Koen Augustijnen, Rosalba Torres Guerrero – Siamese Cie (BEL/ESP)

LAMENTA

In LAMENTA, the choreographers Koen Augustijnen and Rosalba Torres Guerrero (Siamese Cie) bring together nine dancers – accompanied live by musicians from Epirus – around the ‘miroloï’; the Greek traditional mourning songs that mourners bring during funeral ceremonies and feasts. The choreography begins with the miroloi in their original form. Slowly other influences are allowed in, which actualize the songs and performance within a contemporary context.

LAMENTA zooms in on the physical experience of emotions we experience when we mourn a loss. In all cultures there were mourning rituals in which these emotions were expressed through song and dance. Many of these rituals have been lost. However, in some cultures and regions, such as Epirus in northern Greece, they are still alive.

New recordings
The choreographers Koen Augustijnen and Rosalba Torres Guerrero (Siamese Cie) have regularly worked in Greece in recent years. They became acquainted with the miroloi, which are not only sung at funerals, but also when someone leaves the family to marry or emigrate. Together with Xanthoula Dakovanou (artistic director Kerasovo Music festival) and clarinet player Nikos Fillipides, who keep the tradition of the miroloi alive, they made new recordings of the Greek mourning songs. These form the emotional backbone of the production.

About the creators
Koen Augustijnen and Rosalba Torres Guerrero (Siamese Cie) have been part of the Belgian and international dance landscape for more than 20 years. Because of their connection, they create their work under a new artistic name: Siamese Cie. The duo makes very conscious use of hybridity, cultural mixtures and eclecticism to generate new meanings from interdisciplinary crossovers. Both are deeply interested in translating emotional properties into a physical performance and dance through the body.

Introduction and discussion
7 pm, INGzaal introduction [nl] for €3.50. Free for friends of Parkstad Limburg Theaters.
Reservation recommended: T.: +31(0)45-5716607 / www.plt.nl

Including aftertalk, free [eng]

Source : PLT Website