The new work of choreographer Markella Manoliadi, conceived by Eftychia Giomela opens at FIAT Hall for a limited run of seven performances.

PASSAGE, a text from The Enemy of the Poet by G. Cheimonas, represents a continuous transition of the Hero-Narrator through an undefined place and time, in his attempt not to lose the battle with Time and Love, as the first embraces with the maternal body fail to establish a secure place of existence.

The voice emerges from the “echo of the entrails” as an effort for survival, and five dancer-performers embody the hero’s passages until the terminal station of this claustrophobic umbilical cord. There, stripped of loves, roles, and defenses, and refusing to surrender his life without a fight, he makes a final retrospective before the ultimate silence.

The performance was inspired by the thought that under the weight of unprocessed traumas—whether personal or collective—mothers nourish their children not only with life but also with death. Mourning is a labor of truth; an attempt to understand the past in order to give meaning to the present. When this does not occur, individuals and society turn to Evil in search of structure and identity, in order to avoid confusion and chaos. It is preferable to embrace Evil than to remain devoid of meaning.

PASSAGE is supported by NEON through its annual Grants Scheme.