Faded
BY MANDAFOUNIS & FRIDA
In the eyes of the audience a dancer’s career may seem like a sprint, but in fact it is a marathon of challenges, beginning with an intense training from a very young age and coming to a close with the final bow. As his/her career wanes, every dancer is called upon to refute the obvious: the body, exhausted by the constant technical demands, has to resist decline and continue to shine until the triumphant exit.
In “Faded”, classically trained dancer Ioannis Mandafounis returns to his first love, ballet, paying it a final tribute by dancing some of its most challenging male variations one after the other. His accomplice on stage, multi-talented actress Antigone Frida, accompanies him musically, playing the ballet scores on her flute, but also emotionally, engaging with him/us in a dialogue – rather danced than spoken - about the flight of youth but above all the love of dance.
The piece, with its disarming, candid simplicity, far from the overblown sentimentality of the farewells of the “étoiles”, is infused with honesty as well as humor. With his last bow to the stage, Ioannis Mandafounis takes us behind the scenes of the sparkling ballet world, sharing with us the reality of his life as a dancer, thus offering a commentary on the superhuman struggle hiding behind the seemingly painless art of dance.
CREDITS
Creation 2019
Concept, interpretation Ioannis Mandafounis
Live music, interpretation Antigone Frida
Dramaturg Eri Kyrgia
Coaching Smaralia Karakosta
Lights David Kretonic
Production management Mélanie Fréguin
Production Cie Ioannis Mandafounis
Co-production City of Vernier - culture & communication department, Theater Freiburg, Onassis Cultural Center Athens, Migros Culture Percentage Dance Festival Steps
Supported by City of Geneva, State of Geneva, Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, Lottery romande
Residency Duncan Dance Research Center (Athens), Studio Grütli /ADC (Geneva)
Thanks to Ecole de danse de Genève - Patrice Delay et Sean Wood, Pauline Huguet
Faded
20 shows, 13 theaters, 13 cities, 5 countries