It’s a footloose bunch in Vyronas
Mrs Maria is 76 years old and a member of a fabulous group of amateur dancers living in the Athenian suburb of Vyronas. «When I dance, I feel this weight come off my shoulders. I feel light-footed,» she says. On Saturday at 9 p. m., Mrs Maria and her group will be treating the public to a (free) very special performance titled «Crossroads.» Designed in collaboration with the Isadora Duncan Institute of Dance Research and the British Council, «Crossroads» is the brainchild of award-winning Italian choreographer Luca Silvestrini, who has been in Athens working with his dancers since May. There are people of all ages and all walks of life in the group, aged from 2 to 80, handpicked from the city’s primary schools and retirement homes. There are teens, mothers with their children, grandmothers and university students. There are Greeks and foreigners. And a happy band they make too. Connecting them all is their love for dance and there is nothing but enthusiasm in their voices when they talk about «Crossroads,» the rehearsals, the upcoming performance and their individual experiences with the project. «I am a member of the elderly people’s center of Metamorphosis. I heard about this performance on one of our excursions and thought it a great idea. I really wanted to take part. Of course, at our age, we do the best we can,» Mrs Maria explained, before describing the final act of the performance, where the entire group appears together, with some emotion. Akis is 25 years old and a music tutor. «I came out of curiosity, but also because I was fascinated by the idea of creating a performance with amateurs based on improvisation,» he says. Natalia is Russian and is participating in «Crossroads» along with her young daughter, Ileana. «I saw a notice on the wall outside her kindergarten. And we came. It was an opportunity for me to get out of the house a bit, to spend some time with my child and to meet people who are so different from one another. My daughter has fallen in love with dancing since we began this project and keeps asking me when the next rehearsal is,» she said. Young Romeo and his friend Katerina, both from Albania, have a similar story to tell. They heard about the production in the playground. «When you dance you can express your personality,» Romeo commented somberly, adding: «We didn’t really like it at first, but it got better every day. And Mr Luca was very patient with us when we made a mistake.» Luca Silvestrini is the heart and soul of this endeavor. Kathimerini caught up with him during rehearsals. Tell us a bit about «Crossroads.» It is a project with the participation of 68 non-professional dancers, separated into four groups depending on their ages. The performance pays tribute to the various stages of life. It is about the issues that concern each age group, expressed through movement, dance and theater. There are two separate atmospheres in the performance: One is daily life and the other is memory. For this second chapter, I drew from the experiences of Greeks who fled Asia Minor, but also on the concept of immigration and emigration in general. What was the experience of putting the show together like? It was extremely interesting. It was something that unfolded every day. Everyone was dedicated to the project and it was an enormous challenge for them to participate creatively in a performance. We created the piece together. But I think that they will feel its true power when they step out onto the stage on Saturday. As artistic director of the British ensemble Protein Dance, how did you find it working with amateurs here? Working with non-professionals is one aspect of my work. Naturally my dance ensemble is composed of professionals, but over the past few years we have expanded our activities into education in an effort to introduce people of all ages and abilities to contemporary dance. Journey of self-discovery This work has nothing to do with becoming a professional dancer. It is about taking a journey of self-discovery. It is hard work. There are people who have never danced, but they have an innate talent. For others it can be very difficult. But for them, the result is even more important. I never underestimate the abilities of amateurs I work with. I know that they haven’t got the technical skill of a professional. What I try to do is acquaint them with a means of expression that is different to that which they use on a daily basis. Community Dance is becoming extremely popular in the UK. How do you see it evolving? -In the UK it is a very real thing. It is a means of creativity, a way to explore ideas with the body. It is still at a very premature stage in Greece though. That occasionally got in the way of the «Crossroads» project because many of the members weren’t quite sure what to do; they had a hard time understanding that this was not a lesson and that I was not the teacher and they weren’t students. I had to be very encouraging to help them understand that we were creating something together. Personally, Community Dance is a way to get to know and accept yourself, and this is always easier when you are part of a group that shares your passion. People involved in Community Dance in Britain really love what they do. It may not be their profession, but it is a large part of their lives. Once you start doing something like this, you don’t want to stop.
