Dream Coat (IV) – Performed by Ballet Junior de Genève

Nefeli Papadimouli’s Dream Coat series are both costume-paintings and modular sculptures. Hung together, these “coats” form a composition suggesting the solar cycle. The artist draws inspiration from the utopian avant-gardes of the early 20th century and from the visual language of poet and visual artist Etel Adnan. She also refers to Greek mythology, notably Orpheus, known for his lyre and songs, and Hypnos, the god of sleep. Dreaming is considered here as a space where everyone finds themselves, a projection of individual and collective memories. All these elements inform the artist’s research into ephemeral communities, which take shape over the course of a performance.

Nefeli Papadimouli’s Dream Coat series are both costume-paintings and modular sculptures. Hung together, these “coats” form a composition suggesting the solar cycle. The artist draws inspiration from the utopian avant-gardes of the early 20th century and from the visual language of poet and visual artist Etel Adnan. She also refers to Greek mythology, notably Orpheus, known for his lyre and songs, and Hypnos, the god of sleep. Dreaming is considered here as a space where everyone finds themselves, a projection of individual and collective memories. All these elements inform the artist’s research into ephemeral communities, which take shape over the course of a performance. Developed from “dreamstorming” sessions bringing together amateur and professional participants, the performance draws on dream narratives conceived as individual and collective memories that pass through us. When the costumes are worn and activated by dancers, the protocol invites movements that evoke The Dance by Henri Matisse and the circular movements of whirling dervishes.

Ballet Junior de Genève is a contemporary dance training programme designed to help young artists pursuing a professional career develop their own artistic identity. For nearly forty years, this programme offered by the École de Danse de Genève has trained dancers who have gone on to join leading dance companies around the world. Ballet Junior de Genève received one of the 2021 Swiss Performing Arts Awards in recognition of the excellence of its training.

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