Lamenta

Co-production with Siamese Cie

German premiere

Lamentations have a long tradition in Greece. In miroloi (songs of lament), the Greeks combine music and dance to express deep sorrow and loss. This tradition gives form to pain and thereby tries to alleviate it. Miroloi are fixed rituals at funerals, but also when a member leaves the family, whether for marriage or to study abroad.

Belgian choreographers Koen Augustijnen and Rosalba Torres Guerrero combine the traditions of miroloi with the expressionism of contemporary dance. The duo Siamese Compagnie explores ways of making feelings visible and tangible through movement. In "Lamenta," they work together with nine Greek dancers who explore the ancient collective movements of their homeland. Old familiar rhythms become the blueprint from which a new, contemporary dance vocabulary develops. The movements are underpinned by a tapestry of sound that brings archaic laments into the 21st century. "Lamenta" gradually interweaves pre-recorded, originally arranged miroloi with contemporary compositions and influences from jazz and post-rock. The music becomes the catalyst that drives the movement.
"Lamenta" questions why our society has turned away from social rituals and traditions that give individual feelings a collective language. After a celebrated premiere at the Avignon festival, Ruhrfestspiele are proud to present the German premiere of this extraordinary piece.