M-Power Festival

Nothing to be specially treated, nothing static. Only movement and power through the shaking of entrenched beliefs. This is the objective of the four-day festival M-POWER that passes the torch of creation to artists with and without disabilities in the fields of contemporary dance, performance, and movement.

A four-day festival celebration of those powers that transform through art personal truths into experiences, potentially common to all of us; that is M-POWER. Artists with and without disabilities take the stage to introduce again the concept of possibility through bold works that reserve in their core the notions of individuality, originality, fragility, rupture, caring, acceptance, and, above all, the celebration of being different.

For the past twelve years, the Onassis Stegi, seeking to shake entrenched beliefs and empower artists with disabilities, supports educational actions and endeavors of accessibility and inclusion, while it systematically organise the hosting of international productions and, of course, the commission of original theater, dance, and music productions, where artists with disabilities have the leading role.

Because it is of vital importance for every artist to find their own voice and play a major role in defining the conditions in which they create – and this need is equally adamant for disabled artists. The creators behind this year’s festival at Stegi forge challenging works based on individual experiences as well as personal and artistic journeys, they speak about auspicious beginnings, and they place themselves on stage while drawing inspiration from their own reality, with clarity and boldness. And as such, they also hold up a mirror to the society we live in – or the one that we would like to live in.

• Christina Liata, Dora Vougiouka

M-POWER Festival is realized with the support of the “Europe Beyond Access” Program, co-funded by the “Creative Europe” program of the European Union.

Wednesday 26 April

16:00 – 19:30 | M-POWER Conference

20:30 – 21:30 | Film screening “Shadow” from Back to Back Theatre

21:30 – 22:00 | After-screening talk with Back to Back Theatre

Thursday 27 April

15:00 – 16:30 | Workshop “Championing Inclusivity in Film: Back to Back Theatre's Approach” with Back to Back Theatre

16:30 – 18:30 | Workshop “The Knowing Body” with Diana Niepce

19:30 – 20:00 | Performance “Ephemeral Body” by Valasia Simeon

20:30 – 21:30 | Performance “Solar” by En Dynamei Ensemble

Friday 28 April

15:00 – 17:00 | Workshop “Playful processes - Connecting, collaborating and sharing through playful improvisation” with Kate Marsh

17:30 – 18:00 | Performance “Ephemeral Body” by Valasia Simeon

18.30 – 19:30 | Performance “Solar” by En Dynamei Ensemble

19.30 – 20:30 | Pre-Show Access session by Dan Daw Creative Projects

20:30 – 22:00 | Performance “The Dan Daw Show” by Dan Daw Creative Projects

Saturday 29 April

11:00 - 13:00 | Workshop “The Lens: a sharing of ideas and methodology through which the Solar performance was shaped” by En Dynamei Ensemble

17:30 – 18:00 | Performance “Ephemeral Body” by Valasia Simeon

18.30 – 19:30 | Performance “Solar” by En Dynamei Ensemble

19.30 – 20:30 | Pre-Show Access session by Dan Daw Creative Projects

20:30 – 22:00 | Performance “The Dan Daw Show” by Dan Daw Creative Projects

M-POWER conference: With interpretation in Greek Sign Language.

Screening of “Shadow” by Back to Back Theatre: With Greek surtitles for d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing people. The following discussion is carried out with interpretation in Greek Sign Language.

“Ephemeral Body” performance by Valasia Simeon: With audio description for people with visual impairments.

“Solar” performance by En Dynamei Ensemble: With audio description for people with visual impairments and Greek surtitles for d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing people.

“The Dan Daw Show” performance by Dan Daw Creative Projects: With audio description for people with visual impairments and Greek surtitles with SDH elements for d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing people.

Meeting prior to “The Dan Daw Show” performance by Dan Daw Creative Projects: With interpretation in Greek Sign Language

During the workshops of M-POWER festival, interpretation services in Greek Sign Language will be offered upon request.