March 2012. MITP Theatre. Duration: 50 minutes
A solo piece and a self-portrait, ‘Penelope: Dust In Our Awakened Dreams’ is not just a dance but a poetic movement piece through which the body speaks. ‘Penelope: Dust In Our Awakened Dreams’ is a collaborative dance performance featuring Athansia Kanellopoulou with sound design by Mario Sammut, set design by Matthew Pandolfino, and directed by Jimmy Grima.
In the Greek Odyssey, Penelope is a symbol of faith, waiting and longing, whilst she threads and unthreads a shroud. This performance is the story of a female figure exiting a world that lies between tragedy and fairytale. Kanellopoulou’s quivering body is initially hesitant to uncover those fragments of the past burrowed deep in the vault of memories. As she traces voices of the past, we are led through the labyrinth of her mind, until she arrives at the locket which holds her burrowed memories. Physically contorted, she faces up to reality. This is a journey in dance through past and present, a pushing of restless memories forward into light.
photos Darrin Zammit Lupi
poster and programme Rubberbodies
Director Jimmy Grima Research Writer Rebecca Camilleri Performer Athanasia Kannellopoulou Sound Designer & Composer Mario Sammut Visual Artist and Costume Designer Matthew Pandolfino Collaboratively Produced with Athanasia Kannellopoulou Supported by St. James Cavalier KKU (Koperattiva Kulturali Universitarja) Drama Unit
“Holding an audience’s attention for so long with just one performer on stage is no easy feat. In body and mind, Kanellopoulou was completely engrossed in this performance, clearly displaying techniques that go beyond the conventional… Behind the apparent physicality of this Greek dancer lies the conceptual bravura of The Rubberbodies Collective.”
Probing the Mind, Twisting the Body – The Sunday Times, March 11, 2012