LARSEN C

How does light affect our perception?

Can vandalism turn into an heroic act?

How can everyday life transfigure our perception of home?

How can an activity transfigure our perception of space?

Can our perception “miss” things?

Can a tragedy turn into a child’s song?

LARSEN C

Christos Papadopoulos’ work is deceivingly simple; informed by a persistent research on rhythmic nuances of movement. His tireless exploration of repetition transforms movement to a state and generates multiple layers of meaning and rare perceptive experiences. The human body can become a metaphor of abstract qualities like “time” or “life” or even suggest natural phenomena like the flow of water, the erosion of the ground or the fading of light at sunset. He focuses on the changing volume of details that builds up from a kinetic pattern allowing the eye and the mind to wander, sometimes separately, through the inexhaustible qualities of human experience. In his new work Christos Papadopoulos aspires to introduce ambiguous elements with liminal qualities in order to energize and ignite new experiences. His constant perception of movement as a method of exploring reality is pushed further without additions or spectacular elements. He is simply exploring further the state of transition; from one movement to another, from an intuition to an action. He asks himself whether a slight difference in a familiar rhythm, a trivial alteration of corporal movement, or even a minor set, sound or light shift can change completely our perception of what we see, and thus challenge our perceptual biases. 

In relation to this the choreographer recalls his experience of listening to music while driving his car in the woods: Depending on the type of music, from classical to Greek traditional music, his impression of the scenery around him was changing. By mixing sensations, memories and outer physical stimuli, something as ordinary as a drive through the woods can easily be transformed into something extraordinary. These “mind games” could indicate that there is no fixed standpoint from which we can observe the world.

Christos Papadopoulos’ work is informed by persistent preoccupations; rhythmic nuances of the body, collectiveness on stage not only as a way to think of movement within the realm of choreography but also as a tool to reflect upon broader natural phenomena. Indeed, his choreographic ideas stem from a phenomenological perspective, placing the body at the heart of every research; theatrical elements, such as set design and costumes are reduced to minimum, leaving sound and lighting to suggest minor variations in the duration of a piece. His view is frequently demanding the persistence of our gaze, the reinterpretation of our way to perceive dance or even the “greater” image.

CREDIT : CHRISTOS PAPADOPOULOS

CHRISTOS PAPADOPOULOS:

“A choreographer-researcher, Papadopoulos shows the resistance of individuality within unisons synchronized down to the slightest movement. His works bring to light our private contradiction, this desire to blend in with the crowd, while pursuing a personal path.” Thomas Hahn

“A rising star in the universe of contemporary dance, the Greek artist Christos Papadopoulos made a name for himself due to the meditative power of his choreographic style.” SOPHIE SOUKIAS © BRUZZ

Christos Papadopoulos studied dance and choreography in SNDO (School for New Dance Development) in Amsterdam (2003), theatre in the National Theatre of Greece, Drama School (GNT Drama School) (1999) and Political Sciences in Panteion University (2000). His works, OPUS and ELVEDON, met with great acclaim when presented in Porta Theatre in Greece, and in a number of festivals abroad.

ELVEDON was the first choice of the Pan-European network Aerowaves 16 Dance Across Europe and was later presented with equal success in Paris (Théâtre de la Ville and La Briqueterie), in Amsterdam and other European stages. OPUS – another work of distinction – was chosen by Aerowaves 18, while March 2018 marks the beginning of its international tour ION was comissioned by Onassis Stegi, coproduced by Theatre de la Ville – Paris, Le Lieu Unique-Scene nationale de Nantes and continues to tour successfully in Europe.

Christos Papadopoulos was part of the 2004 Athens Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies team and the Baku 2015 European Games. He has choreographed the performances of numerous directors (Dimitris Karantzas, Michail Marmarinos, Thomas Moschopoulos, Yannis Kakleas, Vasilis Nikolaidis, Vasilis Mavrogeorgiou, Kostas Gakis). He has taught movement and improvisation at Drama School of the Athens Conservatoire since 2003. He is also a founding member of the dance group The Lion and the Wolf (2015).

CREDITS:

CONCEPT & CHOREOGRAPHY: CHRISTOS PAPADOPOULOS

WITH THE PERFORMERS: MARIA BREGIANNI, CHARA KOTSALI, GEORGIOS KOTSIFAKIS, SOTIRIA KOUTSOPETROU, ALEXANDROS NOUSKAS VARELAS, IOANNA PARASKEVOPOULOU, ADONIS VAIS

MUSIC & SOUND DESIGN: GIORGOS POULIOS

SET DESIGN: CLIO BOBOTI

LIGHTING DESIGN: ELIZA ALEXANDROPOULOU

COSTUME DESIGN: ANGELOS MENTIS

DRAMATURGY CONSULTANT: ALEXANDROS MISTRIOTIS

CHOREOGRAPHY CONSULTANT: MARTHA PASAKOPOULOU

ASSISTANT SET DESIGNER: FILANTHI BOUGATSOU

ASSISTANT COSTUME DESIGNER: AELLA TSILIKOPOULOU

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT: RENA ANDREADAKI, ZOE MOUSCHI

TOUR MANAGER: KONSTANTINA PAPADOPOULOU

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION: KEY PERFORMANCE

A PROJECT BY CHRISTOS PAPADOPOULOS // LEON KAI LYKOS

PRODUCED BY ONASSIS STEGI, ATHENS (GR)

SUPPORTED BY THE FONDATION D’ENTREPRISE HERMÈS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE NEW SETTINGS PROGRAM

COPRODUCED BY: LES HIVERNALES D’AVIGNON, LA MANUFACTURE – NOUVELLE AQUITAINE BORDEAUX · LA ROCHELLE, L’ÉCHANGEUR – HAUTS-DE-FRANCE, LE DANCING DIJON BOURGOGNE-FRANCHE-COMTÉ, CHORÈGE I CDCN FALAISE NORMANDIE, LE PACIFIQUE GRENOBLE – AUVERGNE – RHÔNE-ALPES, TOUKA DANSES – CDCN GUYANE, ATELIER DE PARIS , LE GYMNASE ROUBAIX – HAUTS-DE-FRANCE, PÔLE-SUD / STRASBOURG, LA PLACE DE LA DANSE – TOULOUSE / OCCITANIE, LA MAISON UZÈS GARD OCCITANIE, LA BRIQUETERIE DU VAL- DE-MARNE)(FR); LA BRIQUETERIE DU VAL-DE-MARNE (FR); THÉÂTRE DE LA VILLE, PARIS (FR); LES HALLES DE SCHAERBEEK, BRUSSELS (BE); JULIDANS, AMSTERDAM (NL); ROMAEUROPA FESTIVAL (IT); THÉÂTRE JEAN VILAR DE VITRY-SUR-SEINE (FR); NEON ORGANIZATION FOR CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT (GR); FESTIVAL APERTO / FONDAZIONE I TEATRI – REGGIO EMILIA (IT); FESTIVAL DE OTOÑO, MADRID (ES)

IN COLLABORATION WITH: DÉPARTEMENT DU VAL-DE-MARNE (FR), THE LAVANDERIA A VAPORE CHOREOGRAPHIC RESIDENCIES PROJECTS (IT) AND ADDITIONAL COPRODUCERS TO BE FINALISED.

LARSEN C is presented with the support of ONASSIS STEGI.