Thursday 20 & Saturday 22 October 2022
20:00
Circle | Contemporary Dance
Andreas and Maria Kalokairinou Concert Hall
The Cultural Conference Centre of Heraklion, Crete, in cooperation with the Ballet of the Croatian National Theatre in Rijeka, presents the work of the choreographer Andonis Foniadakis, under the title Burning Water.
Born and grown up in Ierapetra, Crete, close to the sea, Andonis Foniadakis doesn’t have the intention to describe human relations or stories, but to transform the idea of water into body movement. The water can symbolise challenge, vitality, victory, change… and this is where a point emerges in which the man and water both conceptually and physically merge, unite and create an essentially different experience of reality. Foniadakis’ choreography is focused on the contrasting nature of water; on reactions and adaptations of the human body to the presence of water, not forgetting the emotional and sentimental impacts of water on the human soul.
Andonis Foniadakis describes with his own personal way the water as an organic, natural compound. Myths and mythical creatures, wrecks and human disasters that lead to new survival instincts, all traces-materials that flow continuously into the work, without ever taking a final form. Everything is open to every interpretation, to every compassion or identification. As a result, the paradox of the title is a mental challenge: chaos and danger on one side and absolute tranquillity on the other are found in the work in a constant inter-transformation, in the same way that every couple of opposites dominate life. Intellect and emotion are constantly transforming each other, dominating the spectator, offering him the strong message that the moment of insecurity brings the insecurity we all feel today.
What is characteristic and recognisable for Andonis Foniadakis is stylistically within the framework of modern dance, based on the use of complex, exceptionally dynamic movements with frequent and unexpected changes of gravity, direction and tempo. Repetitions of choreographic sequences are also formulating the diversity which corresponds to the un/predictability of water.
Choreography and Dramaturgy: Andonis Foniadakis
Composition: Julien Tarride
Stage and Light Manager: Sakis Birbilis
Costumes: Anastasios Sofroniou
Choreographer Assistant: Pierre Magendie
Ballet direction: Maša Kolar
Ballet master: Daniele Romeo
Ballet stage manager: Anca Nicoleta Zgurić
Ballet producer: Kristina Kaplan Rukavina
Ballet dancers: Marta Voinea Čavrak, Marta Kanazir Bagadur, Michele Pastorini, Noa Gabriel Siluvangi, Jody Bet, Maria Matarranz de las Heras, Valentin Clément Alexandre Chou, Nicola Prato, Anna Zardi, Ksenija Duran Krutova, Ali Viktor Tabbouch, Janne Franciscus Maria Boere, Milica Mučibabic, Soyoka Iwata, Maria del mar Hernandez Carasco Sanchez, Laura Anamaria Orlić, Tea Rušin
Bio:
Andonis Foniadakis | choreographer
Andonis Foniadakis, was born and grew up in Ierapetra, Crete. He is Greek choreographer and director of Andonis Foniadakis/Apotosoma Dance Company, and he has collaborated with many ballet companies worldwide as both dancer and choreographer. Work seen in the Linbury Studio Theatre includes Shaker Loops, performed by Ballet de Lorraine, and Selon Désir, performed by Royal New Zealand Ballet. He studied at the Greek National School of Dance, Athens (1990-1992) and at the Rudra Béjart’s School Lausanne (1992-1994) on a Maria Callas Foundation scholarship. He graduated in 1994 and went on to dance in many pieces by Béjart, and also choreographed several works for Béjart Ballet. He subsequently danced for the Ballet de l’ Opéra de Lyon, directed by Yorgos Loukos, and Saburo Teshigawara’s/Karas Company. As a member of Ballet de l’ Opéra de Lyon he danced in works by Nacho Duato, Mats Ek, William Forsythe, Bill T. Jones, Jiří Kylián, Maguy Marin and Ohad Naharin. Andonis Foniadakis founded his Lyon-based dance company Apotosoma in 2003. His works for the company include Priority (Athens Festival). He has also choreographed for companies including Aterballetto, Tanz Luzerner Theater, Sydney Dance Company, CCN Ballet de Lorraine, Martha Graham Dance Company, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Geneva Ballet, Ballets Jazz de Montréal, Bern Ballet, Ballet du Rhin, Benjamin Millepied’s dance company, Ballet de l’ Opéra de Lyon and the National Dance Company of Wales. He was movement coordinator with Darren Aronofsky for the film Noah. His awards include the Danza e Danza Award for Best Choreography in 2012.
Julien Tarride | composer
Julien Tarride is both a composer and visual artist. His work combines performing arts with new technologies such as music and generated scores as well as video and 3D computer-based images. With a background in classical music, Julien Tarride turned towards jazz then to contemporary and electro acoustics composition at Conservatoire de Musique in Lyon, where he studied (1997-2002). At the same time, he graduated from the National Fine Arts Academy (Beaux Arts de Lyon) and completed further study at Le Fresnoy - Studio National des Arts Contemporains in cinema and new technologies, working with Jean-Luc Godard, André S. Labarthe, Chantal Akerman, Alain Buffard, David Link, Paulo Pachini and Christopher Kim. Since 2002 Julien Tarride has worked as a composer and stage designer for choreographers Andonis Foniadakis, Benjamin Millepied, Davy Brun and Ken Ossola. He has been a composer for several dance companies’ works including Martha Graham Dance Company, Apotosoma Dance Company, Cedar Lake Contemporary Dance Company, Dansgroep Amsterdam and National Dance Company of Wales. He has also contributed to many other artists’ works: composers, visual artists, writers and filmmakers.
Sakis Birbilis | stage and light manager
Sakis Birbilis is light and stage designer, a visionary and an artist passionately devoted to drama, music and dance productions since 1996. He has designed lights and stage set for over 200 theatre shows. He has cooperated with international theatres and dance companies such as Rambert Dance Company, Alexandrinsky Theatre, Sankt Petersburg, Teatros del Canal, Stuttgart Ballet, Theaterhaus Stuttgart, Saarland State Theater, Opera Ballet Vlaanderen, Greek National Theatre, Greek National Opera etc, and with artists such as Andonis Foniadakis and Douglas Lee.
Anastasios Sofroniou | costume designer
Born in Germany, currently settled in Paris, Anastasios Sofroniou is a Greek costume designer and a lecturer in fashion marketing and branding. After a successful career as a fashion editor in Athens, he had moved to London where he worked closely with the global icon of British fashion - Isabella Blow. In his rich and diverse career, he has cooperated with major global fashion publications and designer houses such as Alexander Mc Queen and Diesel. In 2010 Anastasios Sofroniou started his own fashion brand Conquistador Menswear, as well as his private creative fashion consultancy agency Mesvor Consulting. He has also been working extensively with contemporary dance companies and opera houses such as: Martha Graham Dance Company, Geneva Opera, Florence Opera, Sydney Dance Company, CCN Ballet De Laurenne, Rambert Dance Company etc.
Pierre Magendie | choreographer
Pierre Magendie is born in 1985 in Bayonne, France. He studied first Classics at Bordeaux 3 University before dedicating himself to dance at the State School of Dance in Athens, Greece. Since 2011 he has been collaborating with Andonis Foniadakis both as a dancer (Romeo and Juliet, Wisteria Maiden, Galaxy, Facades) and as an assistant (Shaker Loops, Selon Désir, Dalgalar, Facades, Bolero). He lives in Athens where he founded with Christina Karayanni the entity KTC (KammerTanz Coop), a shapeshifting group for the exploration of the performing arts, interested in mixing contemporary dance, live music, comedy, and fashion.
Maša Kolar | ballet director
Maša Kolar was born in Zagreb in 1973, where she finished the School for Contemporary Dance Ana Maletić. She attended Vlaamse Dansacademie in Brugge/Belgium and graduated Contemporary dance, teaching department on the Academy of the dramatic art University of Zagreb. Her professional dance career began in 1986 at the Comedy Theatre in Zagreb, and continued in 1992 in Ballet Dresden, where she gains the status of a soloist (1995). In 1997 she won the Mary Wingman award for special achievements for choreographies of J. Neumeier, St. Thoss and Mats Ek. In 1998 she joined Thoss TanzKompanie. With the role of Carmen, choreographed by Mats Ek, she toured Asia. Since 2000 she has collaborated with Queensland Ballet in Brisbane/Australia. In 2005, 2006 and 2008 she lectures at Scandinavian Dance Academy in Stockholm and Center for the Arts Interlochen/USA, assists Aalto Ballet in Essen. In 2007 she joined Aterballetto in Reggio Emilia/Italy, where she worked with choreographers such as M. Bigonzetti, O. Naharin, M. Goecke, G. Patterson, A. Mesquita and W. Matteini. From 2006 she works in Zagreb youth theatre as a dance teacher and choreographer while she pursues her international career as a freelance dance artist. With Zoran Marković she choreographed ballet Interval for the Ballet of National Theatre and Otello for Bitef Dance Company, both in Belgrade. In Zagreb she produces, choreographs and performs The memory of water, Merry Christmas for naughty kids etc. For National Youth Ballet in Hamburg she makes three short choreographies. In 2013 and 2017 she choreographed Pour homme et femme, Macbeth and Lace for Rijeka Ballet in Croatia. 2016 she choreographed Bolero for Croatian National Ballet in Zagreb and in 2018 Allegro for Croatian National Ballet in Split. With the season 2017/18 she is appointed artistic director of Ballet CNT Rijeka/Ballet. She received numerous awards: Croatian Theatre Award for female dancer in 2008, Austin Critics Table Award for outstanding dancing in Austin/USA, Award for outstanding dancing performance and Audience Award for choreography BoNeT in Copenhagen/Denmark in 2010, Production award of 27th and the 30st Dance Week festival, Vocational Award from UPUH and two awards of the CNT in Rijeka: Olga Orlova (2013) and Boris Papandopulo for choreography of Macbeth (2018).
OFFICIAL AIR CARRIER SPONSOR: AEGEAN Airlines
OFFICIAL HOSTING SPONSOR: Metaxa Hospitality Group | Economou Hotels | Karatarakis Hotels & Restaurants
OFFICIAL ROAD TRANSPORT SPONSOR: Union Coach Services
OFFICIAL FERRY/SHIPPING TRANSPORT SPONSOR: Minoan Lines
OFFICIAL CERTIFICATIONS SPONSOR: TUV AUSTRIA
OFFICIAL EDUCATION SPONSOR: ΙΕΚ ΑΚΜI
Media Sponsor: ERT | COSMOTE | CRETA Media Group | Patris