International Volos festival makes comeback
After a brief respite, the Volos International Festival is back with a program that is more than interesting. Dominique Boivin’s «Transports Exceptionnels,» the duet between a dancer and an excavator that thrilled audiences at the Kalamata International Dance Festival this summer, will be staged on Volos beach in front of the University of Thessaly. The city’s old power plant, a very special venue with a unique atmosphere, will host a ritual performance by Polish group Piesn Kozla. On Christmas Day, American performer Wolfe Bowart will present a journey to the moon with circus techniques at Volos’s most central spot, the Municipal Theater. The festival has been through many trials and tribulations, which resulted in last year’s pause, a stop in its 10-year career because the contract with the Ministry of Culture had expired – as a matter of fact, it has yet to be renewed. Problems also included ministry debt amounting to 120,000 euros but, despite all that, the 11th International Volos Festival is about to kick off. Events, which will feature the participation of six prominent international ensembles, will start on December 15 and will run to January 20, under the guidance of artistic director Dimitris Marangopoulos. «We want our efforts to be valued,» said Christos Tsambrinos, president of the Volos Artistic Organization – which this year is supporting the festival, along with a number of sponsors – at a recent press conference. With the activities of the local symphony orchestra, the Municipal Dance School, the drama school and the educational art centers (all under the aegis of the Volos Artistic Organization), art has been a part of the city’s daily life for many years now. Efforts to maintain and renew the institution of the Volos International Festival are a step forward in an important process. Shows will kick off with Theodorakis’s «Zorba» ballet by the Sofia National Theater Ballet on December 15 and 16. Ticket information: tel 24210.32818.
