Program Dance in the city

15.07 | 21:00

Kalamata Main Square

GREEK NATIONAL SCHOOL OF DANCE / HARRIS GKEKAS

ECSTATIC APORIA

About the performance

ECSTATIC APORIA invites the Greek National School of Dance’s 2nd year ensemble to a lively choreographic proposition. Within a skillful combination of fixed choreography and improvisation, choreographer Harris Gkekas sets a double challenge for the dancers, asking them to match the integrity of execution with the availability of improvisation. This piece allows for instincts to be expressed, seeking the limits of control and underlining our ability to make the most of chaos.

Through ECSTATIC APORIA, the members of this young ensemble seize any opportunity to demonstrate their presence and express their appetite for life and intense experiences. Their multiple transformations on the stage are a reflection of the necessary metamorphosis we all aspire to, with our young people leading the charge.

 

Admission to all Kalamata Main Square performances and side events is free for all.

  • The Director of the Greek National School of Dance: Daphnis Kokkinos

The Board of Directors of the Greek National School of Dance

  • President: Konstantinos Rigos
  • Vice President: Victoria Zygourou-Kartali
  • Members: Nikolaos Xanthoulis, Panagiotis Stavropoulos, Eleni Tzanou
  • Choreography, Lighting Design, Costume Design: Harris Gkekas
  • Assistant Choreographer: Maria Adamopoulou
  • Music: Nina Simone: Theme from Samson & Delilah, Black Is the Color of My True Love’s Hair, Frank Zappa: You Can’t Do That on Stage, Excerpt from the piece BLACKOUT DIALOGS by Harris Gkekas, performed by Didier Ambact (percussion), Harris Gkekas (guitar), Laëtitia Hernot (vocals)
  • Featuring the 2nd year ensemble of the Greek National School of Dance: Vasiliki Bousta, Mary Chandrinou, Noa Elihai, Anastasia Fouki, Frosso Kordou, Daniela Lamas, Eri Magou, Sofia Mouzoura, Christoforos Pantoulas, Estela Papadaki, Dimitra Papantoni, Argyrenia Roussou, Lydia Stamatiou, Elpida Thomaidi, Christina Tsigkou, Penny Vaiou, Nikos Vlachogiannis

 

HARRIS GKEKAS

Originally from Litochoro, Mount Olympus, Harris Gkekas began his early training with Giannis Seitanidis and Tania Miltenova. At the age of 13, he joined Daniel Lommel in France with the support of the Onassis Foundation. The AEANAON Ballet Theater and Jeune Ballet International in Cannes provided him with his first professional experiences. Since then, Harris Gkekas has been a versatile soloist for companies such as Ballet du Rhin, Ballet de Genève, and Ballet de Lyon, in performances of the greatest dance works around the world. In 2014, he created his own company, STRATES, with his pieces gracing major theaters and festivals across France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Spain, and Greece. He has been commissioned to create works for institutions including the Ballet de l’Opéra du Rhin, the Conservatoire Supérieur de Lyon (twice), the Greek National Opera (Company & School), and the Greek National School of Dance. Additionally, Harris Gkekas continues to collaborate with other choreographers such as Christian Rizzo, Catherine Diverrès, Fabrice Lambert, Théo Mercier, Michèle Noiret, Hervé Robbe, and Yves Nöel Genod.