Inspired by the miroloi, Greek mourning songs from the Epirus region that are sung when someone dies or leaves the family when getting married or moving away, Rosalba Torres Guerrero and Koen Augustijnen created Lamenta. They brought together a group of nine contemporary Greek dancers who have mastered a variety of dance techniques. Together, they investigated how the energetic – both earthly and transcendental – qualities of Greek music and dance can unfold further in a contemporary creation. The aim was to create a new, contemporary mourning ritual that brings together traditional and contemporary elements.
Lamenta zooms in on the different emotions we experience when mourning a loss. In all cultures, there were mourning rituals in which these emotions were expressed through song and dance. In our contemporary society, however, many of these rituals have been lost. They still survive in specific cultures and regions, such as Epirus in northern Greece. There, Augustijnen and Guerrero discovered the miroloi, powerful rituals that form the basis of this performance.
In Epirus, they met talented musicians such as Xanthoula Dakovanou, the artistic director of the Kerasovo Music Festival and the renowned clarinettist Nikos Fillipides, who keep the tradition of the miroloi alive. Together with them, they made new recordings of the Greek mourning songs, which form the emotional backbone of the production. The musical dramaturgy begins with the miroloi in their original form. Slowly other influences are allowed in, updating the songs for a contemporary context.
Concept and choreography: Koen Augustijnen & Rosalba Torres Guerrero
In collaboration with the dancers: Lamprini Gkolia, Christiana Kosiari, Konstantinos Chairetis, Petrina Giannakou, Dafni Stathatou, Athina Kyrousi, Taxiarchis Vasilakos, Alexandros Stavropoulos & Spyridon Christakis
Musical artistic direction: Xanthoula Dakovanou
Music featuring: Magic Malik (flute, voice) and Nikos Filippidis (clarinet)
With: Kleon Andoniou (electric guitar, voice), Solis Barkis (percussions), Dimitris Brendas (clarinet, kaval), Xanthoula Dakovanou (voice), Lefkothea Filippidi (voice), Kostas Filippidis (luth), Stefanos Filos (violin), Avgerini Gatsi (voice), Panagiotis Katsikiotis (drums), Dimitris Katsoulis (violin), Ourania Lampropoulou (santouri), Antonis Maratos (electric bass, contrebass), Alexandros Rizopoulos (percussions, voice) & Thanassis Tzinas (voice)
Recordings at Studio Syn ENA – Athens by Giorgos Korres
Mixing: Giorgos Dakovanos & Giorgos Korres
Music production MOUSA, Athene
Soundscape: Sam Serruys
Dramaturgy: Georgina Kakoudaki & Guy Cools
Costume design: Peggy Housset
Light design: Begoña Garcia Navas
Light/sound handling and technical direction: Michel Delvigne
Financial management: Herwig Onghena
Administration, production and tour management: Nicole Petit
Production: Siamese Cie – Koen Augustijnen & Rosalba Torres Guerrero
Co-production: Athens and Epidaurus Festival, Festival d’Avignon, La Comédie de Clermont-Ferrand – scène nationale, Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg, La Villette Paris, Charleroi Danse, Arsenal Cité musicale-Metz, Le Manège Maubeuge, Théâtre Paul Eluard (TPE), Bezons, scène conventionnée d’intérêt national/art et création – danse, Le Maillon Strasbourg, PÔLE-SUD, Centre de Développement Chorégraphique National Strasbourg, Ruhrfestspiele Recklinghausen, MARS Mons Arts de la Scène & Duncan Dance Research Center Athens.
Siamese Cie is supported by Belgian Tax Shelter.
Diffusion: ART HAPPENS
| Date | Performance | City Country | Organisation/Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15.11.2023 | Lamenta | Annemasse (fr) | Château Rouge |
| 21.06.2023 | Lamenta | Limassol (cy) | Cyprus Contemporary Dance Festival/Rialto Theatre |
| 19.06.2023 | Lamenta | Nicosia (cy) | Cyprus Contemporary Dance Festival/Nicosia Municipal Theatre |
| 25.05.2023 | Lamenta | Sète (fr) | Théâtre Molière |
| 23.05.2023 | Lamenta | Échirolles (fr) | La Rampe |
| 07.04.2023 | Lamenta | Nice (fr) | Théâtre National de Nice |
| 06.04.2023 | Lamenta | Nice (fr) | Théâtre National de Nice |
| 01.04.2023 | Lamenta | Draguignan (fr) | Théâtres en Dracénie |
| 31.03.2023 | Lamenta | Istres (fr) | Théâtre de L'Olivier |
| 16.03.2023 | Lamenta | Rotterdam (nl) | Theater Rotterdam |
| 12.03.2023 | Lamenta | Mainz (de) | Staatstheater Mainz |
| 09.03.2023 | Lamenta | Albertville (fr) | Le Dôme Théâtre |
| 07.03.2023 | Lamenta | Heerlen (nl) | schrit_tmacher/Parkstad Limburg Theaters |
| 17.11.2022 | Lamenta | Quimper (fr) | Théâtre de Cornouaille |
| 16.11.2022 | Lamenta | Quimper (fr) | Théâtre de Cornouaille |
| 14.11.2022 | Lamenta | Saint-Brieuc (fr) | La Passerelle |
| 04.09.2022 | Lamenta | Rovereto (it) | Oriente Occidente |
| 10.06.2022 | Lamenta (CANCELLED) | Abu Dhabi (ae) | Cultural Foundation |
| 09.05.2022 | Lamenta | Recklinghausen (de) | Ruhrfestspiele |
| 08.05.2022 | Lamenta | Recklinghausen (de) | Ruhrfestspiele |
| 07.05.2022 | Lamenta | Recklinghausen (de) | Ruhrfestspiele |
| 05.05.2022 | Lamenta | Metz (fr) | L'Arsenal / Passages Transfestival |
| 19.02.2022 | Lamenta | Charleroi (be) | Charleroi danse |
| 03.02.2022 | Lamenta | Luxembourg (lu) | Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg |
| 02.02.2022 | Lamenta | Luxembourg (lu) | Les Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg |
| 29.01.2022 | Lamenta | Brussels (be) | KVS |
| 28.01.2022 | Lamenta | Brussels (be) | KVS |
| 14.12.2021 | Lamenta | Paris (fr) | La Villette |
| 13.12.2021 | Lamenta | Paris (fr) | La Villette |
| 23.10.2021 | Lamenta | Ghent (be) | Minard |
| 22.10.2021 | Lamenta | Ghent (be) | Minard |
| 21.10.2021 | Lamenta | Ghent (be) | Minard |
| 20.10.2021 | Lamenta | Bruges (be) | Koninklijke Stadsschouwburg |
| 15.10.2021 | Lamenta | Strasbourg (fr) | Le Maillon / POLE-SUD CDCN |
| 14.10.2021 | Lamenta | Strasbourg (fr) | Le Maillon / POLE-SUD CDCN |
| 13.10.2021 | Lamenta | Strasbourg (fr) | Le Maillon / POLE-SUD CDCN |
| 10.10.2021 | Lamenta | Mons (be) | Mars-Mons arts de la scène au lieu de Le Manège Maubeuge / Mars Mons |
| 09.10.2021 | Lamenta | Mons (be) | Mars-Mons arts de la scène au lieu de Le Manège Maubeuge / Mars Mons |
| 17.07.2021 | Lamenta | Choisy-le-Roi (fr) | Théâtre Paul Eluard |
| 15.07.2021 | Lamenta | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 14.07.2021 | Lamenta | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 13.07.2021 | Lamenta | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 12.07.2021 | Lamenta | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 11.07.2021 | Lamenta | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 09.07.2021 | Lamenta | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 08.07.2021 | Lamenta | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 07.07.2021 | Lamenta | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 01.07.2021 | Lamenta | Clermont-Ferrand (fr) | La Comédie de Clermont |
| 30.06.2021 | Lamenta | Clermont-Ferrand (fr) | La Comédie de Clermont |
| 16.06.2021 | Lamenta | Athens (gr) | Athens & Epidaurus Festival |
| 15.06.2021 | Lamenta | Athens (gr) | Athens & Epidaurus Festival |
| 27.05.2021 | Lamenta (CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Metz (fr) | L'Arsenal |
| 13.05.2021 | Lamenta (CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Recklinghausen (de) | Ruhrfestspiele |
| 12.05.2021 | Lamenta (CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Recklinghausen (de) | Ruhrfestspiele |
| 11.05.2021 | Lamenta (CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Recklinghausen (de) | Ruhrfestspiele |
| 30.04.2021 | Lamenta (CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Charleroi (be) | Charleroi danse |
| 29.04.2021 | Lamenta (CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Charleroi (be) | Charleroi danse |
| 26.03.2021 | Lamenta (CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Choisy-le-Roi (fr) | Théâtre Paul Eluard |
| 23.03.2021 | Lamenta (CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Maubeuge (fr) | Le Manège |
| 19.03.2021 | Lamenta (CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Clermont-Ferrand (fr) | La Comédie de Clermont |
| 18.03.2021 | Lamenta (CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Clermont-Ferrand (fr) | La Comédie de Clermont |
| 11.12.2020 | Lamenta (CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Strasbourg (fr) | Le Maillon / POLE-SUD CDCN |
| 10.12.2020 | Lamenta (CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Strasbourg (fr) | Le Maillon / POLE-SUD CDCN |
| 09.12.2020 | Lamenta (CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Strasbourg (fr) | Le Maillon / POLE-SUD CDCN |
| 03.12.2020 | Lamenta (CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Mons (be) | Mars - Mons Arts de la Scène |
| 23.10.2020 | Lamenta (CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Bruges (be) | Concertgebouw |
| 13.07.2020 | Lamenta (Première - CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 12.07.2020 | Lamenta (Première - CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 11.07.2020 | Lamenta (Première - CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 10.07.2020 | Lamenta (Première - CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 09.07.2020 | Lamenta (Première - CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 07.07.2020 | Lamenta (Première - CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 06.07.2020 | Lamenta (Première - CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 05.07.2020 | Lamenta (Première - CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Avignon (fr) | Festival d'Avignon |
| 24.06.2020 | Lamenta (Avant-Première - CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Athens (gr) | Athens & Epidaurus Festival |
| 23.06.2020 | Lamenta (Avant-Première - CANCELLED - Covid-19) | Athens (gr) | Athens & Epidaurus Festival |