U(R)TOPIAS ACADEMY OF CHOREOGRAPHY

PART OF 2023 ELEUSIS | EUROPEAN CAPITAL of CULTURE

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PART OF 2023 ELEUSIS | EUROPEAN CAPITAL of CULTURE -

ABOUT

OPEN CALL

MISSION

ELEUSIS

SPACE

TEAM

YEAR 1

YEAR 2

/ABOUT THE ACADEMY

In the framework of the Moving Europe program of Eleusis 2023 - European Capital of Culture, Aerites Dance Company launches the first Academy of Choreography in Greece, the U(R)TOPIAS Academy of Choreography.

The lack of possibility of a deeper study of choreographic practice in Greece, the need for artists to spend more time in research and the desire to create and experiment freely without necessarily arriving at results, was the trigger to create a program that combines the artistic and educational part, in a form of an Academy of knowledge and creative experience. With this in mind, the main goal of U(R)TOPIAS Academy of Choreography is the collaboration with young professional choreographers interested in cultivating their skills in the field of composition and choreography. Each choreographer is invited to come up with a personal ideal and present it as a work of art. The aim is to showcase the emblematic sites of Eleusis through the site-specific works of the choreographers, creating a new map of the city of Eleusis. Through their participation in the Academy, the artists will be able to develop their compositional skills and shape their own creative approaches, under the guidance of distinguished creators and professionals, art historians, theorists as well as producers.

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/ABOUT ELEUSIS

One of the five most important sacred cities of antiquity, the city of the Elefsinian Mysteries and birthplace of Aeschylus, Elefsina – thanks to its natural port and strategic location, 21 km west of Athens, in the Thriassian Plain, the northwesternmost tip of the Saronic Gulf – was transformed from the 19th century onwards into the productive engine of Greece and one of its largest industrial centers. The signs of industrialization are prominent on the body of the city, affecting it and often building the perception of a place that keeps its cultural wealth well guarded, like a timeless mystery. Drawing inspiration from the rich history of the city, 2023 Eleusis forms an integrated artistic, research and educational program, with the general title Mysteries of Transition, which focuses on the three Axes: People – Society / Labour / Environment.

/MEET THE PARTICIPANTS

FIRST YEAR PARTICIPANTS

SECOND YEAR PARTICIPANTS

Christiana Kosiari

Christiana Kosiari was born in Athens, Greece. She graduated from the National School of Dance in 2012 and from the Athens University of Economics and Business in 2008. She is a professional dancer and teacher and starting to take her first steps in choreography.

BIO
Diamanto Hadjizacharia

Diamanto Hadjizacharia is a multidisciplinary artist that uses the (moving) body as a vessel for artistic expression. She graduated from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London as a contemporary dancer and from Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance …

BIO
Eleftheria Agapaki

Eleftheria Agapaki was born in Athens in 1998. In 2019, she graduated from the Dance School of the Greek National Opera and she is currently an undergraduate at the psychology department of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. During her dance studies, she …

BIO
Eleni Vasilonikolou

She graduated from the professional dance school "Aktina" and is working on her thesis as a Mining and Metallurgy Engineering student at NTUA. She has participated as a dancer in collaboration with choreographers, namely; Vasso Giannakopoulou, Konstantina Efthimiadou, …

BIO
Eliane Roumie

Eliane Roumie is a half Greek, half Syrian artist born and raised in Athens. She graduated from Royal Holloway University of London (BSc) and Bath University (MSc) on Management and Marketing Practices. She studied contemporary dance techniques in Tanzfabrik Berlin, …

BIO
Emmanouela Sakellari

Emmanouela Sakellari graduated from ‘’Anna Petrova - Maro Marmarinou’’ Professional Dance School in 2019. She has participated as a choreographer with the videodance To Get There and with the piece APART INTO A PART in Athens Video Dance Project at Trianon Cinema …

BIO
George Papadopoulos

He graduated with honors from the Department of Dancers-Teachers of GNO in 2018. He participated in the performances of the school as a dancer in: "TEDEx Greece", "Dammi I Colori”, “Lohengrin", "DES/equilibre/s" choreographed by Antonis Foniadakis, "Nutcracker", "Lamento" …

BIO
Ivi Riga

Ivi Riga was born and raised in Sparta. She studied chemical engineering in Athens until she started dance and focused on that. In 2019 she finished her dance studies in Berlin. There during her studies and until she moved back to Athens sheworked as a dancer, a regular dance teacher …

BIO
Katerina Foti

Katerina Foti has graduated with Honours from the Professional Dance School " Rallou Manou". She has attended seminars with high-respected dance teachers such as Damien Jalet, Rakesh Sukesh, Narendra Patil, Lali Ayguade Farro, Peter Jasko and Linda Kapetanea - Josef Frucek …

BIO
Lea Simonsmeier

During her studies in Technical Environment Protection, Lea soon found her love for dance through the participation in open dance classes and in several dance projects. She performed in pieces developed by Theater Strahl, the Academy Bühnenkunstschule and worked in …

BIO
Maria Garefi

Maria Garefi is a Greek dance practitioner based in Thessaloniki. She graduated from the Pedagogical Department (2015), from the MA "History of Philosophy" (2019), from a Higher Professional School in Thessaloniki (2016) and from ReDance (2018), a one-year postgraduate program …

BIO
Martha Kotsia

Martha Kotsia was born in 1996 in Malmö, Sweden and grew up in Athens, Greece where she still lives. She expresses through choreography, performance and video. Her studies, architecture at the National Technical University of Athens are manifested in her works …

BIO
Stella Mastorostergiou

Born in Thessaloniki. She studied dance at the Professional Dance School Rallou Manou (Athens) and the Professional Dance School of Stavroupoli Municipality (Thessaloniki) and she acquired a dance teacher's degree from the Ministry of Culture. She holds an MA in Choreography …

BIO