Then there was the half-show (which lasts 55 minutes), where two of the dancers were seen for the first time. Later, on one of the diagonal lines that organize the space, at the bottom right, one of these artists (Georgios Koutsifakis, also an assistant choreographer and prominently at the head of the group) plays for the first time with a companion. And these little gestures, where they look and touch themselves, are very common in group dancing, they feel My ignorant, fierce step (My step is fierce and ignorant) Like a real shake. Like a whisper in a whisper.
In performances by choreographer Christos Papadopoulos (Greece, 43), performers could gaze straight ahead at the audience. They are dancers who reveal themselves as disturbing subjects, often stripped of their humanity, in an atmosphere of intrigue and ritual. It moves in sync (between them and with the music) without just roaring in continuous physical speech Growing upAnd also from a minimum and without delay. Aspects that indicate a lot of confidence and the choreographer’s commitment to his own research and that he is grateful for it as he does for the truth. So, something as common as looking or touching is supposed to be in My A fierce ignorant move A real turning point: both in the choreography itself presented this season at the Teatros del Canal de Madrid, and in the entire discourse of the Greek creator, who in just 10 years of track has revealed himself as one of the most famous cartels in the world.
From the program of the 43rd Autumn Festival, where he is on the cartel, the joy of Corona was highlighted and noted. Last summer I won the Greek Festival in Barcelona.
But there are more elements that make this work by Papadopoulos signify a breakthrough in his faith. How does this awareness come about in dancers, knowing where they are, why and what they are doing? It’s a decision to dance together and you know you’re dancing. As a group, but also as individuals, group contagion coincides. Humanizing effort that is not hidden or contained here. The dancers expand in free movement, explored in all its breadth, and use every part of their body, which is sometimes also a musical instrument through breathing or in the words of Jiffy Kotsevakis (with a very discreet little wreath) that disappears before its meaning is understood. The force that seems to animate the group, which in the previous montage is the ultimate hero, here competes with the individual strength of each member.
In the program, Manu and Papadopoulos have explained in several interviews that this work is born from the vital impulses of adolescence, when one believes in the world that comes from behind. It alludes to hope as an act of resistance and optimism as a message of peace. But we do not fall into just an abstract celebration, but rather we cultivate it as a necessary and tangible research that is located in the political and social context in which we live. “How do I not feel angry, how do I bear this reality?” he asks in the text that accompanies this work on his website. It condemns genocide and the rise of fascism. And repeat the journey of hope without forgetting and denouncing the situation.
The original music by Cornelius Salamis, which is key in the work, can inextricably coexist with the dance, building them one after the other, and the lights, which narrate from the beginning, even in the use of flashes, which appear alone as a brief glow, contribute to the observation of this dark landmark in the present day. In the scene, the joy of the first times is recreated, but we do not forget where the need to restore it comes from.
Everything else that characterizes Papadopoulos’ artistic language is present in this work: the power of detail, the greatness hidden in the small, the infinite loop of gestures, the heaviness as support for a constant verticality, the harmonious pulse between movement and music, some outstanding artists and the possibility to connect with everyone as an audience, without feeling exhausted. The artistic revolution founded by Papadopoulos, especially in the last five years on the international scene, involves an effort to strip his creations of additions or complements, making it very difficult to trust the body above all else and surrender to movement rather than any other aspect. As the final climax approached (which the choreographer loved to go up and down without finishing), it was possible to see in the audience how some shoulders were slumped, tempted by the strength of the group.
My ignorant, fierce step Calientamento (Rocío Molina’s latest creation, at Centro de Danza Matadero until Sunday) marks one of the most jubilant weeks of 2025 for dancing. It is unfortunate that this discipline is still unknown to this extent.
My ignorant, fierce step. Idea and choreography: Christos Papadopoulos. Dancers and collaborators: Themis Andriolaki, Maria Prigiani, Amalia Kosma, Georgios Koutsifakis, Soteria Koutsopietrou, Tassos Nikas, Spyros Ntogas, Ioanna Paraskevopoulou, Danai Pazirgianidis, Adonis Weiss. Dramaturgy Consultant: Alexandros Misteriotis. Original music: Kornilios Selamsis21 and 22 de noviembre. Canal theatres (Madrid). The red room. 43 Autumn Festival.
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