Guiding principles
The Dance House Lemesos is the first space in Cyprus entirely devoted to the support, promotion and development of professional contemporary dance and performance practice in Cyprus. It is a space of creativity and exchange, research and practice, artistic development and innovation. It is a meeting point for local and international dancemakers. The collaboration between Dance House Lemesos and its neighbour, the Rialto Theatre, has been an important development in the continued support for dance in Cyprus.
Dance House Lemesos is a consequence of the rapid development of contemporary dance/performance the last few years in Cyprus and especially in the city of Lemesos. It is situated next to the Rialto theatre on one side and the Technological University on the other. Both institutions collaborate with the Dance House Lemesos.
History
Dance House Lemesos was envisioned, created and organised by 5 Cyprus based dance companies with a common urge: to create a space to serve the professional contemporary dance and to develop the art of performance in Cyprus.
Their vision was to generate an environment that would allow them to be resident artists, but also to support the rest of the dance community and help the community in general, via numerous programmes. The initiative for a space began in 2005 by the choreographer Lia Haraki, when she invited the most active dance companies of Lemesos to come together and share a rehearsal space. Progressively that space transformed into Dance House Lemesos.
Officially the House opened its doors on the 1st of October 2007. The companies and choreographers that created Dance House Lemesos are: Chorotheatro Omada Pente (Cloe Melidou, Roula Kleovoulou), En drasi (Evie Demetriou, Emily Papaloizou), interact dance co. (Natasa Georgiou) , Solipsism (Anna Charalambous), .pelma.lia haraki (Lia Haraki).
Building and facilities
Dance House Lemesos has a large studio space that can also be used for performances, a big veranda looking towards Heroes Square, an office space, store rooms and a kitchen area. It is housed in a listed building and is part of the cultural heritage of Limassol. The decision to locate the House in a specific listed building, aimed at contributing to the upgrading of Heroes Square, a prospect that has been one of the Lemesos Municipality’s efforts during the last few years. It was built in 1919 by Mr Nemitsas and was the residence of the Z. Stamatiou family (one of the 3 founding members of the Electrical Power supply Company). Between 1971-1978 it was used as a private club and thereafter as a mansion prior to its current use as a dancehouse.
This open-access glossary is the result of a collaboration between six European contemporary dance organisations exploring micro and macro dramaturgy in dance as a creative and socially conscious practice.
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