31st Kalamata International Dance Festival-NANCY STAMATOPOULOU & TASOS VRETTOS/The Forest Riddle

Anniversary event celebrating 30 years of the Kalamata International Dance Centre.

The Forest Riddle is a multisensory exploration of the relationship between humans and nature, interpreting forest landscapes and their historical, mythological, and symbolic weight. The performance focuses on how forests serve as living memories of history, myth, and human existence.

Various audiovisual and physical media are used in the performance. The naked body, as a living relief, merges with the digital representation of the forest and simultaneously with a dramaturgical soundscape. It transforms into a tree, a root, a branch, an anthropomorphic animal, or a figure reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings. Through this dystopian approach, the body creates a symbolic ritual leading to catharsis, mirroring Dante’s poetic world:

“Midway upon the journey of our life / I found myself within a forest dark, / For the straightforward pathway had been lost.”

Bodies are integrated into the stage as natural elements, emphasizing how the human form transforms into a pulsating archetype of the past, revealing the connection between memory, body, and natural space.

This performance was initially conceived and presented as a work-in-progress within the interdisciplinary exhibition The Forest Enigma (curated by Nadia Argyropoulou and Giorgos Tzirtilakis, 9–11/2023). In this new, complete version, the artists explore and incorporate elements from the Taygetus forest, the natural relief of Messinia, and the traces of history imprinted on the broader landscape.

Admission is permitted to individuals over the age of 16.

The performance contains scenes of nudity.

Free admission with an entry pass, until all available seats are filled.