Tarantism, the “aka” of choreographer Vasiliki Papapostolou, refers to a dancing mania, a psychological state of excess, a trance induced by the bite of a spider. The ambivalence inherent in this term is also evident in Lucid Absurdities. The recovery of a multiplanar reality, a state akin to the Surrealists’ dream-state, or that of indigenous cosmologies, is the locus of the work and the dancers move in it unbound by structural conventions.
Lucid Absurdities explores the story of two strangers at an airport who fall asleep during a flight delay, slipping into three shared lucid dreams where their subconscious minds merge. Within the dreamscape, trauma surfaces in distorted forms as hidden fears and desires collide.
Blurring the line between reality and fantasy, the performance becomes a powerful metaphor for psychological projection and the delusions shaping both dreams and waking life.
The work premiered at The Place, London, and has been presented at the In2it International Dance Festival in Kristiansund, Norway.
All performances of the festival are free.
Pre-booking is required.
Choreography: Vasiliki Papapostolou aka Tarantism
Performers: Spiros Paltoglou, Vasiliki Papapostolou aka Tarantism
Dramaturgy: Vasiliki Papapostolou aka Tarantism
Music: Christopher Nas
Costume & Props Design: Aphrodite Psychouli
Costume Construction: Aggeliki Anagnostopoulou, Eleni Xinou
Production: Tarantism
