Kinitiras continues its nomadic life and organizes, in collaboration with the Israeli Machol Shalem Dance House, an artistic residency program, on the transitional concept of femininity at the beginning of the new century. From 3 to 17 of May 2021, as part of the Femininity in Transitionresidency program, four female choreographers and dancers, Antigone Gyra, Artemis Lampiri, Anthi Theofilidi from Greece and Miriam Engel from Israel, explore the different forms of femininity, of motherhood, but also the defense mechanisms that femininity constructs in order to survive. The research, which is carried out in different dance studios in Athens, in the artists’ walks in restaurants, cafes, in the streets of Athens and also on the internet, will lead to the creation of four short dance solos, which will be presented in the future in Athens and at festivals of abroad.

As part of the Femininity in Transition research, two solos have already been created by Antigone Gyra: “We Can do it” performed by Afroditi Vervenioti, which was chosen to travel to two festivals (Pocket Dance Festival in Thessaloniki and Bite Size Platform in London) and “Double Face” with Ioanna Kampylafka, which was created during Kinitiras’ collaboration with the performing arts centre Guru-Lo studio in Switzerland.

The in progress pieces

Bent I and Bent II
2 parallel soli

Bent is the continuation of Antigone Gyra’s research on the concept of femininity in transition. With female performers who have been constant collaborators of the choreographer for many years, the research involves the creation of several small independent solis, which will in the future be united in a performance entitled “Free besieged”.

The need to be continuously flexible and original is been explored through the infinite abilities of the body to bent and return stronger in a continuously transitional position. The performer and the choreographer are rethinking on the essences of motherhood, feminine identity, addiction and independence. Taking into account that the research is in collaboration with Israeli artists there is a theoretical base on Spinoza. Half dutch, half jewish, Spinoza assumed that the essences of what is good and what is bad are relative and nothing is by nature good or bad, but only in relationship with “little something”. Things that used to be good or bad were good or bad just because people believe they are.

The soli are based on 12 questions that the choreographer had asked performers to answer. The creative procedure includes improvisation, discussions and research on social stereotypes of femininity. After that, a rich moving material was created as a base for the first idea for the choreography. Music landscapes are created with voice-off texts, natural sounds and classical music. Last part of the procedure was to choose images that lead to a stereotype of femininity, Mother Mary for Motherhood and Odet/Odil from “Swan Lake” for the co-existence of good and evil in feminine nature.

Choreography and Costume: Antigone Gyra in collaboration with the performers
Performed by Anthi Theofilidi, Artemis Lambiri
Original Music by Orestis Tanis

Thalia

Her name is Thalia or Reut or Eleni or Einav, Michele, Kate … She is 90 years old, or maybe 15, maybe 50, maybe one or 30 years old. Once she wanted to become a mother, in another life she became a mother and perhaps she neither wanted nor became a mother. She works hard not to become stuck. Every single day. She works with herself, for herself, and for everyone else. She is a normal woman.

Thalia is a solo for the shell we build to endure and for the memory we inherit. It is a female solo. A solo whose gravity changes as and whenever Thalia decides.

Idea – Choreography: Artemis Lampiri
Interpretation-Co-creation: Anthi Theofilidi

Stop the war

Israeli Miriam Engel’s solo work in progress explores the multitasking context of women, both as a stereotype and as a practical, physical and emotional reality. Woman. An overflowing fountain or vessel. A self-feeding mechanism or source that gradually empties. As she takes on many tasks in life at an incredibly fast pace, she concentrates like a professional juggler in order not to drop the balls, she accumulates tension, information, stress, energy. She becomes a specialized octopus with a thousand arms, but with only one motor heart.

Conception, choreography, performance: Miriam Engel
Art Editing: Ornit Arnon

Photos: Pavlos Mavridis

The Femininity in Transition residency program was financially supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sports.