SANDRA VOULGARI

There is good news for dance fans: Two young Greek choreographers, Katerina Papageorgiou and Iris Karajan, are to travel to Romania, invited by the second Balkan Dance Platform which is scheduled to take place in Bucharest from September 25 to September 28. The really good news, however, is that the Balkan Dance Platform is coming to Greece in 2005.

Featuring performances by dance troupes and independent artists from various Balkan countries, as well as video projections, discussions with guest choreographers and dance workshops, the Balkan Dance Platform's aim is to introduce the region's dancing to the more global dance scene. The event's founders Dessy Gavrilova and Cosmin Manolescu came up with this original idea following an international gathering organized by the Dance Theater Workshop in Bratislava, Slovakia.

Organized every two years in different countries, the first Platform took place in Sofia, Bulgaria at the end of 2001 in collaboration with Sofia's Red House and Bucharest's DCM Foundation.

The Greek troupes participating in this year's Platform are ADLib and Zita. Established by dancer/choreographer Katerina Papageorgiou in 2001, ADLib's first production was «The House,» while last year's production, «Exodos Anapnoon,» was chosen to participate at the event in Bucharest. Inspired by William S. Burroughs, Papageorgiou dedicates her choreography to the body, exploring human fears. The sets were designed by Kenny McLellan.

The Zita dance company is a new addition to Athens's dance scene. Formed by graduates of the State School of Dance, the company's first production, «The Forest,» was presented during the recent «Dance Months» events. The work, which will now travel to Bucharest, was choreographed by Iris Karajan, Alexia Costi and Myrto Katsiki. The production's costumes were designed by Vassiliki Panayiotopoulou.