code bend time

Evangelia Kolyra was introduced to the Greek public during the 3rd Festival of Young Choreographers, through her work “10000 Litres” – a bizarre stage experiment on the function of breathing and the human body as a means of communication. Her new work, “code bend time”, investigates the diversity of cultural elements inherent in language through an interactive performance of long duration. Bearing in mind “all that words can do”, the choreographer seeks points of contact between the spoken word and movement, their interaction and the dialogue between the expressiveness of the body and the mobility of language.

Guided by a score, the audience reads out the choreographer’s instructions, which she subsequently transcribes into movement. This playful and imaginative kinetic experiment is open to spectators of all ages and the “personality” of every voice. If everyday language is a living system that continues to “incorporate” new characteristics and to be enriched by the people who use it, what happens to its elements that are translated into kinetic acts? How can a variety of non-verbal elements like vocal fluctuations (tone, pitch, pauses etc.) and vocalisations (laughter, crying, shouts etc.) be utilised as primary material for synthesis? Kolyra creates an environment that is conducive to the exchange of experiences, where the actions of the performer and the audience are not sharply distinguished, illuminating humorous or dark aspects of the human psyche through unexpected encounters.