What is your current role, and where do you work?
Choreographer / Dance Teacher / Performer / Artistic Director of X-it Dancetheatre / Artistic Advisor of the Cyprus Contemporary Dance Festival
Can you share a bit about your personal and educational background?
I was born in Famagusta and grew up in Larnaca. After graduating from the American Academy in 1990 and completing my military service I pursued my dance studies at the State School of Dance in Athens (1993-1996). With a scholarship from the “Pratsika Foundation” I continued my studies in New York in major dance studios like the Merce Cunningham Studio, Danspace and the Movement Research.
How did your career path unfold from graduation to where you are today?
While being a first-year student at the State School of Dance I was chosen to participate at the iconic production of Dimitris Papaioannou, “Medea”. That was the beginning of a 10-year collaboration with Edafos Theatre, one of the most renowned dance companies in Greece. From 1993 until 2003 I got the chance to perform in all the company productions and travel, around the world. At the same time, I got the chance to work with numerous companies for dance, theatre, musical and opera productions.
After a long period of dancing for other companies I felt the need to search for my dance identity, my body language, my personal land of expression. I had to find my own voice, my artistic roots. With that in need, I started to look for ways to listen to “me” and so I began to explore and experiment with choreography. This was the beginning of a new artistic journey, the opening of o new chapter that follows me until today.
Choreographing and directing is my “homeland”, where I feel free to speak out my voice and become visible. Creating dance is my weapon, my demonstration, my language, my sanctuary.
What professional achievement are you most proud of and why?
A very important moment in my career was creating my own dance company in 2003, the X-it Dancetheatre. Ever since the company has presented more than 15 productions that were presented in major dance festivals and venues around the world: Lyon, Berlin, Hamburg, Athens, Kalamata, Thessaloniki, Tel Aviv, Cyprus and many others.
As an independent choreographer I have created work for companies like Blackbox in Denmark, Balich Worldwide Shows in Italy and the Greek National Ballet.
As a movement director and choreographer in theatre I have collaborated with numerous acclaimed directors in Cyprus and Greece and I was awarded the “Theatre Choreography Prize 2012-2013” at THOC Theatrical Awards for my work in the ancient drama “Elektra – Orestes, The Trial”. Collaborated, as a choreographer and movement director with world renowned directors in Opera Houses like Gothenburg, Malmo and Athens.
One of the most challenging and unique moments in my artistic journey was choreographing “Klepsidra” for the Opening Ceremony of the Athens Olympic Games 2004.
Since 2024 I was appointed Artistic Advisor of the Cyprus Contemporary Dance Festival organized by the Deputy Ministry of Culture and the Rialto Theatre.
How did your experience with AAL contribute to your personal or professional growth?
The American Academy is definitely much more than just a school where you spend 7 years of studying and learning a series of syllabuses, passing tests and preparing to get into a university or a college. It’s an educational space that prepares you for life! It arms you with knowledge that will help you understand and get a feeling of the world, of what’s coming up and the mechanisms of evolving and functioning, but above all, it makes you think and challenges you to look inside of yourself. To be introspective, self-aware, to look at the inner self and to understand who you really are. It’s a personal and at the same time collective journey to find out what you really want, what your dreams are and to build the pathway to reach your goals. It opens new windows; it gives possibilities and dares you to step up. Although the AAL is a very demanding school concerning its academic curriculum it never stops to focus and work on supporting and promoting the extracurricular talents that students show in the fields of Art and Sports.
Being a student with a strong inclination into the arts I always felt that the AAL was there for me to express and showcase my passion in safe and creative spaces with other students that shared similar interests. In our years we had The Talent Shows, the Folk Dancing Club, the Drama Club, the Photography Club, the Literature Club, the Poetry Club and many other groups that served as refuge for the young and restless art lovers.
What advice would you give to current AAL students?
Being a dance teacher and getting the chance to work with young people, I often come across the painful dilemma of prominent talented artist to pursue their wishful career in the Arts.
The social norms and prejudice that surround the art practitioners together with the economic uncertainty pushes people away from indulging fully into their dreams. What we must always remember is that being an artist in not just another job, it’s a way of being. It’s looking at life with another gaze, one that reads beyond the superficial and seeks to understand or at least feel all the hidden meanings and secrets of this enigmatic world. We are all different, we are not all meant to follow the same path. Dig deep into your soul to understand what you really need, where you belong.
Meanwhile, enjoy every moment of the journey you are living. These moments are unique; you will never be a high school student again so make every moment count. Collect all the knowledge that will help you build the person you want to be, try, fail and try again, be generous and critical, work hard and always be honest and true. Don’t let your dreams slip through your fingers…grab them.
