PRESS RELEASE
Kiki et Colette / The Age of Time
BUTOH TRILOGY
A dance-theatre performance for three performers
Kiki de Montparnasse and Colette, two emblematic figures of the Parisian Années Folles (the “Crazy Years”) of the 1920s, meet the mysterious figure of Time in the dance-theatre trilogy Kiki et Colette / The Age of Time, presented at Roes Theatre on Friday 24 and Saturday 25 October.
A century later, these two women — whose traces remain indelible both as artists and as pioneering personalities — inspired performers Aliki Germanou and Nikoleta Xenariou to create this trilogy. At its core is the idea of Time as an endless cycle: a link to the past, which returns in the present in a new form.
In the first part, The Illusion, Kiki and Colette meet for the first time in a house that becomes a stage, in the company of ancestors, ghosts and truths. Past, present and future are condensed into a single moment. That moment expands and floods the space, creating a paradoxical narrative. In the second part, The Dream, they willingly surrender to a shared subconscious. In the third and final part, The Gift, they become fully attuned to one another in a radical drama unfolding in the present tense.
Time, embodied by Christos Karnakis, runs through the entire trilogy as a mysterious presence. He transforms from host and usher in the first part, into intruder, fish and gift-bearer in the second, and finally into a stern, high-ranking divine entity in the third.
At the mercy of relentless Time, the two personas reveal every facet of themselves in the present, eventually left alone and stripped bare. They accept appearances and their shared fate, experiencing the spiral nature of time and, ultimately, mortality.
The work is shaped by the choreographic language of Butoh and draws on tools from Viewpoints. Its sources of inspiration include alchemical psychology, the films of David Lynch, texts by T. S. Eliot, biographical material on Kiki de Montparnasse and Colette, as well as personal experiences.
As a whole, the work is a living performance phenomenon, continually searching for new choreographic structures and forms, as well as new ways of constructing a dramaturgical narrative.
Its play with time and its extreme physicality create the illusion that each moment expands and contracts. Rapid shifts of imagery shape a surreal visual world, while the duration and juxtaposition of scenes generate a paradoxical narrative. Scenography, soundscape, lighting and video art all play a decisive role in the dramaturgical development.
Two performances
Friday 24 and Saturday 25 October, at 9:00 pm
Roes Theatre, Athens
Suitable for audiences aged 13 and over.
Credits
Concept, choreography, costumes and performance: Aliki Germanou, Nikoleta Xenariou
Performance: Christos Karnakis
Sound design, video art and photography: Aris Michalopoulos
Set design: Andreas Theodorou
Lighting: Zafeiris Epameinondas
Graphic design: Vangelis Fokas
Mask construction: Giorgos Gyparakis
Production management and execution: Common Era AMKE
With the kind support of Aegina Ferries, Mikro Studio, Svarna Aegina and Bessis Textiles, and the support of Aegina Jazz Festival.
Media partners: ERT | Kosmos 93.6 | culturenow.gr | Neolaia.gr
Trailers
Information
Roes Theatre, 16 Iakchou Street, Gazi, Athens
Friday 24 & Saturday 25 October, 9:00 pm
Tickets from €12
Advance booking: more.com
