Book Reviews by Stella Dimitrakopoulou
Book Review: MARK FRANKO (2012) Martha Graham in Love and War: The Life in the Work. New York: Oxford University Press., 2014
Reports by Stella Dimitrakopoulou
A report on our presentation in the symposium: Response/Ability!: Exercises in Responsible Resea... more A report on our presentation in the symposium: Response/Ability!: Exercises in Responsible Research and Innovation from science, humanities and arts perspectives, NTNU and Trondheim´s Art Society, Trondheim (November 2016)
Society of Dance Research Newsletter (July 2013), 2013
what_now’ was a three-day festival (5-7 April 2013) that took place at the Siobhan Davies Dance s... more what_now’ was a three-day festival (5-7 April 2013) that took place at the Siobhan Davies Dance studios. The ‘What festivals’ were initiated by Gill Clark (1954-2011) as a collaboration between Independent Dance and Siobhan Davies Dance. With an interest to expand on the legitimate concerns of dance today, these festivals showcase a new generation of dance artists. ‘what_now’ was supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and produced by Arts Admin.
An account of ZOOM IN! EDN ATELIER ON DANCE & CRAFT, 2019
This text provides a short account of the ZOOM IN! EDN ATELIER ON DANCE & CRAFT. This two-day ate... more This text provides a short account of the ZOOM IN! EDN ATELIER ON DANCE & CRAFT. This two-day atelier took place in April 2018 at the Duncan Dance Research Centre in Athens (Greece) and was organised by the European Dance Network (EDN). The author was invited to attend the atelier as a participant in the workshops and the discussions. Dance and craft have not often been presented and discussed on common ground in Athens and internationally. This event created a common ground and opened up a promising path for dance and craft practitioners. The author considers it important to provide a report on their fruitful experience as a visitor hoping for a continuation of this dialogue. The text, in its structure, follows the concept of the event, zooming in and out, it provides at the same time documentation and personal commentary.
The symposium was largely supported by METE S.A. "Mining-Technical Trade S.A." and was free for a... more The symposium was largely supported by METE S.A. "Mining-Technical Trade S.A." and was free for anyone to attend. Its theme focused on performance, dance works and studies that stand in-between performance and dance. Presenters from different fields including art theory, dance, performance art, sculpture and poetry, came together to present their works and research on the subject of performance dance. Some of the questions that were addressed are the following: In what ways do dance movement and the visual arts intertwine? How do images make us think and choreograph? How does the relationship between dance movement, visual arts and philosophy benefit or influence these fields? What might performance dance offer the emerging field of performance philosophy and vice versa? Works were presented in the form of lecture presentations, performance lectures, workshops and performances. The symposium included also video projections and an installation with films by, from the EMST Collection. Below we describe some of the presentations that took place during this two-day symposium.
Papers by Stella Dimitrakopoulou
Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance
The central question in this paper is: What kind of knowledge is acquirable in the process of cop... more The central question in this paper is: What kind of knowledge is acquirable in the process of copying dance via a video? This question is approached through choreographic practice, teaching and learning experiences as well as theoretical research. Subjects that are raised include the transmission of embodied knowledge in digital environments, the experience of failure or success, and the relationship between dance teachers and students. The possibilities offered to dance educators and students are explored, through an analysis of two dance experiments set into practice within distance education, due to COVID-19, shedding light into new perspectives in asynchronous teaching methods.
This project explores the practice of copying as a choreographic methodology raising the issue of... more This project explores the practice of copying as a choreographic methodology raising the issue of illegitimacy despite the use of copying by choreographers for the creation of their works. Thus, my intention is to shed more light on various aspects regarding the practice of copying in order to provide a study and initiate a discussion around this issue. In total this project: • Situates and contextualises copying as a methodology within dance and performance discourses. • Identifies and examines the reasons that induced its disavowal as a legitimate choreographic methodology. • Provides a study in copying as a choreographic methodology both through the creation and analysis of new work as well as through the discussion of other artists’ pre-existing works. • Discusses the role of copying in relation to the establishment of the choreographer as author and to the inclusion of choreographic works in the dance canon. • Unravels the ‘modes’ and ‘networks’ produced through the creation of...
Trio: A Self-Interview is a performance that takes the form of a self-interview of the collective... more Trio: A Self-Interview is a performance that takes the form of a self-interview of the collective, which acts as a mode for questioning, understanding and performing our collaboration. The text is based on several self-interviews that took place during our creative process and served as methodological tools for our performances. The performance derives from texts developed in June 2009 and in April 2012, therefore making explicit a gap in both our personal and collective memory, as well as interrogating our collaborative process through past, present and future times. We will discuss issues arising from our collaboration including the relationship between talking and doing, different modes of communication, misunderstandings and failures, responsibility and decision-making. The members of the collective are both interviewers and interviewees –exchanging roles and seeking identities. Questioning issues of authorship and non-hierarchical working structures, we are trying to define and...
This paper summarises available information on water quality associated with post mining lakes of... more This paper summarises available information on water quality associated with post mining lakes of the lignite fields in Greece. In Greece there are three distinctive districts of lignite mining: Ptolemais-Amynteon basin in Northern Greece, Aliveri district in central Greece and Megalopolis in South Greece, Peloponnese. Small lakes have been already formed in some of the remnant voids, while in others the creation of lakes is the main option, after the end of exploitation. Results of various research projects carried out or financed by PPC, concerning the water quality, of the existing and future remnant lakes were used. All remnant lake water is alkaline, due to the alkalinity of geological formations, natural soil and fly ash. The co-dumping of fly ash with mine waste material in the dumping sites improves the absorption of heavy metals and is an unfavourable condition for the dissolution and mobility of heavy metals. Most of them indicate low concentrations or are below detection ...
Between 2nd and 5th April 2012 I worked with Rosana Irvine and sixteen other performers towards t... more Between 2nd and 5th April 2012 I worked with Rosana Irvine and sixteen other performers towards the reactivation of Xavier le Roy’s ‘Project’. This work culminated with a public performance of the game-choreographies created and post show discussion, at Siobhan Davies Studios, London. The four days’ work focussed on using Le Roys ‘General Rules Score for Project’ to discover the remit of game based choreography. The questions which emerged throughout the process and framed the work include: What is a rule and what is a task? How can rules enable a system of logic to appear? What is the aim of a rule inside a game and how does this shape the overall aim of a game? Does a game need to be finite or infinite to be satisfying to play and spectate? How evident do the rules of the game need to be to the spectators in order to engage with them? How can the players of the game start to reveal relationships within the nexus of the game? How can players start to own the rules of the game and create strategies within them? What shift needs to happen in the performance of the game for it to take shape as a choreographic event? What scope is there for the players to notice and attend to the spectators of the game/choreographic event? How are the game players’ decisions similar or dissimilar to those originating from a choreographic context? Further information about this project can be accessed via: http://dance4.co.uk/profile/rosanna-irvine/blog/2012-04/moving-and-thinking-towards-reactivation-xavier-le-roys-project Recorded footage is available, but with restricted access.
A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music ... more A thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance for the degree of
This paper is a report on the symposium Performance Philosophy School of Athens II entitled Perfo... more This paper is a report on the symposium Performance Philosophy School of Athens II entitled Performance Dance. It examines the relationship between Performance and Dance.
Ε. Προύσαλη (Επιμ.), Παραστατικές Τέχνες στον 21ο αιώνα. Σύγχρονες Πρακτικές και Νέες Προοπτικές. Αθήνα: Εκδόσεις Ευρασία. , 2023
Δημητρακοπούλου, Σ. (2023). Η αντιγραφή ως χορογραφική μέθοδος. Στο Ε. Προύσαλη (Επιμ.), Παραστατ... more Δημητρακοπούλου, Σ. (2023). Η αντιγραφή ως χορογραφική μέθοδος. Στο Ε. Προύσαλη (Επιμ.), Παραστατικές Τέχνες στον 21ο αιώνα. Σύγχρονες Πρακτικές και Νέες Προοπτικές(σσ. 404-412). Αθήνα: Εκδόσεις Ευρασία.
Αφετηρία για τη συγγραφή του παρόντος άρθρου είναι το εξής παράδοξο: Ενώ η αντιγραφή αποτελεί σημαντικό εργαλείο στην εκπαίδευση και στην πρακτική του χορού, στη χορογραφία στιγματίζεται ως αθέμιτη πρακτική. Εμβαθύνοντας στην παραπάνω παραδοχή μέσα από τα έργα «Trio A» (1966/1978) της Yvonne Rainer και «without respect but with love» (2015) της Στέλλας Δημητρακοπούλου, στο άρθρο η αντιγραφή προτείνεται αρχικά ως αναπόσπαστο μέρος για τη δημιουργία μιας υπογραφής και ως χρήσιμο εργαλείο για την κατάργησή της. Δεύτερον προτείνεται ως εργαλείο της σύγχρονης χορογράφου, που διαρρηγνύει το κύρος της ως δημιουργού-ιδιοφυΐας, και τρίτον ως διαδικασία που επηρεάζει τον σχηματισμό ενός κανόνα και ενός συνόλου αξιών στον χορό. Επιπλέον, εξετάζεται ο ρόλος της αντιγραφής ως χορογραφικής μεθόδου σε σχέση με την καθιερωμένη αντίληψη της χορογράφου ως συγγραφέα (author) καθώς και η αντιγραφή μέσω βίντεο ως εργαλείο πρόσβασης στη γνώση. Τέλος, υποστηρίζεται ότι η μέθοδος της αντιγραφής δεν παράγει αθέμιτα έργα τέχνης, αλλά μάλλον ότι η (α)θεμιτότητα είναι ένα γνώρισμα που αποδίδεται εξωτερικά σε ένα έργο, ανάλογα με τη θέση του μέσα σε ένα καλλιτεχνικό-ιστορικό συγκείμενο.
Dance in digital spaces: An e-learning experiment during the COVID-19 pandemic, 2022
4th International Conference Digital Culture & AudioVisual Challenges. Interdisciplinary Creativi... more 4th International Conference Digital Culture & AudioVisual Challenges. Interdisciplinary Creativity in Arts and Technology. (13-14 Mαίου 2022) https://avarts.ionio.gr/dcac/2022/en/presentations/498/
In this paper, the use of video is examined as a tool in the teaching of dance within distance learning conditions. During the recent lockdown period (academic year 2021-22) I was teaching an online dance course in a professional drama school. As part of that course, the students were invited to use copying from video in two different exercises: firstly, the students were invited to learn a part of the Rosas danst Rosas (1997) choreography by copying a short video excerpt that is available online and secondly, they were invited to learn the choreography through a series of instructional videos, in order to create their own choreographic structures and video-dances. Finally, they were asked to reflect on this process orally in an open discussion and on paper by answering to an open format questionnaire. Subsequently, two categories of learning through video were distinguished: In the first case, a video dance is used as a model video for the learning of a choreography. In the second case, an instructional video is used primarily for the teaching of dance technique, and secondly for the teaching of creative tools in choreography. Based on the students' responses and on my personal experience as a dance lecturer, I discuss the use of video in the teaching of dance. I touch upon issues concerning distant collaboration, the relationship of movement to the two dimensional image and the advantages and disadvantages of video as a learning tool in dance.
Δημητρακοπούλου, Σ. (2022). «Η παιδαγωγική του χορού: Προτάσεις από τον διεθνή χώρο και η Ελληνικ... more Δημητρακοπούλου, Σ. (2022). «Η παιδαγωγική του χορού: Προτάσεις από τον διεθνή χώρο και η Ελληνική πραγματικότητα.» Υπό Δημοσίευση στα Πρακτικά της Διημερίδας «Δημόσιο Πανεπιστήμιο Χορού: Πράξη Ι» Σωματείο Εργαζομένων στο Χώρο του Χορού (8-19 Ιουνίου 2022) Ανώτατη Σχολή Καλών Τεχνών. Αθήνα. https://sexwxo.weebly.com/
Τα κύρια ερωτήματα που θέτω στο κείμενο αυτό είναι: Πώς μπορούμε να εμπλουτίσουμε ακόμα και τους τρόπους με τους οποίους διδαχτήκαμε προς μια πιο διευρυμένη παιδαγωγική πρακτική; Ποια άλλα χαρακτηριστικά θα θέλαμε να φέρουμε στις δικές μας διδασκαλίες; Ποια είναι τα χαρακτηριστικά του κοινωνικοπολιτικού πλαισίου που βρισκόμαστε και πως μέσα από την παιδαγωγική του χορού μπορούμε να ανακατασκευάσουμε την κοινωνία μας; Μέσα από σύντομη αναφορά στον πίνακα της Jo Butterworth καθώς και στο έργο της Άννα Χάλπριν χρησιμοποιώ το μεθοδολογικό της εργαλείο των κύκλων RSVP για να αναφερθώ στην Ελληνική πραγματικότητα κάνοντας αναφορά και σε παλαιότερα κείμενα Ελλήνων ερευνητριών της παιδαγωγικής του χορού.
Stella Dimitrakopoulou (2022) Teaching dance in digital environments: copying through video, Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 27:2, 235-252, DOI: 10.1080/13569783.2022.2060732 , 2022
The central question in this paper is: What kind of knowledge is acquirable in the process of cop... more The central question in this paper is: What kind of knowledge is acquirable in the process of copying dance via a video? This question is approached through choreographic practice, teaching and learning experiences as well as theoretical research. Subjects that are raised include the transmission of embodied knowledge in digital environments, the experience of failure or success, and the relationship between dance teachers and students. The possibilities offered to dance educators and students are explored, through an analysis of two dance experiments set into practice within distance education, due to COVID-19, shedding light into new perspectives in asynchronous teaching methods. Biographical notes Stella Dimitrakopoulou (Dr) is a dance/performance artist and adjunct lecturer at the University of Peloponnese. In her PhD research she looked into (Ιl)legitimate Performances: Copying, Authorship and the Canon (2016), whereas during her MA studies she worked with food as a means of investigating the intermingling of public and private spaces.
Conference Presentations by Stella Dimitrakopoulou
Walking practice became central in architectural teaching mostly after the second world war, with... more Walking practice became central in architectural teaching mostly after the second world war, within a general context of transformation of pedagogical methods following the will to break up with a heritage of approaching architecture primarily as a question of technique and form. Methodological tools and theoretical questions in social sciences and performing arts start to interweave with those in the discipline of architecture. Walking is found to be an innovative and at the same time evident way of exploring qualities of the human environment and built space. Not only major figures of the 20th century’s architecture pointed out the importance of the human body moving into space (see la promenade of Le Corbusier), but also a keen interest for urban planning has put walking in the very center of preoccupations of designers and politics, envisioning the reconstruction of cities and neighborhoods. Walking has then its central role, not only as an objective in designed environments but also as a medium of understanding the latter as experienced places open to redefinition.
In this paper we present, reflect and discuss the results of the in situ action “One hour, One Path. Narrations of Akronafplia'' that took place in the area of Akronafplia in Nafplio . This was a site-specific educational workshop that was initiated by ENSA Paris-Malaquais School of Architecture (Paris) and was implemented in collaboration with the Department of Performing and Digital Arts of the University of Peloponnese (Greece). On the 4th of November 2021 twenty master students of ENSA Paris-Malaquais and ten Bachelor students of the Department of Performing and Digital Arts met for the first time and for three hours in order to explore the area of Akronafplia through a set of exercises designed by their supervisors. Some of the main questions addressed in this workshop were: How does the body experience the particular landscape of Akronafplia? How does a walking practice offer plural readings of the topos? In which ways, moving in space and taking into account the palimpsest of heritage traces, can lead to new forms of appropriation of the city and the public space?
Starting from these questions, the students were invited to discover in groups, the site of Akronafplia and more specifically the surroundings of the abandoned Xenia Hotel. Each group traced its own path firstly on a map and then physically on the site, in order to propose its narration. The groups proposed different ways of transcribing their embodied experiences using a variety of media (drawing, photo,video captions collage, text and dance). First insights from the fieldwork experience highlight the force of walking in stimulating engagement with the observed environment. By federating in situ different disciplines and ways of looking but also by enhancing a constant interaction with other bodies, the exercise unveiled ways in which walking can be a promising pedagogical tool at the crossroads of disciplines dealing with space.
Based on her doctorate research on copying as a creative choreographic methodology Dr Dimitrakopo... more Based on her doctorate research on copying as a creative choreographic methodology Dr Dimitrakopoulou wishes to examine possibilities for the creation of creative grounds that lay between dance, choreography and the Logico-Mathematical Sciences.
History – Memory – Common Language
As an introduction the choreographer will present to the audience a selection of historical events (performances, political events etc) in order to refresh our memory on the long relationship between science and the performing arts, and in order to re-tell and to re-establish our common roots, our common history. Breaking away from the dualistic devision of artists or scientists, we are all creative people.
Once a common ground and language is established the choreographer will invite the audience to delve into the subject of copying as a creative tool in the arts and more specifically in dance and choreography. Using video documentation of her own previous works she will discuss further issues that raise out of copying as an (il)legitimate art practice.
Games – Logic – Imagination
In the final part of the presentation, the choreographer will invite the audience into a game where anyone can participate and play following a simple set of rules set by the choreographer. Despite our common history and language, what we all hold as creative people, is our ability to play. In this game we will create our future together, through logic and imagination.
In total, this participatory presentation wishes to examine the relationship between dance and sciences (and more specifically the Logico-Mathematical Sciences). Can we (artists and scientists) imagine and build our future together, based on our common history, our shared memories and a common language? If our common history is part of our fantasy, can our common imagination be enough for us to build our common future, and how?
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Book Reviews by Stella Dimitrakopoulou
Reports by Stella Dimitrakopoulou
Papers by Stella Dimitrakopoulou
Αφετηρία για τη συγγραφή του παρόντος άρθρου είναι το εξής παράδοξο: Ενώ η αντιγραφή αποτελεί σημαντικό εργαλείο στην εκπαίδευση και στην πρακτική του χορού, στη χορογραφία στιγματίζεται ως αθέμιτη πρακτική. Εμβαθύνοντας στην παραπάνω παραδοχή μέσα από τα έργα «Trio A» (1966/1978) της Yvonne Rainer και «without respect but with love» (2015) της Στέλλας Δημητρακοπούλου, στο άρθρο η αντιγραφή προτείνεται αρχικά ως αναπόσπαστο μέρος για τη δημιουργία μιας υπογραφής και ως χρήσιμο εργαλείο για την κατάργησή της. Δεύτερον προτείνεται ως εργαλείο της σύγχρονης χορογράφου, που διαρρηγνύει το κύρος της ως δημιουργού-ιδιοφυΐας, και τρίτον ως διαδικασία που επηρεάζει τον σχηματισμό ενός κανόνα και ενός συνόλου αξιών στον χορό. Επιπλέον, εξετάζεται ο ρόλος της αντιγραφής ως χορογραφικής μεθόδου σε σχέση με την καθιερωμένη αντίληψη της χορογράφου ως συγγραφέα (author) καθώς και η αντιγραφή μέσω βίντεο ως εργαλείο πρόσβασης στη γνώση. Τέλος, υποστηρίζεται ότι η μέθοδος της αντιγραφής δεν παράγει αθέμιτα έργα τέχνης, αλλά μάλλον ότι η (α)θεμιτότητα είναι ένα γνώρισμα που αποδίδεται εξωτερικά σε ένα έργο, ανάλογα με τη θέση του μέσα σε ένα καλλιτεχνικό-ιστορικό συγκείμενο.
In this paper, the use of video is examined as a tool in the teaching of dance within distance learning conditions. During the recent lockdown period (academic year 2021-22) I was teaching an online dance course in a professional drama school. As part of that course, the students were invited to use copying from video in two different exercises: firstly, the students were invited to learn a part of the Rosas danst Rosas (1997) choreography by copying a short video excerpt that is available online and secondly, they were invited to learn the choreography through a series of instructional videos, in order to create their own choreographic structures and video-dances. Finally, they were asked to reflect on this process orally in an open discussion and on paper by answering to an open format questionnaire. Subsequently, two categories of learning through video were distinguished: In the first case, a video dance is used as a model video for the learning of a choreography. In the second case, an instructional video is used primarily for the teaching of dance technique, and secondly for the teaching of creative tools in choreography. Based on the students' responses and on my personal experience as a dance lecturer, I discuss the use of video in the teaching of dance. I touch upon issues concerning distant collaboration, the relationship of movement to the two dimensional image and the advantages and disadvantages of video as a learning tool in dance.
Τα κύρια ερωτήματα που θέτω στο κείμενο αυτό είναι: Πώς μπορούμε να εμπλουτίσουμε ακόμα και τους τρόπους με τους οποίους διδαχτήκαμε προς μια πιο διευρυμένη παιδαγωγική πρακτική; Ποια άλλα χαρακτηριστικά θα θέλαμε να φέρουμε στις δικές μας διδασκαλίες; Ποια είναι τα χαρακτηριστικά του κοινωνικοπολιτικού πλαισίου που βρισκόμαστε και πως μέσα από την παιδαγωγική του χορού μπορούμε να ανακατασκευάσουμε την κοινωνία μας; Μέσα από σύντομη αναφορά στον πίνακα της Jo Butterworth καθώς και στο έργο της Άννα Χάλπριν χρησιμοποιώ το μεθοδολογικό της εργαλείο των κύκλων RSVP για να αναφερθώ στην Ελληνική πραγματικότητα κάνοντας αναφορά και σε παλαιότερα κείμενα Ελλήνων ερευνητριών της παιδαγωγικής του χορού.
Conference Presentations by Stella Dimitrakopoulou
Παρουσιάστηκε στο Θεατρολογικό Συνέδριο «Θέατρο και παραστατικές τέχνες τον 21ο αιώνα: Η αγωνία και ο αγώνας του επαναπροσδιορισμού» της Ελληνικής Ένωσης Κριτικών Θεάτρου και Παραστατικών Τεχνών. (Οκτώβριος 2021).
Τόμος Συνεδρίου: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BzR0Ez4oKScM8-o2sexgBzdpRTnM1JbI/view
https://www.greektheatrecritics.gr/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/%CE%A0%CE%91%CE%A1%CE%91%CE%A3%CE%A4%CE%91%CE%A4%CE%99%CE%9A%CE%95%CE%A3-%CE%A4%CE%95%CE%A7%CE%9D%CE%95%CE%A3-%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BD-21%CE%BF-%CE%B1%CE%B9%CF%8E%CE%BD%CE%B1.pdf
In this paper we present, reflect and discuss the results of the in situ action “One hour, One Path. Narrations of Akronafplia'' that took place in the area of Akronafplia in Nafplio . This was a site-specific educational workshop that was initiated by ENSA Paris-Malaquais School of Architecture (Paris) and was implemented in collaboration with the Department of Performing and Digital Arts of the University of Peloponnese (Greece). On the 4th of November 2021 twenty master students of ENSA Paris-Malaquais and ten Bachelor students of the Department of Performing and Digital Arts met for the first time and for three hours in order to explore the area of Akronafplia through a set of exercises designed by their supervisors. Some of the main questions addressed in this workshop were: How does the body experience the particular landscape of Akronafplia? How does a walking practice offer plural readings of the topos? In which ways, moving in space and taking into account the palimpsest of heritage traces, can lead to new forms of appropriation of the city and the public space?
Starting from these questions, the students were invited to discover in groups, the site of Akronafplia and more specifically the surroundings of the abandoned Xenia Hotel. Each group traced its own path firstly on a map and then physically on the site, in order to propose its narration. The groups proposed different ways of transcribing their embodied experiences using a variety of media (drawing, photo,video captions collage, text and dance). First insights from the fieldwork experience highlight the force of walking in stimulating engagement with the observed environment. By federating in situ different disciplines and ways of looking but also by enhancing a constant interaction with other bodies, the exercise unveiled ways in which walking can be a promising pedagogical tool at the crossroads of disciplines dealing with space.
History – Memory – Common Language
As an introduction the choreographer will present to the audience a selection of historical events (performances, political events etc) in order to refresh our memory on the long relationship between science and the performing arts, and in order to re-tell and to re-establish our common roots, our common history. Breaking away from the dualistic devision of artists or scientists, we are all creative people.
Once a common ground and language is established the choreographer will invite the audience to delve into the subject of copying as a creative tool in the arts and more specifically in dance and choreography. Using video documentation of her own previous works she will discuss further issues that raise out of copying as an (il)legitimate art practice.
Games – Logic – Imagination
In the final part of the presentation, the choreographer will invite the audience into a game where anyone can participate and play following a simple set of rules set by the choreographer. Despite our common history and language, what we all hold as creative people, is our ability to play. In this game we will create our future together, through logic and imagination.
In total, this participatory presentation wishes to examine the relationship between dance and sciences (and more specifically the Logico-Mathematical Sciences). Can we (artists and scientists) imagine and build our future together, based on our common history, our shared memories and a common language? If our common history is part of our fantasy, can our common imagination be enough for us to build our common future, and how?
Αφετηρία για τη συγγραφή του παρόντος άρθρου είναι το εξής παράδοξο: Ενώ η αντιγραφή αποτελεί σημαντικό εργαλείο στην εκπαίδευση και στην πρακτική του χορού, στη χορογραφία στιγματίζεται ως αθέμιτη πρακτική. Εμβαθύνοντας στην παραπάνω παραδοχή μέσα από τα έργα «Trio A» (1966/1978) της Yvonne Rainer και «without respect but with love» (2015) της Στέλλας Δημητρακοπούλου, στο άρθρο η αντιγραφή προτείνεται αρχικά ως αναπόσπαστο μέρος για τη δημιουργία μιας υπογραφής και ως χρήσιμο εργαλείο για την κατάργησή της. Δεύτερον προτείνεται ως εργαλείο της σύγχρονης χορογράφου, που διαρρηγνύει το κύρος της ως δημιουργού-ιδιοφυΐας, και τρίτον ως διαδικασία που επηρεάζει τον σχηματισμό ενός κανόνα και ενός συνόλου αξιών στον χορό. Επιπλέον, εξετάζεται ο ρόλος της αντιγραφής ως χορογραφικής μεθόδου σε σχέση με την καθιερωμένη αντίληψη της χορογράφου ως συγγραφέα (author) καθώς και η αντιγραφή μέσω βίντεο ως εργαλείο πρόσβασης στη γνώση. Τέλος, υποστηρίζεται ότι η μέθοδος της αντιγραφής δεν παράγει αθέμιτα έργα τέχνης, αλλά μάλλον ότι η (α)θεμιτότητα είναι ένα γνώρισμα που αποδίδεται εξωτερικά σε ένα έργο, ανάλογα με τη θέση του μέσα σε ένα καλλιτεχνικό-ιστορικό συγκείμενο.
In this paper, the use of video is examined as a tool in the teaching of dance within distance learning conditions. During the recent lockdown period (academic year 2021-22) I was teaching an online dance course in a professional drama school. As part of that course, the students were invited to use copying from video in two different exercises: firstly, the students were invited to learn a part of the Rosas danst Rosas (1997) choreography by copying a short video excerpt that is available online and secondly, they were invited to learn the choreography through a series of instructional videos, in order to create their own choreographic structures and video-dances. Finally, they were asked to reflect on this process orally in an open discussion and on paper by answering to an open format questionnaire. Subsequently, two categories of learning through video were distinguished: In the first case, a video dance is used as a model video for the learning of a choreography. In the second case, an instructional video is used primarily for the teaching of dance technique, and secondly for the teaching of creative tools in choreography. Based on the students' responses and on my personal experience as a dance lecturer, I discuss the use of video in the teaching of dance. I touch upon issues concerning distant collaboration, the relationship of movement to the two dimensional image and the advantages and disadvantages of video as a learning tool in dance.
Τα κύρια ερωτήματα που θέτω στο κείμενο αυτό είναι: Πώς μπορούμε να εμπλουτίσουμε ακόμα και τους τρόπους με τους οποίους διδαχτήκαμε προς μια πιο διευρυμένη παιδαγωγική πρακτική; Ποια άλλα χαρακτηριστικά θα θέλαμε να φέρουμε στις δικές μας διδασκαλίες; Ποια είναι τα χαρακτηριστικά του κοινωνικοπολιτικού πλαισίου που βρισκόμαστε και πως μέσα από την παιδαγωγική του χορού μπορούμε να ανακατασκευάσουμε την κοινωνία μας; Μέσα από σύντομη αναφορά στον πίνακα της Jo Butterworth καθώς και στο έργο της Άννα Χάλπριν χρησιμοποιώ το μεθοδολογικό της εργαλείο των κύκλων RSVP για να αναφερθώ στην Ελληνική πραγματικότητα κάνοντας αναφορά και σε παλαιότερα κείμενα Ελλήνων ερευνητριών της παιδαγωγικής του χορού.
Παρουσιάστηκε στο Θεατρολογικό Συνέδριο «Θέατρο και παραστατικές τέχνες τον 21ο αιώνα: Η αγωνία και ο αγώνας του επαναπροσδιορισμού» της Ελληνικής Ένωσης Κριτικών Θεάτρου και Παραστατικών Τεχνών. (Οκτώβριος 2021).
Τόμος Συνεδρίου: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BzR0Ez4oKScM8-o2sexgBzdpRTnM1JbI/view
https://www.greektheatrecritics.gr/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/%CE%A0%CE%91%CE%A1%CE%91%CE%A3%CE%A4%CE%91%CE%A4%CE%99%CE%9A%CE%95%CE%A3-%CE%A4%CE%95%CE%A7%CE%9D%CE%95%CE%A3-%CF%83%CF%84%CE%BF%CE%BD-21%CE%BF-%CE%B1%CE%B9%CF%8E%CE%BD%CE%B1.pdf
In this paper we present, reflect and discuss the results of the in situ action “One hour, One Path. Narrations of Akronafplia'' that took place in the area of Akronafplia in Nafplio . This was a site-specific educational workshop that was initiated by ENSA Paris-Malaquais School of Architecture (Paris) and was implemented in collaboration with the Department of Performing and Digital Arts of the University of Peloponnese (Greece). On the 4th of November 2021 twenty master students of ENSA Paris-Malaquais and ten Bachelor students of the Department of Performing and Digital Arts met for the first time and for three hours in order to explore the area of Akronafplia through a set of exercises designed by their supervisors. Some of the main questions addressed in this workshop were: How does the body experience the particular landscape of Akronafplia? How does a walking practice offer plural readings of the topos? In which ways, moving in space and taking into account the palimpsest of heritage traces, can lead to new forms of appropriation of the city and the public space?
Starting from these questions, the students were invited to discover in groups, the site of Akronafplia and more specifically the surroundings of the abandoned Xenia Hotel. Each group traced its own path firstly on a map and then physically on the site, in order to propose its narration. The groups proposed different ways of transcribing their embodied experiences using a variety of media (drawing, photo,video captions collage, text and dance). First insights from the fieldwork experience highlight the force of walking in stimulating engagement with the observed environment. By federating in situ different disciplines and ways of looking but also by enhancing a constant interaction with other bodies, the exercise unveiled ways in which walking can be a promising pedagogical tool at the crossroads of disciplines dealing with space.
History – Memory – Common Language
As an introduction the choreographer will present to the audience a selection of historical events (performances, political events etc) in order to refresh our memory on the long relationship between science and the performing arts, and in order to re-tell and to re-establish our common roots, our common history. Breaking away from the dualistic devision of artists or scientists, we are all creative people.
Once a common ground and language is established the choreographer will invite the audience to delve into the subject of copying as a creative tool in the arts and more specifically in dance and choreography. Using video documentation of her own previous works she will discuss further issues that raise out of copying as an (il)legitimate art practice.
Games – Logic – Imagination
In the final part of the presentation, the choreographer will invite the audience into a game where anyone can participate and play following a simple set of rules set by the choreographer. Despite our common history and language, what we all hold as creative people, is our ability to play. In this game we will create our future together, through logic and imagination.
In total, this participatory presentation wishes to examine the relationship between dance and sciences (and more specifically the Logico-Mathematical Sciences). Can we (artists and scientists) imagine and build our future together, based on our common history, our shared memories and a common language? If our common history is part of our fantasy, can our common imagination be enough for us to build our common future, and how?
200 years later we were inspired by that journey, and another research, artistic and educational journey begun, aiming to create and present the exhibition "Haiti / Greece 1821-2021. A journey to Freedom. Respect." Two teams were formed, one from the Department of Performing and Digital Arts in Nafplio and another from the Department of Product and Systems Design Engineering in Syros. The exhibition was presented in Spetses and in Nafplio about a year ago.
Δημαρόγκονα, Μ., Τόγια, Ε., Δημητρακοπούλου, Σ., Ασιμάκης, Ν., Κιουβρέκης, Γ., Στεφανέας, Π., Καλδής, Β. (Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο, Ιόνιο Πανεπιστήμιο, Πανεπιστήμιο Πελοποννήσου) (2019) “Blending Art and Computer Science”. Creativity: 1st World Congress of the Brazilian Academy of Philosophy (Session: Τέχνες και Λογικομαθηματικές Επιστήμες), Rio De Janeiro, Βραζιλία (Δεκέμβριος 2019). https://sites.google.com/view/creativity2019/workshops/art-and-logico-mathematics?authuser=0
In this project we explore the possibilities of automatic composition of pieces of movement and music using a conceptual blending approach. In particular, in accordance with previous relevant work [1], the composition process is going to be performed by a conceptual blending software, currently under development. The software is based on Goguen’s computational model of conceptual blending [2][3], built on the corresponding descriptive model of Fauconnier and Turner [4]. As input we are going to use eight short videos: in each video a dancer’s hand performs a gesture exemplifying one of the eight efforts of Rudolf Laban’s Movement Analysis (LMA) [5]; and eight sounds, each corresponding to one of the aforementioned movement qualities (eight efforts).
The principles guiding the blending of these elements will also be given as input to the computer program. In the first phase of the project we will experiment with the most general principles of musical composition, used throughout the various musical genres and periods. Since the elements to be blended are organized on the basis of a categorization of movement qualities, while the blending principles come from musical composition, there is already at this level an intentional “blending” of the various components of the process, aiming at increasing the possibilities of a coherent outcome. At the second phase of the project, we will experiment with composition principles of specific musical styles, focusing on more modern approaches like that of spectral music [6], as well as with principles coming from different domains, like that of architectural composition (i.e. contrast, balance, emphasis).
Deriving from texts which have been developed during and after the creative process at specific points in time (in June 2009 and in April 2012), the self-interview is making explicit a gap in both our personal and collective memory and interrogates our collaborative process through past, present and future times.
We will discuss issues arising from our collaboration including the relationship between talking and doing, different modes of communication, misunderstandings and failures, responsibility and decision-making. The members of the collective are both interviewers and interviewees – exchanging roles and seeking identities. Questioning issues of authorship and non-hierarchical
working structures, we are trying to define and organise the fluid boundaries that exist within our modes of production.
Seeking alternative ways to work together, we have formed a virtual rehearsal space that acts as a platform for collaborative performance practice (http://triocollective.wordpress.com/). The blog, as a relatively new form of communication and presentation, with all its technological possibilities, is a curious archive. As a document of sorts it flattens the perception of time as a linear development and presents it as fragmented and incomplete. It gives the illusion of Trio as a coherent entity, but is yet to overcome its differences and inconsistencies.
Here is a set of exercises aimed at understanding what it is to truly be yourself in a performance. We are aiming at evoking different forms of consciousness.
These exercises were performed with a small group of about seven, but could
be used with larger groups.
Chanting: Walking in the space together but not necessarily in the same
direction. Chanting altogether without keeping a particular, note, melody or
specific words. This is intended to bring inner monologue out while at the same time synching bodies and the rhythm of thought.
There is a note that comes from your diaphragm that expresses your true self. Coming to rest in a circle we all sing our own note together at a loud volume. In synch we lower the volume of the note and lower ourselves to a seated position sitting in a circle facing in.
In-Synch talking: We all talk at the same time saying statements on ‘consciousness’. What we say is our stream of consciousness thoughts on the topic of consciousness. We all talk until we have no more to say on consciousness and then fall silent. Each participant creates silence freely. We remain silent for several minutes.
Hyper-Consciousness: Do you know who you really are? Each participant
in turn is to stand in the middle of the seated circle and tell the group who they really are. As a contrast another option is permitted, which is to tell the group what the group thinks of the person in the center of the circle. This exercise is supposed to create a hyper self-consciousness. It is supposed to give awareness of how one presents oneself to others.
The last exercise is to perform yourself. Here we contrast with the previous
exercise and imagine the self as a performance that exists independently of
being observed. Are you still yourself when no one is looking? How would you behave if you were invisible? For this exercise the lights are turned off so no one can be seen.
- Performing Architecture: An educational project in Akronafplia
- Ec(h)osomata
What has changed, what are the developments in your work, since the last interview? Our last interview was on April 12, 2014. Today is January 4, 2022. These 8 or so years seem like a lifetime, so be prepared my answer looks like a short biography…