Kinitiras Ω

Kinitiras Ω (Omega) started in 2014 with a vision for mature adults to access dance and theater through a creative community where they can activate their bodies as well as strengthen and cultivate their creative expression.

Working with professionals from Kinitiras company, the group gained experience in co-creation, rehearsal and production by participating in artistic events and performances. So, in addition to the performances at the end of the year, the Kinitiras Ω group inspired the documentary KIN.O (Chrysanthi Badeka), traveled to Esslingen, Germany, to attend the stAGE festival where they presented the work of Eros and Psychi directed by Antigone Gyra and participated in Ana Sánchez-Colberg’s Seven to Seventh Project at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation’s Summer Nostos Festival.

This year, Kinitiras Ω, full of knowledge and inspiration from the experience of the past 6 years, continues being a stable group of people who have been members of Kinitiras for at least one year. During the weekly meetings, the group members improve their daily lives through a gentle physical activity inspired by modern dance, rhythmic, physical theater as well as vocal and yoga and learn to take care of their body with guided exercise and reflexology.

Our purpose is that the class and the rehearsal process will act as a healing factor in our daily life. In this way, the social benefits of the arts directly affects the everyday life of the local community.

Biographies

Antigone Gyra creates dance and theatre performances as well as video art and is the mother of three children. She graduated from the London Laban Centre with distinction and she was awarded the Graduates’ Choreography award in 1993. In 1996 she created Kinitiras Dance Spectacle (Chorotheama) company with which she has choreographed many works up until today. She has also facilitated workshops and given lectures on dance and theatre subjects.
In 1995 she received the second award for young choreographers of Rallou Manou competition with her work “The stories, you grew up with, grew up”. Her works have been performed in Greece and abroad. In 1997 her work “Doors and Clouds” represented Greece in the Young artists Biennale in Turin and in other festivals in Greece and Italy. In 2002 her solo work “X” with Ioanna Kampylafka was qualified for the Choreography Competition in Hanover. In 2004 she created her street dance theatre works “1896” and “ Lysistrata’s Cry” after being ordered by Athens 2004 Olympic Games. In 2006 she started creating her trilogy on war. The first two parts of the trilogy “«Lysistrata’s Cry» (2006) and “Klytemnistra Invisible” (2008) were chosen and performed in the 2nd and 3rd Dance Platform (Athens Megaro Mousikis). With her work “Klytemnistra Invisible” she represented Greece in the 8th International Fringe Festival in Thailand. In 2009 her work “The Net” toured in provincial areas supported by the Ministry Of Culture. In February 2010 she presented her solo work “Gone” during the European program City to City Cabaret in Sofia and Athens. From 2010 until 2012 she was the artistic director of the European Network SPIDER ARTISTIC NET representing Greece. During this, she presented the third part of her trilogy “Handle with Care”.
In the theatre she has cooperated as a choreographer and movement director with many theatre companies and directors such as : Theatro Technis (G. Lazanis), THOC( Ch. Siopachas), National Theatre (G. Theodosiadis, Efi Theodorou, S,Fasoulis), Theama Company, Dh.Pe.The Kalamatas (G. Kakleas), Theatre Porta (A. Kalogridis), Theatre Mousouri (T. Vasileiou), Theatre Simio (A.Diamantis), Theatre of Neos Kosmos (D. Arapoglou), Ison Ena Company (I. Remediaki), Opsis Company (A. Tompouli), Theatre Diana (G. Paloumpis – E. Rantou), Theatre of Herodus Atticus (S.Evangelatos)etc.
Since 1993 she has been a movement teacher in drama schools, such as the Athens Drama School of G. Theodosiadi, the Veaki Drama School and Dilos Drama School. She has also taught choreography at the Greek department of Laban Centre (1994-1996) and at the Greek State School of Dance (2000-2002).
In December 2008 she funded, together with Vicky Adamou and Flora Kalomoiri, the first residency centre for performing arts in Greece, Kinitiras Studio.
During the period of 2011-2012 Antigone was the director of the awarded performance of G. Iliopoulos “4 ever” and she cooperated with Di.Pe.The Patras and Lithografeion for the Lost Man (Anthropos Chamenos) project, where she presented the “Miss Human Being” (Miss Anthropos) performance. During the last years she has been creating video art ( “Filippos, the belly dance”, “ Three wishes for a bee”, “ ExtraTango”) as well as corporate videos for companies ( Lito Maternity Hospital, the English School Manetaki etc.). Moreover, she cooperates with production and marketing companies creating advertising events (BMW, Mini Cooper, Buldoza.Gr etc.).
Since March 2017 she teaches at the drama school “Dilos-Dimitra Chatoupi” and is a member of the artistic company GAV (Gyra, Adamou, Venetsanopoulos) with which they created the performance “Deep Sigh” with the support of the Greek Ministry of Culture, as well as the action “Pop Up Readings” which was ordered by the organization of Athens International Book Capital 2018.
Antigone designed the action EK PLIXI (Sur Prise) that brings dance in schools (www.ekplixi.com). This year the action “Truth or Dare”, with the support of the Greek Ministry of Culture and in collaboration with Kethea Therapy centre for dependent individuals, will travel to schools of Attica.
From December 2019 to February 2020 Antigone Gyra will be collaborating with Lo Studio Guru, a recognized residency centre for performing arts in Switzerland in order to create soli with the general theme: Femininity in transition.

Ioanna Kampylafka graduated from the London Laban Centre (Bachelor of Arts in Dance Theatre) and Middlesex University (diploma in Interior Design). During the academic year 2003-2004, with a scholarship from the Fulbright Foundation, she attended various dance schools in New York (Movement Research, Trisha Brown, Dance Space, Susan Klein, Barbara Mahler). During Spring and Summer of 2007, with the support of the program of Unesco, Aschberg Bursaries for Artists, she worked as a dance teacher, choreographer and dancer in Bangkok Thailand as a guest resident artist at the faculty of Dance School of Performing Arts. In the spring of 2008, after being invited by the organization “Temple of Fine Arts”, she taught composition and improvisation in Singapore and Malaysia.
Ioanna is member of Kinitiras since 1998 and member of the artistic collective Medea Electronique since 2008. As a choreographer she has worked with: “Splish-Splash” (Yannis Economides), Point Theatre (Nikos Diamantis), Theatre Art (Kugiumtzis), Regional Theatre of Kalamata (Stavros Tsakiris), Kalouta Theatre (George Frantzeskakis) etc. She has taught movement and improvisation in drama schools “Themelio”, “Theatre Arts”, “D.Fotiadi”, “Theatre of Changes” and “G. Theodosiades “.

Aliki Avdelopoulou was born and raised in Athens, Greece. She was admitted to the Drama School of National Theater with a scholarship from National Scholarships Foundation from which she graduated. She studied piano and music in National Music School, singing and phonetics with A. Leigh and M. Gementzaki & trained in a number of theatre and music courses. She is co-founder of VIOMICHANIKI (theatre company) and LITHOGRAFION Theatre in Patras – Greece and former member of Organisation of Telecomunication of Greece mixed choir in Athens, participating in festivals and international competitions winning first place.
She has worked with theatre companies in Athens, Regional theatres and various artists (S. Evaggelatos, A. Antipas, E.Karaindrou S. Tsakiris, A. Gyra, V. Mirianthopoulos and others) in theatrical plays, musical, dance theatre and theatre for kids as a performer, assistant director, assistant music composer, producer and voice trainer, in Greek and international festivals. She is the singer of the music group MONITOR with a record label. She is participating in several bands and music productions, in many live concerts and festivals. (“Papercut”, “End In Tears” – “GAD”, opening for Parov Stellar and others). She was the voice trainer at TV talent shows for kids (Music School MEGA – Junior Music Stars SKAI).
During the recent years, she is co working, mainly, with Kinitiras-Artistic Network for Performing Arts in various productions and educational programs in Greece and abroad.

Polena Kolia Petersen is a Greek-Danish dancer, choreographer and community dance practitioner, member of Kinitiras Artistic Network for the Performing Arts since 2017. She studied at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London from where she was awarded the Mary Zemke Memorial Fund Prize and holds a BSc in Psychology from the University of Copenhagen, where she taught Philosophy of Science and Research Design. Amongst her own presented works are: International Contemporary Dance Festival Dance Days Chania / Let me tell you my steps, (site-specific project for mature adults 65+), Tentart Festival / Listen to our Dances, (workshop & public space performance), Pocket Dance Festival / Movement Bridges, (workshop for teens and adults 65+). With Kinitiras she has co-facilitated the Youth Exchange Erasmus Programme-Supplicants, the mature age dance group Kinitiras Ω (weekly classes, stAGE! Festival) and she is one of the dancers and facilitators of the educational programme of Kinitiras “Truth or Dare” that is supported by the Greek Ministry of Culture. In 2019 she was invited for a residency at Flux Laboratory Athens creating the piece “What About You? have You been Constructed?” (participants 60+). She is also a member of the educational programme Skytali for primary education and collaborates as a facilitator and choreographer with Theatre Entropia for the European Projects Intimate Bridges and Extended Universe.