We’ve published articles about the man and his work before. Paraskevas or, better known in Canada, Paras Terezakis, was born in Crete and raised in Piraeus. He studied at the Drama Academy and Conservatory of Piraeus, while at the same time taking ballet classes at the M. Choisy and G. Metsi Schools, as well as contemporary dance at the R. Manou School. He performed with Metsi’s Experimental Ballet of Athens and Manou’s Hellenic Ballet. He also took part in performances with the Open theatre. All these achievements occurred between 1970 and 1980; after that…. he disappeared! A few postcards and brief letters informed us that he was in Canada studying at York University and the Toronto Dance Theatre. He then moved to Vancouver and continued (with a thirst for more) at Simon Fraser University and at the Pavlichenko Studio. Here he was taught by Canada’s top dance teachers and choreographers who introduced him to contemporary and modern views in dance- theatre. He founded his own dance company in 1986 which he named Kinesis Dance, creating for it numerous one-act choreographies or complete works. In 2000 he renamed the company Kinesis somatheatre. Always performing his choreographies and under his direction, the company appeared in Canada, the USA, South America, Greece (Thessaloniki Cultural Capital of Europe), throughout Europe from Flanders to Poland, from Montenegro and Croatia to Italy (where he taught workshops and seminars), as well as Turkey. Soon after and, having accepted an invitation from the Canadian Embassy to visit the Vancouver Dance Centre, I spoke with the Centre’s amazing Croatian-Canadian director Mirna Zagar, who emphasized how much Paras was respected for his dedication and hard work and for not ….. relying on government grants in the creation of new work to which he is committed.
In 2011, Terezakis received the Isadora Duncan Award for Excellence in Choreography for his work “Box4”, recognized as the best choreographic work created in British Columbia in 2010 (coincidentally I have seen the three previous ….“Parcels” on video: works-in-progress, incredibly dynamic and unconventional). The award comprises of a statue of Isadora created by the well-known glass sculptor Mary Filer, a $500 cash prize and the granting of a space at the Scotiabank Dance Centre for rehearsal and dance study, valued at another $500. Paraskeva, hold on tight to the glass statue!
Dance review by Andreas Rikakis
Kathimerini, July 22, 2011
