10+1 dance stories
based on the body/word Performance Writing research “Corporeal Communities”
Christos Polymenakos, Iliana Fylla, Thalia Ditsa
Online Presentation of the Collection of Dance Stories and Research
Wednesday 12/2/25, 18:30-20:30(UTC+2), @Dance House Lefkosia ZOOM
How can the use of Christos Polymenakos’ body/word Performance Writing methodology in the creation o multimodal dance scores “open up” contemporary dance and writing to more physicalities, places and communities? How do these experiences become dance narratives?
For your participation, reserve your place at info@dancehouselefkosia.com by 12/2, 12:00 noon
The presentation and Q&A will be in Greek.
The book 10+1 dance stories consists of 10 stories inspired by encounters between people who shared how dance and writing are part of their lives and explored ways to dance, write, and create together. Stories of dances by, with, for different bodies, places, communities. +1 story-invitation with tools for readers to explore, create and share what writing and dance can be for them. Last but not least, framing texts with information about the interdisciplinary research “Corporeal Communities” and Christos Polymenakos’ body/word Performance Writing methodology.
The research that today takes the form of this book has as its starting point the questions: “In what ways are the concepts of corporeality, place, space and community differently translated and come together in a creative process? How do we come together to create with different trajectories, experiences, conveniences and difficulties? What imprints and traces does this encounter leave? How do the above empower the participation of more people in contemporary dance and writing processes?”
42 people from different fields, arts, sciences, experiences and places participated in the research. They entered into dialogue through creative processes and sharings based on the body/word Performance Writing methodology. body/word Performance Writing is looking into links and for relations between body and word in different disciplines, arts and experiences in order to make them available to as many subjectivities as possible and their communities, for different applications in creation, research and education. The core of the research team (Polymenakos, Fylla, Ditsa), initially collaborated with 25 guests from different fields in the research entitled “Scoring Corporealities” (July 2023-February 2024).
For the next stage of the research, “Scoring Corporeal Communities”, 17 additional individuals participated in mixed-composition-group research workshops following an open call: i) aged +/- 50 years old, ii) with and without mobility difficulties and disabilities, iii) with different degrees of familiarity/engagement with contemporary dance and literature, and iv) online, with individuals living in different locations in Greece and abroad.
This book shares with readers the traces of this process. It invites them into an expanded experience of dance and writing, open to questions and answers about our bodies and words, our dances and our stories.
The body/word Performance Writing methodology was created by Christos Polymenakos in the frame of his postgraduate studies in Performance Writing during the last year of Dartington College of Arts, with a scholarship from the National Centre for Theatre and Dance of Greece. It was officially presented in 2010 in the UK, Greece and Finland in academic, artistic and educational contexts. Since then it has been constantly evolving through collaborations with individuals, collectives, private and governmental organisations, for projects in physical,
digital and hybrid spaces in Greece and abroad.
The interdisciplinary artistic research “Corporeal Communities: Multimodal Dance Scores, Interdisciplinary connections of dance with communities, places and practices, using Christos Polymenakos’ body/word Performance Writing methodology” is conceived and realized by Christos Polymenakos (MA Performance Writing), Iliana Fylla (Phd Art History with specialization in contemporary dance) and Thalia Ditsa (MA Choreography and MA Sociology), a collaboration with TWIXTlab with the support of the J.F. Costopoulos Foundation.
The publication of the book 10+1 dance stories, based on the body/word Performance Writing research “Corporeal Communities” was realized by FLOCK COLLECTIVE in collaboration with TWIXTlab, with the support and under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of Greece.
The cover illustration is an original creation of Nikos Sideris especially for the book, courtesy of the artist and Susami Creative Agency. Pagination and printing was done by “εκδόσεις πηγάδι (ekdoses pegadi)”.
The research and the publication were also supported by providing working spaces and communicating with different communities: Kinitiras, Artistic Network for Performing Arts, Duncan Dance Research Centre – Municipality of Byron, Dance House Lefkosia, liminal, Studio Trajectory and Kypselis 94 rehearsal space.
Biographies
Christos Polymenakos (GR/USA) is an independent creator, dramaturg, performer, researcher, workshop facilitator and mentor, creator of the body/word Performance Writing methodology (2010). He holds an MA in Performance Writing (Merit) from Dartington College of Arts, where he studied on a scholarship from the Hellenic Centre for Theatre and Dance. Christos has worked extensively in various strands, roles and positions in the cultural sector. His creative, research and educational work and methodology have been hosted by independent artists and organisations, state and private arts and educational institutions and festivals in Greece, Cyprus, the UK, Slovenia, Finland, the Netherlands, the UK, the Netherlands and elsewhere, as well as online. He has been eidtor in chief of the contemporary dance section of the cultural magazine Highlights and a member of the State Subisdee Committee for Dance of the Ministry of Culture. www.christospolymenakos.com
Iliana Fylla holds a PhD in Art History from the University of Paris Nanterre, specializing in contemporary dance and a degree in Communication and Media from the University of Athens. She works between France and Greece in the fields of research, creation, writing and communication on art and culture. A significant part of her work focuses on the expanded practices of dance and on the theme of Memory and Narratives of dance, performing arts and space. She has extensive experience in public awareness of arts and cultural events. She has worked on many artistic projects, mainly in the fields of dance and performance, as an artistic and scientific consultant, performer or (co-)creator. Her articles, reviews and interviews have been published for twenty years in art magazines and online journals in Greece and France, as well as in books and art programmes. Since September 2024, she has been teaching dance history at the École Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de l’Avignon (ESAA) while developing her first curatorial steps with the cultural space L’éveilleur in Avignon and other contexts.
Thalia Ditsa is a choreographer and dance researcher, movement teacher and performer based in Athens. She holds a Master’s degree (Distinction) in choreography (Dartington College of Arts) and in political science and sociology (University of Athens). In her practice, Body Landscape, she explores somatic approaches to the performing arts, with key influences being Butoh, experiential anatomy and improvisational techniques. In 2018 she founded the Ma-embodied performance lab, with which she has presented four works and a dance film. She has collaborated in educational projects and various community-based interdisciplinary projects, such as the three-year project Democratic Education in Public Schools (University of Athens). Since 2018 she has been training in psychotherapy, specializing in expressive arts and Gestalt therapy. Since 2020 she has been animating experiential groups of creative expression and personal development. In 2024 she founds FLOCK COLLECTIVE, a company focused on research in performing arts and somatic practices, promoting community, participation, diversity and ecology through her artistic and educational projects. https://thaliaditsachoreography.portfoliobox.net/
The team
Christos and Iliana met in 2007, when she was doing a PhD in Art History with a specialization in contemporary dance at the University of Paris Nanterre. They collaborated on the bimonthly culture publication Highlights, where Christos worked as the head of the dance section and assistant editor-in-chief.
Thalia met Christos in Totnes in 2009, as they were starting their Masters at the historical Dartington College of Arts, Christos in Performance Writing and Thalia in Choreography. The three met in 2022.
In response to an open call from the Duncan Dance Research Centre we collaborated on a proposal to create multimodal scores for the 120th anniversary of the Duncan House. That proposal was not approved, but from July 2023 we started the research Scoring Corporealities with an artistic residency by Flux Laboratory Athens, with the support of Kinitiras Performing Arts Network, Duncan Dance Research Centre, Dance House Lefkosia, TWIXTlab and 25 wonderful guests from different fields.
“What imprint does this meeting leave?”
Since 2023 the original team has grown through the Corporeal Communities research labs supported by the J.F. Costopoulos Foundation and hosted by Kinitiras, liminal, Studio Trajectory and Kypseli Rehearsal Space 94.
The results of our joint research journey so far are in the book 10+1 dance stories based on the body/word Performance Writing research Corporeal Communities whose first edition was sponsored and with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Greece.
