Winter traveler’s solitude
“The Winter Traveler,» the title of Constantinos Rigos’s new dance, is a production which had initially been scheduled to open at the Vassiliko Theater in Thessaloniki last May. After being postponed, the show will finally make its debut, at the same venue, on October 28, running to November 9. Thirteen dancers will enact on stage the different stages of solitude they are going through: privately or in public, under observation or as a group. The production’s title, a reference to Schubert’s «Winterreise» cycle of lieder might be misleading, however, it is not the journey that counts, but the traveler and his experience. For Rigos and the members of his dance troupe, it is the kind of experience which served as raw material for exploration; meanwhile, the production’s images – through the use of recurring visual motifs – enter each traveler’s experience, which is defined by solitude. The show’s plot unfolds during winter, while time seems suspended between seasons. In contrast to Rigos’s previous works, clothes become a crucial factor in determining the degree to which bodies are covered, rather than revealed. It’s winter, after all. Marking a new era for the company, the production offers a new relationship between the performers and the audience – both will co-exist on stage. The right mix Acting as a catalyst in the set design department is the brooding, yet shining creativity of Dionysis Fotopoulos. The celebrated set designer is once again collaborating with the State Theater of Northern Greece’s Dance Theater. Also traveling through time is the production’s music: This is where Schubert’s lieder (an original musical score by young composer Dimosthenis Grivas) meets rock in Robbie William’s popular hits, interspersed with moments of silence and the noises made by the dancers. The three-hour production will attempt to make members of the audience forget the established norms by extending an invitation to let go and join in the dancers’ journey. ‘The Winter Traveler’s’ original concept belongs to Rigos, who also directed the performance. He was assisted by Amalia Bennett. ‘The Winter Traveler,’ opens at the Vassiliko Theater, White Tower Square, Thessaloniki, on October 28. For detailed ticket information and show times, call 2310.251182.
