InDANCE

InDANCE is a public space performance produced by EXIS Inclusive Dance Company and created by an international team of artists resident at ISON for two months prior to the performance in Athens. I was present for a number of the group’s studio and public space rehearsals and I worked with them as a dramaturgy advisor.

The piece came to be about the act of resting as a political statement, the subversive visibility of the body, disabled or not, in the public space and the role of the imaginary in our perception of cities: “A busy group of people yearns for rest and finds it by actively occupying the space in peace. Their bodies, remnants of something bigger, subvert the notion of protest as the only answer”.

InDANCE brought together people from different European backgrounds, each with expertise in dance and accessibility, to collaborate with EXIS company. Ten dancers with and without disabilities collectively choreographed an outdoor performance focusing on the theme “Accessibility in the City”. Our performance dynamically toured various urban spaces in Athens, inviting the audience on a multi-sensory journey, highlighting the importance of accessibility and Art in the public environment.

DATES AND TIMES

April 27th at 13:00 – Athens City Gallery

April 28th at 17:00 – Kypseli Municipal Market

May 2nd at 20:30 – Athens City Festival – Kotzia Square

Free Admission

Duration: 50’

Cast:

Choreography / Performance: Maria Vathi, Anna Vekiari, Stella Diakatou, Irini Kourouvani, Rania Ferentinou, Manolis Saridakis, Florent Devlesaver, Alja Turk Hvala, Wojciech Rybicki, Elea Sajous.

Dramaturgy Advisor: Medie Megas
Music: Giorgos Karoumbalos
Accessibility Specialist: Emmanouela Patiniotaki – ATLAS E.P.
Photography: Gikas Melachroinos
Videography: Michalis Felanis
Poster: Elias Kourtparasidis
Project Manager: Maria Pantazidou

The residency program was supported by Culture Moves Europe – funded by the European Union, implemented by the Goethe-Institut with ERT as communication sponsor. It also had the support of the Municipality of Athens through the Culture, Sports and Youth Organization of the Municipality of Athens (OPANDA), the Municipal Market of Kypseli and the Festival of the Municipality of Athens.The team collaborated with ATLAS E.P. experimenting with new approaches that integrate accessibility at the heart of their creative process.