‘quirky’, ‘queer, wannabe-naive, skilful and buoyant’ - Evgeny Borisenko

 

‘Papadopoulos and Pasakopoulou are a rare joy to watch’ - David Hutera

 

‘refreshingly different, elaborate, humorous and unpretentious’

‘a short piece which catches those moments of embarrassing absurdity and awkwardness that

every so often occur when two people try to get close and leave their comfort zone’

ZÜRCHER THEATER SPEKTAKEL

 

PRESS REVIEWS

 

 

 

 

INTERVIEWS

 

 

touching.just (2017)

 

touching.just is a rhythmic game dealing with the absurd, awkward and episodic meetings of two characters during their effort to interact and connect. Going through intimate and uncomfortable situations both are looking for their common ground. Just! The duet was developed through the process of  ranscribing a series of graphic scores into movement. Its modular structure consists of short, incidental, random, humorous encounters where spacing and timing take a leading role, allowing for multiple readings.

 

The piece talks about timing and tuning with the “other”, sharing or negotiating boundaries as well as the notion of togetherness as a common, mutual decision where how and why are constantly in question.

 

The work premiered in April 2017, Athens and got selected for Spring Forward Festival 2018 in Sofia, Bulgaria as Aerowaves Twenty18 Artists.

 

touching.just (23min)

 

Choreography | Performers

Aris Papadopoulos & Martha Pasakopoulou

Lighting design

Eliza Alexandropoulou

Set | Sound Design

Aris Papadopoulos & Martha Pasakopoulou

CREDITS

photos

Yiannis Bournias, Elena Kanaki

video - photography

Manos Arvanitakis

graphics

Chrysoula Korovesi, Marios Gabierakis

rehearsal space

Scoop Move Studio

Lucy. tutorial for a ritual (2018-2019)

 

Having previously presented their debut work at the Aerowaves 2018 dance platform, the creative duo arisandmartha (Aris Papadopoulos and Martha Pasakopoulou) have now come up with the concept of a contemporary, devised ritual that places us in a liminal world, where everything is invested with meaning by the mere fact of its presence. The title references the famous controversial skeleton of Lucy, the first Australopithecus afarensis identified in Ethiopia in 1974. This performance is a ritualistic attempt to connect disparate elements, an experiment on the unclear temporal and spatial boundaries of the transition from the individual to the collective. Toying with the aspects of ecstacy and conscious observation, imagination and inescapable reality, the forgotten need for faith and the glorification of lies, the ‘man-animal’ and the ‘human animal,’ this performance sets out to expand our perception, inviting us to reconsider ways and places of ritualistic practices still surviving in our everyday life. The artists raise the question: “Can we reach something real through something fake?”

 

duration: 45'

 

Concept | Choreography | Performance

arisandmartha | Aris Papadopoulos & Martha Pasakopoulou

Dramaturgy Consultant

Anastasios Koukoutas

Sound Design-Original Music

Maria Sideri

Set and Costume Design

Dimitra Liakoura & Periklis Pravitas

Lighting Design

Eliza Alexandropoulou

Vocal Coaching

Anna Pangalou

Press-Communication

Evangelia Skrobola

Graphic Design

Chrysoula Korovesi & Marios Gampierakis

Photography

Yannis Bournias

Video

Manos Arvanitakis

Production Design

Maria Vasariotou

Production Management

Delta Pi

 

Co-production: arisandmartha, Athens and Epidaurus Festival 2019 and FLUXUM Foundation - Geneva.

 

With the kind support of the Duncan Dance Research Center – Athens, Garage Performing Arts Center – Corfu, KLAP Maison pour la danse - Marseille, Flux Laboratory – Geneva.

 

With the financial support of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports (2018-9) and FLUXUM Foundation – Geneva.

 

 

Five Steps to Save the World (2018)

 

Bombarded by tutorials and guide books, we are usually offered quick and easy problem-solving that bypasses the efforts required for achieving our goals without the expense of real life experience. ‘Five steps to save the world’ is a shortcut participatory performance delivered by two 'experts' for just one visitor at a time. The spectator enters a space between fiction and reality where each step equates to a choice and processing action. Facing the impossible task of saving the world in 20 minutes, the work intends to distill and imprint the things that can be 'saved' from this world.

 

 

Concept | Performance

arisandmartha

Aris Papadopoulos & Martha Pasakopoulou

 

Lighting | Set design

arisandmartha, Vivianna Chiotinih

 

performed in English or Greek

duration 20'

participants 1