"O Καραγκιόζης και το Καταραμένο Φίδι"/ Εχταγή - "Karagiozis and the Cursed Serpent"/Ehtagi from Constantinos Tsakirelis on Vimeo.
Ehtagi amateur dance company, presents the dance theatre "Karagiozis and the Cursed Serpent", Friday 10th, Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th, July, at 9:30 p.m. in the "Maria Manasaki" theatre (student centre of Voutes), free admission.
This is the narration of the famous tale from the repertoire of the shadow theatre, performed merely through dance. During the choreography, large and small two-dimensional and three-dimensional puppets and sometimes shadows appear on stage, along with masks or inanimate objects which are brought to life by the group of dancers and consist the main characters of the show. Wearing distinctive black clothes, the dancers are the ones that move the characters and set up the story with the sweet irony that they want, while adopting the role of puppeteer.
A reference point and source of inspiration is the namesake work by Rallou Manou, which was the outset for our research in the Greek and global shadow theater, but also on various puppetry techniques from around the world. Equipped with the information emerging from the research and with the participation of the whole team, Constantin Tsakirelis undersigns the composition of the choreography and the general supervision of the show, which is performed by Areti Chalkiadaki, Stratos Giannikos, Manos Kokkinidis , Sophie Paneri, Evepoina Pantelleri, Roula Samiotaki, Chara Simitzi, Irini Skourtanioti, Thodoris Soukas, Konstantinos Thodoris, Evita Tsakalaki, Joanna Vassaki, Antonis Vassilakis. The original music by the composer Isidoros Papadakis is a study in the form of variations, with (direct and indirect) references to Manos Hatzidakis’ namesake work. Direction and construction advice was provided by Kostis Zaimakis, who constructed most of the puppets. Kostis Kiriakakis designed the program and the poster of the show, and all two-dimensional puppets. The trailer of the show was edited by Michalis Alexakis, Nicolas Leventakis and ManolisFoinikianakis and the photo coverage by George Fotinakis. For the rehearsals of the performance the team was hosted in the Municipality of Heraklion Dance Center.
THE CASE OF THE WORK
In the first act, the Pasha commands Hadziavatis to announce that whoever kills the Cursed Serpent will get a hundred liras, his daughter, Veziropoula, for his wife and Pasha’s throne after his death. Hadziavatis awakens Karagiozis with his loud announcements and after a little quarrel, he eventually convinces him to shout the news together and share the money that Pasha gave him for this job. Meanwhile, other characters appear such as Veziropoula who comes out for stroll with her Vagiesand Nionios, who serenades for her. In the end, Hadziavatis finds Karagiozis drinking and dancing alone and refuses to share with him the money agreed, giving Kollitiri theperfect opportunity to steal it.
In the second act, the Cursed Serpent lurks in the cave. After several people’s unsuccessful attempts to kill it, Karagiozis appears with a broken pair of scissors, but as soon as the Serpent roars, he faints out of fear. This is when Alexander the Great appears and kills the beast. WhenKaragioziswakes up, he faces the dead Serpent and thinks that he was the one who killed it, so he goes to tell the good news to the Pasha. Very soon they all find out the truth and beat Karagiozis up.
AMATEUR DANCE GROUP EHTAGI
The group was created and is coordinated by Constantin Tsakirelis and consists of young people with experience in dancing who share a desire to express their love for this art. In the Cretan dialect “ehtagi” means desire! What we are trying to succeed in Ehtagi is that performances and events by different choreographers and/ or directors take place, seeking in this way to familiarize with notable creators from Heraklio. The shows of the group are offered on an optional fee and its character is purely non-profit. In 2014, the shows "From Now Onwards" (dance theatre) was presented, conceived and generally supervised by Constantin Tsakirelis and "T" (dance theatre), choreographed by OliaLidaki. Moreover, the group participated in TEDx Heraklion (2014) and in the video of the Municipality of Heraklion for the promotion of the Venetian walls entitled "The gates of Candia."