During the previous seven days, the town of Kalamata was a centre for modern dancing, eager to welcome artists and visitors from all over Greece and the world.
The 19th Kalamata International Dance Festival started on 18 July and concludes tomorrow. Judging by the response of the audiences so far, 2013 was another successful year for a loved-by-patrons dance festival.
Always in line with the groundbreaking trends in contemporary dance worldwide, this year the Kalamata International Dance Festival has been described as deeply “explorative”, with a programme that included major renowned and emerging foreign artists and promoted contemporary Greek creativity through a memorable selection of performances.
The 19th Kalamata International Dance Festival opened with Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker’s unique ‘Drumming’, one of the finest performances ever produced. Another very important revival was Wim Vandekeybus’ ‘What the body does not remember’.
The audience in Greece also had an opportunity to enjoy Rashid Ouramdane in his solo ‘World Fair’, as well as the multi-talented Qudus Onikeku and Fabián Barba.
Major Greek attractions were included in the programme – Ioannis Mandafounis, Angeliki Stellatou, Ioanna Apostolou, and last but not least, Yannis Nikolaidis, one of the most gifted Greek dancers.
The festival closes tomorrow, with a remarkable video installation based on Dimitris Papaioannou’s show ‘Inside’.
Dimitris Papaioannou is a Greek avant-garde stage director, choreographer and visual artist who drew international media attention and acclaim with his creative direction of the Opening Ceremony of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.
Below, watch the video from the Kalamata International Dance Festival.
For more information, visit www.kalamatadancefestival.gr