10+1 dance stories | based on the body/word Performance Writing research “Corporeal Communities”

10+1 dance stories

 based on the body/word Performance Writing research “Corporeal Communities”

Christos Polymenakos, Iliana Fylla, Thalia Ditsa

Online Presentation of the Collection of Dance Stories and Research

Wednesday 12/2, 18:30-20:30(UTC+2), @ZOOM of the Dance House Lefkosia

The book 10+1 dance stories consists of 10 stories inspired by encounters between people who shared how dance and writing are part of their lives and explored ways to dance, write, and create together. Stories of dances by, with, for different bodies, places, communities.  +1 story-invitation with tools for readers to explore, create and share what writing and dance can be for them. Last but not least, framing texts with information about the interdisciplinary research “Corporeal Communities” and Christos Polymenakos’ body/word Performance Writing methodology.

The research that today takes the form of this book has as its starting point the questions: “In what ways are the concepts of corporeality, place, space and community differently translated and come together in a creative process? How do we come together to create with different trajectories, experiences, conveniences and difficulties? What imprints and traces does this encounter leave? How do the above empower the participation of more people in contemporary dance and writing processes?”

42 people from different fields, arts, sciences, experiences and places participated in the research. They entered into dialogue through creative processes and sharings based on the body/word Performance Writing methodology.

body/word Performance Writing is looking into links and for relations between body and word in different disciplines, arts and experiences in order to make them available to as many subjectivities as possible and their communities, for different applications in creation, research and education.

The core of the research team (Polymenakos, Fylla, Ditsa), initially collaborated with 25 guests from different fields in the research entitled “Scoring Corporealities” (July 2023-February 2024).  For the next stage of the research, “Scoring Corporeal Communities”, 17 additional individuals participated in mixed-composition-group research workshops following an open call: i) aged +/- 50 years old, ii) with and without mobility difficulties and disabilities, iii) with different degrees of familiarity/engagement with contemporary dance and literature, and iv) online, with individuals living in different locations in Greece and abroad.

This book shares with readers the traces of this process. It invites them into an expanded experience of dance and writing, open to questions and answers about our bodies and words, our dances and our stories.

The body/word Performance Writing methodology was created by Christos Polymenakos in the frame of his postgraduate studies in Performance Writing during the last year of  Dartington College of Arts, with a scholarship from the National Centre for Theatre and Dance of Greece. It was officially presented in 2010 in the UK, Greece and Finland in academic, artistic and educational contexts. Since then it has been constantly evolving through collaborations with individuals, collectives, private and governmental organisations, for projects in physical, digital and hybrid spaces in Greece and abroad.

The interdisciplinary artistic research “Corporeal Communities: Multimodal Dance Scores, Interdisciplinary connections of dance with communities, places and practices, using Christos Polymenakos’ body/word Performance Writing methodology” is conceived and realized by Christos Polymenakos (MA Performance Writing), Iliana Fylla (Phd Art History with specialization in contemporary dance) and Thalia Ditsa (MA Choreography and MA Sociology), a collaboration with TWIXTlab with the support of the J.F. Costopoulos Foundation.

The publication of the book 10+1 dance stories, based on the body/word Performance Writing research “Corporeal Communities” was realized by FLOCK COLLECTIVE in collaboration with TWIXTlab, with the support and under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of Greece.

The cover illustration is an original creation of Nikos Sideris especially for the book, courtesy of the artist and Susami Creative Agency.

Pagination and printing was done by “εκδόσεις πηγάδι (ekdoses pegadi)”.

The research and the publication were also supported by providing working spaces and communicating with different communities: Kinitiras, Artistic Network for Performing Arts, Duncan Dance Research Centre – Municipality of Byron, Dance House Lefkosia, liminal, Studio Trajectory and Kypselis 94 rehearsal space.