THE BULL PROJECT:
Collaborations exploring propagandas, stereotypes, the Greek experiment and other BULL
Workshops, Performances and Public Dialogs
How can the ancient Greek myth of the abduction of Europe by Zeus be conceptually and physically related to the Bull as symbol of the American Stock Exchange and the recent reports in European Media of implicit racism towards Greeks? How have we embodied the “bull|” (read as bullshit or information misdirection from financial institutions and media)?
Like a palimpsest, beginning with the myth of the seduction of Europe by Zeus, disguised as a bull, and playing iconoclastically with the image of the bull as a symbol of the Stock Exchange on Wall Street. Then, layers of texts and narratives by international performers are projections, which reveal underlying prejudices. The work ends up talking about the common destiny of Europe during the economic crisis or?.
Not a ready-made piece that creates representations of the crisis. Instead, we begin working along with a diverse population of Greeks and other nationalities; a mixture of professional’s dancers, performers, workers, and those who might pass each other along the streets. We will use public spaces, not just as scenery, but as the context for meeting. The aim is to make art without mediators and to bring the performance to the people that are being hit by the crisis. For example, the performances in Greece will be in 5 different public spaces, a school, a food market, a working place (ship dock), a deserted night club and an airport
Greek and foreign dancer-performers, with a kinesiology of physical intensity, perpetually exchanging roles and grabbing bodies, travel through the images of Greece in the collective memory of Europeans. Making references to ancient Greek and Renaissance art juxtaposed with modern stereotypes i.e. the lazy / indolent / shiftless /inactive / lethargic /negligent / lustful / illogical / absurd / parasitic body of the South
An old tradition of modern dance, at the beginning of its creation during the economic crash of the late 1920’s, was to relate or comment on contemporary social and political issues. This project catches the thread of that old tradition.
The process leading to creating the performances is an integral part of the work. Workshops of movement and speech will be held in different European countries. The performances and possibly the workshops could be actions, intending to provoke public dialog on the current trends of economic prejudice.
The first workshops and performances of the BULL project are scheduled. They will be shown in Limassol, Cyprus on June 23rd 2012 as part of the 15th European Dance Festival.
We invite and look forward to collaborations with groups and organizations in other European cities especially Copenhagen, Denmark and Berlin, Germany.
We are aiming toward the fall season 2012. At that time, a core of Greek dancers will travel to those countries. Videos and selected members of the workshops will participate in the local performances in those cities. From these projects selected participants will be invited to travel to Athens for the final round of performance for this year.
The new production of the Wrong Movement Dance co. brings together old associates Riccardo Morrison (U.S.A./Denmark) and Konstantinos Mihos (Greece). They have a long history of collaborations. Beginning In 2000 "Empty Man" a work with five male dancers and a 7 month pregnant dancer won the National Award for choreography, a rare example of a structured improvisation legitimized by the State.
Also theatre works in places with ambivalent historical significance such as:
‘‘Interrogation’’ 2004 in ex-prison cells of World War II German occupation forces,
‘‘Without stigma’’ 2005 in Sotiria Hospital for lung diseases.
‘‘Interrogation’’ 2004 in ex-prison cells of World War II German occupation forces,
‘‘Without stigma’’ 2005 in Sotiria Hospital for lung diseases.
"Audition Bachae" 2010-11 in downtown ghetto streets of Athens
