What has happened since the last interview 2 years ago?

I moved to Vienna for a while, working with Claudia Bosse on the creation “What about catastrophes?” presented at Tanzquartier Wien. The work with Claudia was very interesting research on movement, texts and voice. Her work is political and connected to the socio-political context. She was also interested and worked on the Sufi whirling dances, connecting these to current political systems spinning and collapsing. I also collaborated with ‘Space Caviar’ architects form Genova, creating a piece for robots in the Design Biennale of Kortrijk, Belgium. I worked with a programmer creating a waltz for vaccum cleaner robots. We deconstructed the waltz rhythm for robot movements. I also did a residency of my own at Impulsetanz festival, ‘Astral Dances’. I collaborated with a landscape architect in creating a two dimensional representation of our solar system. I was the performer moving from earth’s crust towards the sun visiting and interacting with each planet on the way. I also presented at Green Park occupied space in Athens “The diaries of Nijinsky” a collaboration with performer and singer Mary Tsoni. One thing that has changed over the past few years is that I feel my sense of humour is gradually exhausting itself and this is due to the current socio-political and economic conditions. Humour was a major characteristic of my work while now I feel my reservoir depleting. At the moment I working on a collaboration with film maker Yorgos Efthimiou and poet Dimitra Aggelou, on the improvised piece “ I woke up this morning and my nails were cut off”. All three of us are present on stage using poems by Nijinsky and by Dimitra, movement, speech, actions- creating a very special atmosphere. I also continue my work on a collection of dances I have been making: the irrational dance, the separation dance etc. each of which has specific qualities, characteristics and function. I am acting like a machine producing new dances and want to continue with this work. I am still pondering on post-colonial concerns I ‘ve had in the past: how do the ‘bigger’ cultures like the American or European affect us here? How is a Rihanna pop song ‘returned’ from a Greek performer? Is it a misrepresentation, a parody or retaliation? I use body and movement enriched with voice, singing and choreographies, demonstrating our external influences by the American and European cultures, like a body which passively accepts these ‘foreign’ cultures as a victim, adrift of these influences. Rising from these ashes is a dynamic, bastardized Greek identity, which wins over and eats up their impact. For example, using Greek music on a Mary Wigman’s ‘Witch Dance’ offers a mirror image- a reflection produced from this side. In all honesty, we have been accustomed at seeing mirror images/reflections of prevailing cultures here. I am interested in producing equivocally reflections of the weaker cultures, in a post-colonial society, in order to dance and exorcise (in an almost pagan manner) these numerous influences. The victim and the passive absorption of ideas, becomes aggressor and regurgitates the information intake, creating a new identity which is not afraid to be influenced and dares to react and rebound. Another interest of mine is clarifying the notion of performance and its relationship to dance. I investigate the subtle differences between a performance, a simple movement improvisation, a choreography. Performance is not relating to theatricality or representation, it is experiential and is sometimes connected to a challenge or long duration, while rehearsals are not required. Can dance be a performance in this sense? Improvisations are different each time but follow their own rules and are sometimes representational. These differences are blurry in the spectators’ minds and the use of the word performance is rather confused or misused.

Do you consider your work Greek?

Since it is created and produced in Greece it is. More so if it is created by myself who is Greek it is. I consider this deterministic in a positive sense. I am happy to be a part of a Greek community of dance who is active, like recently when we performed at DansFabrik in Brest with Collective Choreography Project «Untitled #1» part of Focus Athenes. We were identified as Greek and it was nice.

Is there a Greek dance scene, do you recognise specific characteristics?

There is a Greek dance scene (want it or not) since there are choreographers here creating and producing works. I know most of the choreographers’ work and I can recognise them so I cannot easily step back and identify common characteristics or identity. I think it is best for someone else to do this identification, someone less related and more objective. As far as I can see, it is varied and the works are very different to each other.