Cluster in 360°

CLUSTER, is a multi disciplinary collaboration that explores why the human instinct seeks beauty in dark times and how the experience of confined spaces can serve as a catalyst for revelation. How does a paralyzed artist find the courage to draw with his mouth?  Obstacles serve as a vehicle to overcome and provoke change. We are examining confinement to simulate the experience of darkness in order to explore the effects it has on our behavior.  We will work with confined spaces because they isolate the self and force us to reach our primal state of being. Here, without any excess baggage, we hope to observe and understand our desire for beauty.

In building this collaboration we will create and perform in locations that are unique architecturally and historically, such as construction sites, jails, restaurants, galleries etc. to understand the moment when confinement becomes transformational. Our experiences in these locations will help us find ways to extract our unique stories.

The set will be built as an industrial zone of confined spaces that the dancers can move through and rearrange as they reveal their stories.  The musicians will share the stage with the dancers engaging in the dialogue to help each other reach their journey. In the end, the work will achieve a sense of revelation, a sweet surrender to the space that is revealed as the set is deconstructed and as the dancers and the musicians are released from their confinement.

Cluster is planned to premiere in September 2006 as a full-evening piece.
 

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Petra: The Awakening  of Myth – Premiered Sept. 2004 – 1 hour 45 minutes

“Oniros’ story is a universal and a timeless one.  When have human beings not struggled to find themselves? Especially, however, at a time like this, when the ongoing emphasis on uniformity places the issue of identity in a state of crisis, we feel the need to set our gaze on mythology.  Mythology, as a vehicle for passing on human experience, works as a proposed path for existence. Myths, as cradles of human imagination, point at what is important and help us grow. This is why in Petra we chose to reconstruct those myths relevant to us, and create a new myth out of the old ones. The Myth of Petra.

Petra means stone. Oniros, the ever dreaming sculptor, leaves his wife for another woman, a woman he creates through his trade. He sculpts his ideal mate in a statue which comes to life. He follows her to places no man has ever been, places of wonder and terror, only to find that she had always been a reflection of his lust, a perfect image of a dream. Left alone, confronted by his demons and his angels, he lunges into the everlasting quest for truth and inner peace. By choosing to go through and not around his challenges, Oniros is freed.  Having accepted his full inner landscape, he can eventually turn his eyes to the world around him and the time ahead.  Oniros goes through many deaths (the death of amorphy, of ignorance, of apathy) in order to become really alive.

Oniros is in fact the actual stone which, sculpted through his experience, becomes his new self. Oniros has to go through the hurt in order to grow, as psychology and even more clearly mythology shows us. Petra is the journey of a man who dares to find himself.

Petra: The Awakening of Myth was performed at:
 

Strovolos Municipal Theater	Sep 04	Commissioned by the Cyprus Ministry of Education and Culture for the International Festival “Kypria 2004”. The Cyprus State Orchestra performed live Heather Schmidt’s original score.

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Three Tears for Humanity – not yet premiered - 25 minutes 15 seconds

Three Tears for Humanity, is Dance Anonymous’ response to war and the present conditions of our human existence.  When war is not in our own backyard it becomes a distant reality, it is impossible to know the degree of suffering by millions of people.  This piece is our voice, our cry of protest against those who insist on war, invasion and destruction, leading humanity’s moral and spiritual path on a downward spiral.

Three Tears for Humanity, is set in 3 movements that progress as an intimate portrait of 3 civilians whose homes and lives are invaded, disgraced and ultimately decimated. The work is a collaboration of 3 artists – 2 choreographers and 1 composer and is performed by 3 dancers and played by 3 musicians on 3 instruments – piano, cello and violin.

The thematic link that evolves through the entire piece is the pulse of the heartbeat. The journey of the 3 civilians is supported by a projection of water drops that pulse as a heartbeat through the various stages in life and war. The rhythm and intensity of the heartbeat reflects the emotional, physical and psychological state of the civilians.

Three Tears for Humanity, begins with an expression of freedom, albeit a freedom that is often tainted by disguised oppression. At the end of the first movement the civilians sense the coming invasion of their sacred spaces: their homes and their bodies. As creators we dig deep into the emotional states of our characters. As hunter and hunted, their heartbeats accelerate and all revert to the animal instincts of survival. After the invasion the civilians experience the isolation and humiliation of imprisonment. The little details of life become increasingly important; a soft stare, an accidental touch and intimacy among strangers become catalysts for hope. Hunger, pain and suffering make the prisoners wish for death, it represents the illusion of escape. As death approaches the prisoners welcome it until they are consumed by it. The pulse of the water drops slows down as the heartbeat slows down.  The final drops are blood red and the civilians are released into the light of death.

Three Tears for Humanity was created for an Onassis Foundation Competition so it has not yet premiered.
 

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A Time of Change – Premiered July 2002 – 1 hour

A Time of Change is a daring and flavorful exploration of the controversial topic of trans-sexualism. It is expressive in both bold and subtle statements about the inner emotional lives of trans-sexuals, their relationships, and their place in society. We experience the alienation, curiosity, and frustration on one born into the wrong body. Deeply developed characters are revealed through various solos, duets, and group sections. The “Nurturer”, a divinity that looks over and protects the characters, comes to life in another brilliant costume by Yiorgos Bellapaisiotis.

A Time of Change was performed at:
 

The Duke on 42nd Street, NY	Nov. 03	Self Produced
The Elan Awards, NY	Oct. 03	Invited to honor Director/Choreographer Rob Marshall
The Atrium Theater, NY	Oct. 02	Produced and Presented by The Atrium Theater
Cyprus Tour, Cyprus	Aug. 02	Sponsored by the Ministry of Education and Culture of Cyprus, the Cyprus Tourism Organization, the municipalities of Strovolos, Larnaca, Limassol and Paralimni, and the Cyprus Development Bank

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The Urge of Being – Premiered July 2001 – 35 minutes

The Urge of Being, a piece in four sections, takes us on an emotional journey through the struggles each of us go through to discover and redefine ourselves. Part 1, subtitles “Subconscious” is a solo that takes us inward to the depths of who we are. We watch the dancer go through birth into self-discovery to the peeling away of unwanted layers. Part 2, “Becoming”, is a group piece that shakes off the frustration of what society dictates for us. Part 3, “Intimacy”, is a duet performed by two men. It is an exploration of the varying dynamics within an intimidate relationship and the self-discovery that comes about from being intimate with another person. Part 4, “Shunned”, is the final section performed by a cast of five. Each dancer is an individual character who has been cast out for doing what is right for them yet is seen as wrong by a judgmental society.

The Urge of Being was performed at:
 

Cyprus Tour, Cyprus	Aug. 01	Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Education of Cyprus, and the Cyprus Tourism Organization.
The Bridge for Dance, NY	May 01	Showcase
Dancespace, NY	April 01	Showcase
Steps on Broadway, NY	Nov 00	Showcase
The Ailey School, NY	Mar. 00	Showcase

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In Dreams – Premiered July 2001 – 45 minutes

In Dreams is a piece in three sections illustrating our active dream world. Part 1 focuses on the bizarre and surrealistic way we perceive movement, space and time in our dreams. The choreography varies from appearing to float through thick air to off beat rhythms and jagged movement. Part 2 is a straight forward, hard core spectacle of the sadomasochistic sexual taboos we are only allowed to explore in our dreams. The dancers exhibit uninhibited sexuality through raw full-body movement and clinging black leather costumes. Part 3 deals with the primal emotion of fear. The queen of the dark nightmare world stands 16 feet (5meters) tall in a long white dress as she awakens and the personified fears come to life.

In Dreams was performed at:
 

Cyprus Tour, Cyprus	Aug. 01	Sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Education of Cyprus, and the Cyprus Tourism Organization
WAX, NY	May 01	Showcase

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Ifigenia at Aulis

Ifigenia at Aulis is based on the story of the sacrifice of Ifigenia, Agamemnon’s daughter.  The Greek fleet has assembled in Aulis ready to sail against Troy where Paris has taken the abducted Helen, wife of Kiing Menelaus of Sparta.  The ships cannot set sail because of contrary winds.  Acting on a prediction by the seer Calchas, Agamemnon decides to sacrifice his daughter to please the goddess Artemis, so that favourable winds would allow the fleet to start out on its expedition against Troy. What makes this production unique is its original approach to the subject matter.  While keeping the original text, the direction pushes the boundaries on what is considered Greek drama.  Through the choreography, the sets, and the visual images, this show deals with the multidimensional world we live today, finding a common ground between the past, present and future.

Ifigenia at Aulis had its premiere in New York City on January 18th, 2005 at the prestigious theater “Symphony Space”. Seventeen professional actors performed in English and Greek while four musicians played live the original score of composer Ruben Kodheli.

The Costumes were designed by Yiorgos Bellapaisiotis, the award-winning Greek Cypriot costume designer, whose work has been presented in numerous publications worldwide.

The play was directed and choreographed by Harry Mavromichalis, the Artistic Director of Dance Anonymous.  Ayelen Liberona was the assistant choreographer. The show was produced by the “Alexander the Great Hellenic Entertainment Corp. under the direction of its founder, Yiani Papanicolaou.

Ifigenia at Aulis was performed at: