Kinesis Dance returns from a European tour for the Vancouver premiere of

…and Speaking of Orestes…

July 13, 14, 15 2006

Paras Terezakis’ new work will be performed during Dancing On The Edge Festival at The Scotia Bank Dance Centre. This exciting new work is an international co-production with Canada, Croatia and Greece.

…and Speaking of Orestes… is a lucid dreamscape inspired by the Euripidean play Orestes. Terezakis has realized his personal vision through this on a journey that explores family dysfunction, guilt, revenge and erratically, love. …. and Speaking of Orestes… is one boy’s reality which became a dream to free himself. The creative process for this project has involved extensive exploration and collaboration involving artists and dancers from Canada, Croatia, Poland, France, Greece and Belgium.

With an original score by renowned Croatian-French Composer Darko Rundek and performed live by ______, Lighting design by Vancouver’s James Proudfoot, Dancers from Canada and Poland and Dramaturgy/text by Alex Lazaridis Ferguson and costumes by Croatian designer Tomislav Mostecek …and Speaking of Orestes… is one of the Company’s most ambitious projects to date.

…and Speaking of Orestes… marks the 20th Anniversary of Kinesis Dance somatheatro as one of Canada’s most vital and innovative contemporary dance companies. Under the Artistic Direction of Paras Terezakis Kinesis Dance somatheatro has performed over thirty original works achieving artistic acclaim in Canada, Europe and South America. Terezakis vision continues to provoke, inspire and entertain.

2006 European Tour

…and Speaking of Orestes… performed in Athens and Zagreb in May and June 2006.
As an International co-production with Canada, Croatia & Greece it was presented by The Croatian Institute for Movement and Dance, for the 23rd Dance Week Festival in Zagreb, Croatia in Athens in kind association with Iros Angelos for The Greek Choreographer Associations Festival in Athens, Greece, and in Vancouver by The Dancing on the Edge Festival in association with The Dance Centre.

The work achieved critical acclaim and invaluable exposure on the international dance scene. Performing the work to new audiences in an international forum provided the Company and the artists involved a unique opportunity for cross cultural dialogue and artistic exchange. Once again, Terezakis’ work has proven to stand up well on the international scene and continues to be a respected ambassador for Canadian Dance.

Dance Central article on Paras Terezakis
June/July, 2006

Watch the Dance Central which will publish a two-part on Paras Terezakis and Kinesis Dance. As Kinesis dance celebrates its 20th Anniversary, the article will discuss the history, aspirations and successes of the company and its Artistic Director.

Dance Out Loud workshops with UBC and Downtown Public Library
February 2006

Kinesis Dance somatheatro partnered with UBC Humanities 101 at the Downtown Public Library to run a free two-day workshop. This is part of our ongoing outreach program to offer free education and activities to the general public. The response was very enthusiastic as 25 participants explored movement and vocal techniques in an open, relaxed and fun environment. Watch for more DOL workshops coming later this year.

International Dance Day – Free class and Lecture
April 2006

Guest dancer Tomasz Wesolowski, from Poland taught a free class at the Scotia Bank Dance Centre as part of International Dance Day activities. His class specialized gymnastic techniques adapted for the dancer. Tomasz is performing in …and Speaking of Orestes… in July.

Kinesis Dance somatheatro was also proud to present Dance Critic and Historian, Andreas Rikakis, to lecture during International dance Day celebrations. Mr. Rikakis is a much respected specialist from Athens who spoke on contemporary dance in Greece and its’ impact on the European scene. This free lecture also included videos of Greek companies and an open discussion session.

Paras on the International Front
METU Festival – Ankara Turkey, February 2005

Paras was invited to perform his recent work Conversaton at METU, the largest festival of dance and theatre in the Middle East. Paras went with Vancouver dancer Carolyn Farquhar, Belgian Canadian dancer Anna Bussey and Belgian Actor Karel Deruwe to perform a work that was developed through his Belgian workshops in 2005. Paras also was invited to show his short film STORM, which was produced by Ravens West Films and Bravo Fact. STORM is an excerpt from Shellshock made for film.

Following the METU Festival, Paras was invited to conduct a 5 day workshop with the actors and performers of the State Theatre of Turkey, Ankara. As a result of the success of this workshop, Paras has been invited to choreograph Hamlet for the State Theatre in 2006/07.

2004/05 – busy times at home and abroad.

FILM PRESENTATION – Tel Aviv
December 2005

Paras was invited to participate at the Suzan Delal Festival of Contemporary Dance by showing his short film STORM. The presentation was followed by a discussion/feedback session where Paras spoke on the Vancouver dance scene and his projects that have involved dance for film.

MASK WORKSHOP: Vancouver
May 2004

Kinesis Dance and the Scotia Bank Dance Centre co-hosted an international workshop event in Vancouver. Director Nikos Sakalides and Actor Iliana Panagiotouni, from Athens, and Director/Vocalist Costas Palamides, from Caracas, joined Kinesis Artistic Director/Choreographer, Paras Terezakis to conduct a workshop on the theatrical importance and techniques of the mask. The four day session employed both the contemporary dance vocabulary and the dramatic tools Paras has developed over the past years.

MASK & MOVEMENT
Em Cena International Festival, Brazil – August 2004

Following Kinesis Dance’s tour to Venezuela in November 2003, Paras Terezakis was invited to re-assemble the mask workshop team for a similar event at the August 2004 Em Cena International Festival, in Porto Alegre, Brazil. This prestigious festival, which attracts dance and theatre artists from around the world, featured an opening week of workshops, round-table discussions and creative intensives.
With momentum built during the Vancouver workshop, Paras and his colleagues re-grouped and conducted another intensive and highly productive workshop at the Festival. With 24 participants from Brazil, Latin America, Japan and Australia, the group had more time (and experience) to go deeper into the process and create an atmosphere of discovery and intense drama. Working again with international artists (and without the convenience of a common language), Paras was forced to get quickly to the core of movement using the body’s ‘voice’ and the mask as both generators and manipulators of expression.

SHALL WE DANCE
EN ESPACE Benefit Performance

At the Scotia Bank Dance Centre Foundation’s benefit fundraiser at the Vancouver Four Seasons Hotel in October 2004, Paras presented his choreography of the reworked duet En Espace with dancers Delia Brett and Anne Cooper. The event was attended by over 200 people and met with great response.

ARTS UMBRELLA CLASSES
Boys’ Program and Mixed Program

For over a year, Paras has taught several classes for young people at Arts Umbrella. With emphasis on free expression through movement, he takes them through a series of physical tasks and improvisations to allow them to discover their dramatic, moving selves. As the program develops, Paras plans to conduct similar sessions for parents to encourage and allow them, as well, to learn and experience the adventure of the body’s voice.

D.O.L. (dance out loud) WORKSHOP SERIES

Paras’ workshop techniques continue in a focused Outreach Program in schools and community centres in a variety of locations, from the Downtown Eastside to SFU, as part of SFU and UBC’s Humanities 101 Programs. Participants included everyone from Art Education students, to residents of the Downtown Eastside, to the simply curious. Offered free to the public, the workshops were designed to introduce participants to an uninhibited, open exploration of movement and voice techniques.

BRAVO!FACT FILM with RAVENS WEST PRODUCTIONS

For years, Kinesis has enjoyed a solid relationship with Bravo! Arts Channel, having previously produced several short and full length dance videos for Bravo!’s innovative programming. This past season, Kinesis Dance was commissioned by Ravens West Productions to re-create a section from Shellshock for a five minute short film.
In addition, Director and Filmmaker, Carl Bessai, collaborated with Paras to create STORM (katigi) for the camera. The work first aired in March 2005 and is to be the subject of a special public screening sponsored by Bravo! May 9, 2005.

D.O.L. (dance out loud) WORKSHOP – Antwerp, Belgium

In November and December 2004, Paras conducted a workshop with Antwerp Aksent in Belgium. This innovative collective involved dancers from the Royal Flanders Ballet, actors and musicians. In co-operation with the Royal Flanders Ballet, the artists explored voice and movement, emphasizing theatrical expression in dance. The workshop included over 20 participants, including soloist Esther Cloët, the pop musical group Kid Safari, ballet and contemporary dancers from the region, and several well-known Belgian actors. The artists created and recorded their collaborative effort, which will be developed into a future full length work.

NEMRUT: Choreographic Commission – Antalya, Turkey

Following on from his invitation to the Sibiu Festival in Romania (2003), Paras was invited in 2004 to choreograph and Co-direct for the production of Nemrut for the State Theatre of Antalya, Turkey. This tremendous opportunity furthered Paras’ international reputation, opening new avenues of opportunity and artistic dialogue. The work premiered in December 2004 to standing ovations and press coverage that highlighted the innovative movement and direction of the piece. Nemrut has since toured the major cities of Turkey.

Drawing on his Greek-Canadian heritage, Paras’ collaboration with the State Theatre very successfully demonstrated the artistic potential of cultural symbiosis and exchange. Discussions are currently underway for future projects.