Through year-round activities, the Kalamata International Dance
Festival is making use of the additional funding provided last summer
by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture in celebration of its 30th anniversary.
-Community engagement initiatives
-Creation of works showcasing the city’s history, topography, and natural landscape
-Activation of the Festival’s archival material
Marking the completion of 30 years of the Kalamata International Dance Festival and entering its 31st year, the anniversary celebrations are extended with a rich year-round program of events, made possible by the additional €70,000 grant provided last summer by the Hellenic Ministry of Culture. The program for this year’s 31st Kalamata International Dance Festival, which will take place from July 18 to 27, will be announced on May 7, 2025.
The additional grant will be used to support a wide range of activities—some of which began in late March and will culminate during the Festival in July, while others will take place throughout the year at the Kalamata Dance Megaron. This anniversary program serves as a model for year-round programming, activating both the Dance Megaron and a dynamic International Dance Center in Kalamata. The Dance Center will operate year-round as a meeting point for diverse practices and expressions of contemporary dance, through support for research, the creation of choreographic works, connections between dance and other artistic disciplines, the highlighting of archival material, the enrichment of professional dancers’ practice, access to diverse dance approaches, and the encouragement of dialogue between theory and practice.
The anniversary program is structured around three key pillars. The first focuses on bringing dance closer to the communities of the city of Kalamata by creating works in collaboration with local groups, such as Friendship Clubs, educational associations, and other community organizations active in the city. The second seeks to create works that highlight the city’s identity—its history, urban and natural landscape, including the forest of Taygetus and the unique topography of Messinia. The third centers on activating the Festival’s rich historical archive, built over its uninterrupted 30-year history. Part of this archive is currently being digitized by the Kalamata Public Central Library and includes posters, photographs, texts, and programs. These materials will be reimagined and used as sources of inspiration for the creation of new works, visual art exhibitions, audiovisual installations, video art, performances, and more.
In the words of Artistic Director Tzeni Argyriou:
“This year, the Kalamata International Dance Festival is celebrating 30 years of dance. This is the festival that transformed the landscape of modern dance in Greece, making the city dance, attracting thousands of spectators, turning Kalamata into a landmark for the dance community, and influencing the lives of many young people in the city who grew up in this creative environment, with many of them going on to choose dance as their profession and daily practice.
I would like to warmly thank the Minister of Culture, Lina Mendoni, for this additional grant, which allowed us to design an anniversary program with activities throughout the year. In doing so, we are activating the Dance Megaron and laying the groundwork for the development of a dynamic International Dance Center in Kalamata—one that will operate year-round as a hub for exchange and collaboration across various contemporary dance practices and forms of expression.
By focusing on dance’s ability to forge connections between people, to build communities and connections to places and spaces, we invite artists to conduct workshops with the community, familiarize themselves with the city, engage in discussions with locals, draw inspiration, and activate spaces within the Dance Megaron and other locations across the city. This close relationship between artists, artworks, the community, and the city is something we aspire to integrate into the daily life of Kalamata and its residents. Equally important in this anniversary cycle is the activation of the Kalamata International Dance Festival archive, which opens up a creative dialogue between the art of dance and other forms of artistic expression.”
As the Mayor of Kalamata, Thanasis Vassilopoulos, states:
“For three decades now, the Kalamata International Dance Festival, has been one of the most prominent, brilliant, and innovative events in the field of contemporary dance worldwide. The anniversary program for the Festival’s 30th anniversary, designed by Artistic Director Tzeni Argyriou, with the primary objective of activating the Kalamata Dance Megaron and International Dance Center throughout the year, encapsulates our vision for the future of the institution: We want dance to be part of the lives of the residents of Kalamata throughout the year, not just during the ten days of the Festival in July. We want it to engage them actively, while also inspiring artists to create new works. We hope this year will breathe new life into the institution and set an example for future Festivals.”
Specifically, the activities of the anniversary program are as follows:
1. “Voices”
A community engagement project with the Friendship Clubs of the Municipality of Kalamata
For the first time, the Kalamata International Dance Festival is commissioning the creation of a performance with community participation. “Community dance”, a well-established international practice, brings people of all ages and backgrounds into contact with dance as an art form, allowing them to express themselves creatively, connect with one another, and engage in a choreographic process that is both meaningful and relevant to their lives. This approach fosters inclusivity, participation, and empowerment, while also strengthening community bonds.
As part of this initiative, the Kalamata International Dance Center has invited acclaimed choreographer Panagiota Kallimani, known for her extensive research in dance and the performing arts, to collaborate with the Friendship Clubs of the Municipality of Kalamata. Through a series of workshops held throughout the year, they will co-create an artistic performance titled “Voices”, which will be presented within the framework of the 31st Kalamata International Dance Festival. This unique creative experience highlights the power of tradition and personal memory. Drawing inspiration from the stories and recollections of its participants, the project experiments with contemporary artistic practices, focusing on the interplay between memory, song, movement, and music. “Voices” creates immersive experiences that tap into the deep roots of human expression.
The workshops began on March 31st.
2. “Awakenings – Movement and dance in our everyday life with children”
A psychomotor development workshop for educators
Research on motor development suggests that a significant percentage of preschool-aged children experience difficulties in understanding and executing movement, as well as challenges in coordination, precision, and other skills related to both gross and fine motor functions. These difficulties can create obstacles in their daily lives and academic performance. Regular engagement with movement serves as a vital learning tool, fostering cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development.
This psychomotor development workshop, led by Dance and Theatre Instructor and Psychomotor Development Consultant Maria Manioti, is designed to equip educators (preschool teachers, primary school teachers, and physical education instructors), as well as professionals in the fields of children’s health care, and early education, with practical tools to integrate movement and dance into children’s daily routines.
The workshop will take place at the Kalamata Dance Megaron from May 16 to 18 with free admission.
Information/registration by May 5, 2025 at: kidf@kalamatadancefestival.gr
3. “The Forest Riddle”
A performance inspired by Kalamata’s natural landscape
For the first time, the Kalamata International Dance Festival is commissioning the development of a work inspired by the forest of Mount Taygetus and the distinctive natural terrain of Messenia. This project is co-created by choreographer and performer Nancy Stamatopoulou and photographer Tasos Vrettos, continuing an ongoing dialogue between visual and performing arts.
The concept for this performance was initially conceived and presented as a work-in-progress in 2023. In this new, evolved version, the artists delve into elements of Messenia’s natural environment and the traces left by history across the landscape. Nancy Stamatopoulou and Tasos Vrettos activate the forest’s universe of imagery, inviting us to reflect on what lies beyond the human—drawing from humanity’s primordial bond with nature.
The performance will be presented as part of the 31st Kalamata International Dance Festival.
4. Anniversary Audiovisual Work Inspired by the Archive of the Kalamata International Dance Festival
Using selected photographic material from the Festival’s archive—capturing its 30-year journey—a new audiovisual piece will be created and screened during the opening of the 31st Kalamata International Dance Festival. Moments, faces, bodies, ideas, movements become the building blocks of this new work, an immersive experience that brings forth the figures and forms that have left their mark on the Festival’s history.
5. Anniversary Print Publication Inspired by the Archive of the Kalamata International Dance Festival
Drawing inspiration from the Festival posters created over the past 30 years, a visual art piece in printed form will be produced. This retrospective will trace the variety of graphic languages that, through the interplay of colors, shapes, textures, and text, captured the pulse and themes of each year’s Festival. This new creation will be printed in multiple formats and distributed at various locations throughout the city, offered to both Kalamata residents and Festival audiences, celebrating and honoring the festival’s 30-year legacy.
More Information: www.kalamatadancefestival.gr
Facebook: @kalamatadancefestival
Instagram: @kalamatadancefestival
Kalamata International Dance Festival – Head of Communications:
Lida Karanikolou | T: +30 6974 498 444, lida.karanikolou@gmail.com
“Pharis” Kalamata Municipality Beneficiary Organization – Head of Promotion & Communications: Katerina Voulgari | T: +30 27213 60619, +30 6997 093450, grafaris@otenet.gr
