Choreographer back with gusto
It has been four years since Lia Meletopoulou’s last production at the Ergostassio venue of the Small Dance Theater. The important choreographer has marked contemporary Greek dance with her quality work and her innovative statements. Her latest work – a Small Dance Theater production titled «After…» – opened at the Ergostassio yesterday and will be staged until Sunday. It was conceived and directed by Meletopoulou. The choreography was the result of Meletopoulou’s collaboration with her dancers, Persa Stamatopoulou and Eddie Lame. The sets and costumes were designed by Angelos Mentis, the original score was written by Tassos Meletopoulos and the lights are by Katerina Maragoudaki. Meletopoulou does not like rushing things, but is not a great fan of planning either. That is why she only presents her work when she has something to say. «That is when I am taken with something, when there is a reason,» she said during an interview with Kathimerini. Once more, she comes up against leading female characters of ancient drama. «It was not my intention to do so… It is as if they keep appearing in front of me and ask me to pay attention to them,» she said. «After…» is a natural continuation of her previous choreographies. «This time, I explore the relationship between siblings Orestes and Electra after they killed their mother. I am interested in how they survived, how they got over their guilt and what price they paid for that horrid murder. What happens after such a serious action?» she added. With her «After…» comeback, Meletopoulou will bid her final goodbyes to Ergostassio. She remains vague regarding her future plans. «I don’t know about the future. I can’t function on a schedule,» she said. She highlighted the well-known financial and practical difficulties that all Greek dancers and choreographers have to face. Meletopoulou herself resigned from the national funding committee for dance two years ago. «Because of the circumstances I didn’t ask for any money, so I was left out of the game. ‘After…’ is an indication of how much I love my work,» she said. Despite all that, she remains optimistic about the future of contemporary dance in Greece. «I wish that everything Culture Minister Giorgos Voulgarakis said about dance in his recent press conference will become reality. Who paid any attention to us all these years? We have been fighting for years. This success is ours.» Ergostassio, 268 Vouliagmenis, tel 210.973.1993.
