Athanasios Routianidis
Dancer, Pedagogue – Βallet Master, Artistic Director at the Greek Northern Ballet
CLASSICAL DANCE / EDUCATION
Athanasios Routianidis – a dancer, and pedagogue / ballet master graduate of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy – founded the Greek Northern Ballet (GNB) in May 2013. Since the beginning, the company has sought to promote and develop classical dance (ballet) in Greece. To this end, the company partners with experienced dancers from Greece and around the world to stage ballet works and dance galas, and offers seminars and daily professional training classes.
The Greek Northern Ballet presented its first production in March 2014 to great success: the First International Ballet Gala – “Excepts from Classical Ballet” at the Thessaloniki Concert Hall, with performances by dancers from Greece and around the world. In 2015, the Greek Northern Ballet opened its own studio space in order to be able to train children who wish to work as dancers and gain experience by taking part in performances staged by the company. In 2016, it presented the Second International Ballet Gala – “Excerpts from Classical Ballet” at the Royal Theater in Thessaloniki and at the Cultural Center of Giannitsa. It was at this event that Athanasios Routianidis presented an entire class of his students for the first time on stage, where they performed beautifully alongside the professional dancers. Later, in 2017, the company presented its first full two-act ballet – “La Sylphide” – with full company support, and subsequently undertook a small tour of the work, appearing at the Cultural Center of Giannitsa, the Melina Mercouri Municipal Theater of Kalamaria, and the Municipal Regional Theater of Serres. The company will next be staging the ballet “Giselle”.
Athanasios Routianidis has taken on the responsibility of teaching these choreographies to a body of students, and of seeking out professional dancers to perform the lead roles. He himself is called upon to perform the principal role with his partner. As a trainer, he passes his knowledge on to his students, and as a dancer, he is called upon to capture and express the emotions of the character he is playing. By means of this multi-faceted role, and through his decisive contributions to the company, he seeks to bring Thessaloniki audiences closer to classical dance.
The company has already taken its first steps towards achieving its core aims, establishing a dance academy that operates to an international standard and can provide opportunities that are sought after by many children in Thessaloniki and across Greece.
