Modern dance from Sweden

The Cullberg Ballet Company is set to appear at Herod Atticus Theater and Thessaloniki Concert Hall

Greek fans of modern dance will get a chance see its boundaries this week as the Swedish Cullberg Ballet Company visits Greece for performances in Athens and Thessaloniki.

Two performances are scheduled to take place tonight and tomorrow at the Herod Atticus Theater as part of this year’s Athens Festival, while the troupe will then travel to Thessaloniki for two more performances at the city’s Concert Hall on Saturday and Sunday.

At the Herod Atticus Theater, the company will present two repertoire works: “Fluke,” a choreography created by Mats Ek in 2002, and “As If,” a work by Johan Ingers. In “Fluke,” the action unfolds in between two cubes, symbols of the boundaries we all live in. Inger’s “As If,” which the choreographer began developing in 1994 for the Netherlands Ballet Theater, traces the relationships between people.

The innovative Cullberg Ballet Company was founded in 1967 by Birgit Cullberg, who acted as the troupe’s artistic director until the mid-1980s. A pioneer of Swedish dance, Cullberg begun her career in 1950, after seeing a production of “Carmen” choreographed by Roland Petit. In 1985, she passed on the company’s creative torch to her son, the prominent choreographer Mats Ek, who in turn took over the troupe until 1993.

One of Sweden’s more well-known ambassadors of contemporary dance, Ek is celebrated for adapting beloved, classical ballets in highly personal and original ways.

The artist studied theater and dance and subsequently went on to work as a producer at the Marionette Theater and the Royal Dramatic Theater in Stockholm. He entered the Cullberg company in 1973 and was appointed choreographer in 1976. He then served as the troupe’s artistic director from 1985 to 1993. At the Cullberg, his vision has since been carried out by various choreographers. Since 1993, the position of artistic director has been held by Johan Inger.

The Herod Atticus Theater is situated below the Acropolis. Tickets are available at the theater’s box office and the Hellenic Festival Box Office (39 Panepistimiou, tel 210.928.2900). For credit card bookings, call the same number.

Thessaloniki Concert Hall, 25th Martiou & Paralia, tel 2310.895.800.