The 28th Kalamata Dance Festival, that will take place from 15 to 24 July this year in the Peloponnese, Greece, is set to present Neighbours, its first international co-production, in collaboration with the London-based Sadler’s Wells, one of the most respected contemporary dance organisations in the world.
During the summer seasons of 2020 and 2021, the Kalamata Dance Festival was one of the few festivals worldwide that managed to take place live and present a full programme featuring both Greek and international artists and companies, despite the ongoing wave of cancellations.
If you are one of the lucky ones that will get to visit Greece during the summer, it is an unmissable festival performance that will attract art and dance aficionados from around the world.
Entitled Ode to Beauty, the 28th Kalamata Dance Festival will premiere with a landmark work in the history of modern dance, highlighting the great and philosophically, morally, socially and artistically inexhaustible subject of Beauty. The message is that beauty is only possible through goodness, solidarity and love, all shown through movement.
It hosts a total of 26 productions, 14 international companies from 10 countries, 12 companies from Greece, 2 world premieres, 6 side events, an intensive training programme for professionals, as well as dance and movement workshops for different ages and population groups. The international artists who will present their work in Kalamata come from Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, France, Germany, Mozambique, Switzerland, Italy, Hungary and Cyprus showcasing different styles and disciplines, ranging from modern and classical dance to acrobatics, breaking and krump.
The main performance TRIPTYCH: The missing door, The lost room and The hidden floor by Peeping Tom – a two-hour reworking of three performances originally created by Peeping Tom for the Nederlands Dans Theater- aims to showcase our own relationship with life through the body and dance.
Concurrently, from July 8 to July 24, the masterclasses and workshops of the educational programme will be held for professionals and selected groups of the public, including the residents and visitors of Kalamata.
The performances that will take place on the Main Stage, the smaller-scale productions of the Kalamata Dance Megaron’s Alternative Stage, the Black Box, and the individual performances will all be held at the Kalamata Main Square.
This year’s Festival is the result of the close collaboration between the Festival’s Artistic Director Mrs. Linda Kapetanea and the Mayor of Kalamata Mr. Athanasios P. Vasilopoulos with the Minister of Culture and Sports Ms. Lina G. Mendoni as well as the Deputy Minister of Culture & Sports Responsible for Contemporary Culture Mr. Nicholas Yatromanolakis. The Regional Governor of the Peloponnese Mr. Panagiotis E. Nikas; the President of the Kalamata Municipality Beneficial Organisation FARIS, Mr. Pantelis Drougas and the members of the FARIS Board of Directors have also contributed significantly into bringing the festival idea to fruition
The Kalamata Dance Festival is a member of the International Festival Association Europe for Festivals, Festivals for Europe (EFFE).
You can watch the trailer here:
When: 15-24 July 2022
Where: Kalamata Main Square, Peloponese, Greece
Tickets: Online from 8 June (Ticketmaster.gr)
More Information: kalamatadancefestival.gr