CULTURE

Passage to death inspires young choreographer

«Dance is not just about steps. It is a means of communication. And the truth comes from the steps…» For Lila Zafeiropoulou, every step is a dance. One of the many steps in the life of the young dancer, dance teacher and choreographer is the interesting performance «Styx,» which she will be presenting with her dance company Eldor at the Katia Dandoulaki Theater from to until Wednesday and which will also be repeated from June 6 to 9 at the Argo Theater, as part of the Dance Festival organized by the Union of Greek Choreographers. «The choreography of ‘Styx’ is a study on memory, oblivion, expectation and time. It all started when I listened to Georgian composer Giya Kancheli’s work ‘Styx’ at the Athens Concert Hall last year,» said Zafeiropoulou in an interview with Kathimerini. The music was so physically powerful that Zafeiropoulou apparently found it hard to sit still through the entire concert. «Inspired by the ancient Greek myth about the sacred River Styx, the music took me to a far-away resting place full of greenery and birds that sing words. It was like souls talking…» The performance lasts about 50 minutes. «Unintentionally, all of my choreographies deal with the passage to death,» said Zafeiropoulou. «What interests me is the feeling that we are restricted, that what we are now is about to end and that there is something we leave here before moving on to the next plane…» Zafeiropoulou graduated from Greece’s National School of Dance and straight after went to London to dance with the Transitions Dance Company of the Laban Institution. Upon her return to Greece, she held principal dancing roles with Haris Mandafounis’s Contemporary Dance Company, Sofia Spyratou’s Roes, Zouzou Nikoloudi’s Horika, Anastassia Lyra’s Schedia and other dance groups. Today she lives in Athens, where she dances, teaches and choreographs. «It is not easy having a dance company,» she said. «Usually we only rehearse for a few months. There is not much money. For these reasons I prefer working with people I know and with whom there is a bond.» Lila Zafeiropoulou chose the Homeric word «Eldor,» which means desire, for her company’s name. «It is the desire for what I know exists out there and I am trying to find!» The dancers in «Styx» are Mimi Antonaki, Smaro Karakosta, Eva Pagoulatou, Avgi Panagiotopoulou, Rodriguez Rivero Alain, Segawa Takako and Dominic Strobl. Katia Dandoulaki Theater, 61A Aghiou Meletiou & Patission, tel 210.864.0414.

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