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Despite revival of dance, performances are very few and far between

Despite something of a renaissance in the past decade, dance in Greece presents a number of problems for dancers, choreographers and audiences. Here as well, there is a major difference between the summer and winter seasons. This past summer, as part of the Athens Festival, there were performances to suit all tastes at the Herod Atticus and Lycabettus theaters, both classical and modern, by the Bolshoi and Maurice Bejart ensembles, John Neumeier’s Hamburg Ballet and the Vienna Opera Ballet. There were also two wonderful performances by Momix at the Herod Atticus and flamenco concerts at the Lycabettus. The most important dance event in summer was the International Dance Festival of Kalamata, with extremely interesting modern dance performances. Few foreign dance companies visit in winter, mainly because of a lack of suitable venues or financial support from the State and also a lack of institutions interested in promoting dance. This month at the Athens Concert Hall, the Alexander Onassis Foundation is holding an international dance conference, and in December and January it will present Giselle, starring the Russian dancer Vladimir Malakov. Isidoros Sideris’s company «Theatrokinisi» will be presenting «The Bacchae» on February 1 and 2. The National Opera Ballet will stage a few performances (of «Sleeping Beauty,» «The Nutcracker Suite» and «Romeo and Juliet»), as will the State Theater of Northern Greece’s Dance Theater company. And that is about the extent of it.

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