Lamenta has at its core the miroloi of Epirus, Greek lament songs traditionally sung at funerals, farewells, and when somebody left the family to marry or to migrate. Choreographers Koen Augustijnen and Rosalba Torres Guerrero (Siamese Cie) bring together nine contemporary Greek dancers and, together, they explore how the energetic qualities of the Greek music and dances unfold and nourish a contemporary creation. In their new creation, the choreographers continue their shared artistic journey, exploring how our basic, emotional experiences as humans are always embodied and how they can be articulated in physical theatre and dance. Lamenta focuses on the different emotional states that we experience when we grief our losses. In all cultures, rituals of mourning existed in which song and dance were used to express these emotions. We need to perform these emotions and share them collectively in order to let them go. In our contemporary society, a lot of these rituals have been lost, but they still survive in speci fic regions and cultures, such as Epirus in the North of Greece. To what extent is traditional dance permeable to other influences? How do we relate to the past and tradition? How can traditional dance be represented on stage today in a way accessible to contemporary audiences and through an intercultural perspective? As in the case of miroloi, transcribing tradition on contemporary dance means letting go: something must be lost or change form in order for a new dance vocabulary to emerge.
Koen Augustijnen has worked closely with les ballets C de la B since 1991, initially as a dancer in performances staged by Alain Platel. From 1997 to 2013, he was one of the company’s choreographers in residence, creating amongst other productions, Bâche (2004), which led to an international breakthrough, followed by IMPORT/ EXPORT (2006), Ashes (2009) and Audelà (2012). Since 2013, he has been working as a freelancer. He directed in Australia the dance solo Gudirr Gudirr for Dalisia Pigram of the Marrugeku Company. In Palestine, he co-directed Badke (2013) together with Rosalba Torres Guerrero and Hildegard De Vuyst, a work for ten Palestinian dancers produced by KVS, les ballets C de la B and The Qattan Foundation. He made Sehnsucht, limited edition (2014) in the Oldenburgisches Staatstheater, and Dancing Bach (2015) in Konzert Theater Bern. Together with Rosalba Torres Guerrero, he created Hochzeit (2017) in the Staatstheater Mainz with twenty dancers of TanzMainz, five actors, five musicians and special guests, and in the same house Le Sacre du Printemps in 2022. Rosalba Torres Guerrero studied at the Geneva Conservatory and at the CNDC in Angers. She started her career with Philippe Decouflé in Decodex and worked with Ismael Ivo in Weimar on Medeamaterial. From 1997 to 2005, she was a member of Rosas, the dance company of Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker with whom she created Drumming, I said I, In real time, Rain, April me, Bitches Brew/ Tacoma Narrows, Kassandra and Raga for a rainy season/Love Supreme, as well as the repertoire pieces Woud, Achterland and Mozart/Concert Arias-un moto di gioia. From 2005 to 2015, she joined les ballets C de la B of Alain Platel for VSPRS, Pitié!, Out of Context and C(h)oeurs. She has performed in the films Je sens le beat qui monte en moi and Cornelius le meunier hurlant by Yann Le Quellec; the role of Kassandra in Die Troerinnen and Die Rasenden by Karin Beier at Schauspielhaus Hamburg; and with the Polish director Krysztof Warlikowksi in the operas, Lulu, Don Giovanni, The Bassarids and the play Phèdres(s) with Isabelle Huppert at the Théâtre de l’Odéon in Paris. In 2011, she created Pénombre, a dance solo in collaboration with French video artist Lucas Racasse, which was produced by les ballets C de la B. Together with Koen Augustijnen and Hildegard Devuyst, she directed Badke. In 2017, Koen and Rosalba created in the Staatstheater Mainz, Hochzeit (2017) with twenty dancers of TanzMainz, five actors, five musicians and special guests, and in the same house Le Sacre du Printemps in 2022. She directed Long past for six dancers commissioned by Bodhi Project.
Concept and choreography Koen Augustijnen & Rosalba Torres Guerrero
In collaboration with the dancers Christiana Kosiari, Konstantinos Chairetis, Petrina Giannakou, Dafni Stathatou, Athina Kyrousi, Taxiarchis Vasilakos, Alexandros Stavropoulos & Spyridon Christakis
Also created with Lamprini Gkolia
Musical artistic direction Xanthoula Dakovanou
Music featuring Magic Malik (flute, voice) and Nikos Filippidis (clarinet)
With Kleon Andoniou (electric guitar, voice), Solis Barkis (percussions), Dimitris Brendas (clarinet, kaval), Xanthoula Dakovanou (voice), Lefkothea Filippidi (voice), Kostas Filippidis (luth), Stefanos Filos (violin), Avgerini Gatsi (voice), Panagiotis Katsikiotis (drums), Dimitris Katsoulis (violin), Ourania Lampropoulou (santouri), Antonis Maratos (electric bass, contrebass), Alexandros Rizopoulos (percussions, voice) & Thanassis Tzinas (voice)
Dramaturgy Georgina Kakoudaki & Guy Cools
Costume design Peggy Housset
Light design Begoña Garcia Navas
Organized by Deputy Ministry of Culture (Department of Modern and Contemporary Culture) and Rialto Theatre
In collaboration with Dance House Lemesos
Media Sponsors Ο Φιλελεύθερος Active, ΡΙΚ Fileleutheros Newspaper, Active Radio, CYBC
Technical partner Event Pro
Hospitality Sponsor Alinea
Supported By Nicosia Municipal Theatre, Lemesos Newspaper, Limassol Today, Lmesos blog, Limassol Tourism Board, Russian Wave, Vestnik Kipra, Social et. Al.
Rialto Theatre, Andrea Drousioti at Heroes Square 3040 L/sol
Wednesday 21/06 at 20:30 (75’) (G) & Monday 19/06, 20:30 at Nicosia Municipal Theatre
Price: €8 (€30 for all performances) E-ticket: www.rialto.com.cy
Box Office: 77 77 77 45 (Monday – Friday 10:00 -15:00)
Free entrance to students, soldiers, pensioners and dance professionals Free transportation from Nicosia
