-political, artistic) that affected the contemporary dance scene of Greece during the last three decades. 

Is there a  dance scene in Greece with specific characteristics? What does it mean international visibility? Are there any contradictions and conflicts in a dance scene reaching out? The presentation seeks to map such ideas and help audiences of One Dance Week Festival familiarise itself with the dance field of Greece and open a dialogue with Bulgarian artists and audience. 

In the prospect of presenting works in the upcoming festival by dance artists of different generations from Greece, this talk aims at setting a context and framework for appreciating these works.

ABOUT STERIANI TSINTZILONI

Steriani Tsintziloni (PhD, University of Roehampton) is a dance theorist, lecturer, artist and curator based in Athens (GR). 

Coming from a dance background, she combines academic research and artistic curation, writing and lecturing, with a special interest on the Greek dance scene. She lectures on dance theory and history at the University of Athens, the Dance School of the Greek National Opera and the Greek State School of Dance. Steriani has curated the national and international dance program for the Athens and Epidaurus Festival for four editions (2016-2019) and was Programming Associate for the Kalamata International Dance Festival (1998-2015). 

She also works as independent curator, involved in artistic and practice-based projects and has co-curated international meetings and research events for Duncan Research Dance Centre (Athens), Performance Studies International (PSi Regional Research Cluster), and European Dancehouse Network (EDN). 

As a dramaturg and dance theorist she is currently involved in projects with artists Ioannis Mandafounis, Androniki Marathaki, and Sofia Mavragani. She is a member of the Dance Selection Committee for the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Artist Fellowship Program 2020 and was a member of the Artistic commission of New Italian Dance Platform (2019). 

She publishes in international journals and presents in conferences, and a great part of her academic work is focused on the history and practices of the dance scene in Greece.

The parallel program of FOCUS GREECE is implemented with the support of National Culture Fund.

FOCUS GREECE is realized with the support of ONASSIS STEGI.