At the threshold between day and night, an empty archaeological site is transformed into a space of existential ritual. Two women, unseen cleaning staff, enter the site to begin their shift. As they sweep away the dust, their mechanical labor gradually transforms—echoing Gaston Bachelard’s notion that “the hand that cares begins to dream”—into an act of creation. Drawing inspiration from Kostis Palamas’ iconic poem “The Palm Tree”, the performance weaves a dialogue between the Monumental and the Ephemeral. Accompanied by live music, the poem’s iambic thirteen-syllable verse becomes the rhythmic force that shapes the action, transforming labor into choreography. The two women, like “blue flowers” growing in the shadow of History, reflect on mortality and on humanity’s enduring need to give voice to its existence in the face of the Eternal. Through their presence, the performance explores the fragile yet persistent relationship between human life and historical memory. A poetic stage composition about the sacredness of care and the human spirit that continues to bloom amid the silence of monuments and the erosion of time.
“[…] and no one sees them anymore, except those who were pure in the old days, and the ones who are touched by the unseen in our own time.” Two women—one mature and the other very young (or perhaps they are the same person?)—find themselves on a high, almost inaccessible place, or somewhere at the edge of the sea. Among a number of handmade small lanterns, they tend their flames and tell a story until dawn arrives. It is Akrivoula, nine years old, and the story of her small death, there at the crossing. Around her, other figures emerge: humble little lights, stories of a lost innocence, forms like the sea flowers and sand dunes that shone for a moment and then disappeared, carried away by the waves. And among them stands the comforting presence of Alexandros Papadiamantis.
A musical-narrative performance celebrating the power and contagious nature of human kindness. I.M.N.I., in collaboration with the Tsitsanis Research Centre and Museum, presents a multidisciplinary performance that brings together music, storytelling, and contemporary dance into a unified stage experience, set against the backdrop of the Osman Shah Mosque.
Classical interpretations of Byzantine hymns, traditional folk songs, and rebetiko music engage in dialogue with narrative episodes that recount the impact of small, everyday acts of kindness and the ways in which they spread and influence the world around us. Like ripples expanding through time and society, these acts of humanity are expressed through music and storytelling, while dance embodies the ideas of transmission, encounter, and human connection. Through movement, sound, and spoken word, the performance explores how simple gestures of compassion can resonate far beyond their immediate moment, shaping collective experience and strengthening the bonds between people.
On April 26, 1986, Reactor No. 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded. The explosion released massive amounts of radioactive material across Europe, causing deaths, severe illnesses, and the mass evacuation of entire areas. Throughout human history, there has always been a duality: our ability to create wonders, while at the same time inflicting immeasurable devastation. Chernobyl stands as one of the most powerful symbols of this contradiction. And yet, within this catastrophe, another side of human nature emerged: the self-sacrifice of the workers, engineers, miners, firefighters, and scientists. Without them, Chernobyl could have turned into an uncontrollable nuclear hell.
It is precisely these people that the two actors bring to life on stage, tracing chronologically the events of one of the worst humanitarian and environmental disasters in human history. After all, this world is saved again and again by the people who continue to fight to save it.
A shield of lead, no eye may behold
LEAD is a ritualistic site-specific choreographic performance with spoken text for three women, presented at the Twin Ottoman Bath in Trikala. Through stillness, micro-movement and breath, the work approaches the body as a site of memory, trauma, protection and vulnerability. Lead becomes the central metaphor: a material that is heavy and toxic, yet also protective and insulating. Three women form a collective body that breathes, synchronizes, shields itself and remains exposed. Breath becomes pulse and a mechanism of connection, while stillness is approached as a way of remaining present within a world of constant pressure, speed and exposure. Developed through low intensities of sound and light, the performance creates a space of shared silence and coexistence, where the body is allowed simply to exist.
The Abduction of Persephone – The Return revisits the ancient myth through a contemporary, dark, and profoundly human perspective. Rather than focusing on the abduction itself, the performance explores its aftermath: trauma, forced coming-of-age, and the return to a world that, although no longer the same, attempts to carry on as if nothing had happened—concealing violence beneath the guise of normality. At the center stands Persephone, trapped within a myth in which her fate appears to be determined by the desires of others: her husband, her mother, and Zeus. The relationship between mother and daughter becomes a field of conflict, as Demeter proves unable to restore Persephone to her former identity solely as her daughter. Combining spoken word, movement, anlive music, the performance creates a theatrical universe in which the gods function as agents of power, desire, and control.
In a country where everyone steals in order to survive, the appearance of one honest man is enough to shatter the balance. The Black Sheep, inspired by the iconic short story by Italo Calvino, transforms its dark allegory into a contemporary theatrical experience filled with farce, black humour and biting social satire.
Through a polyphonic world of bodies, sounds, and constant transformations, the performance sheds light on a society where corruption feels natural and honesty almost dangerous. The honest man does not become a hero; he becomes a threat to the system. With a fast pace, live music performed on stage, and continuous shifts between roles and narration, the piece poses an urgent question: when inhumanity becomes the norm, who still dares to remain human?
A harsh and timely fable about the cost of dignity — and the power of those who refuse to conform.
Stumbles is a contemporary dance performance that explores the notion of stumbling as a physical, emotional, and historical process that reveals our fragility and vulnerability.
Through movement and sound, two dancers and two musicians create a world, in which the loss of balance and the ongoing effort to regain it forms the central theme. Circular movements, spiral pathways, and weight shifts reflect the cyclical nature of time: the body remembers, the past returns, and the stage transforms into a space where today becomes tomorrow and yesterday.
The performance encourages us to remain standing in a world that is constantly changing. It serves as a reminder that balance is not a solitary achievement but the result of solidarity and interaction with others. It is a journey from the little stumbles of movement to the great, existential falters that shape our memory, our identity, and our collective history.
The music theatre performance Uncrafted Song: Alexandros Papadiamantis Among Us aims to highlight the timelessness of Papadiamantis’ work through a combination of both the phlegmatic and scholarly qualities of his language, showcasing its lasting relevance across different generations of Greeks—past, present, and future. The performance features orchestral and set poems by Alexandros Papadiamantis, Ilias Katsoulis, and Thomas Korovinis, texts by Alexandros Papadiamantis and Andreas Embiricos, as well as excerpts from Thomas Korovinis’ novel To angelokrousma –The last night of Mr Alexandros, accompanied by original musical compositions by Andreas Katsigiannis.
The musical performance Paroles: How Yesterday’s Songs Converse with Today by the music theatre ensemble Kata-Foni explores the institutional and social censorship of songs from 1930 to 1980. A modern musical ensemble meets a troupe “from the old days.” They discuss censorship, freedom of expression, and political correctness in songs.
The repertoire revolves around questions inspired by rebetiko songs, such as: What is a refugee girl thinking as she chews cinnamon blossoms? Why is there a black Ford waiting for Alexandra and Evlabia? How did malamatenia logia (“golden words”) sound during a night without a moon? Why will I close my eyes? How do operettas and rebetiko songs flirt with sexism, patriarchy, and surrealism? Lyrics, images, and sounds intertwine with live music and narration, filled with awkward silences and big talk (paroles). When rebetiko music composers Haskil, Vamvakaris, and Tsitsanis said “stop the big talk (paroles), I’ve made myself clear to you,” did they wonder if this big talk would ever be censored, altered, or remain intact, despite everything?
* Paroles: a word of Latin origin that is a synonym for “big talk” and “excessive talk.”