The Greek National Opera Ballet on Tour with “The Golden Age”

As part of the Greek National Opera’s tours in Greece and abroad, the GNO Ballet will travel with The Golden Age from September to November, with stops in Cyprus, Thessaloniki, Italy, and a special happening at Art Athina.

The Golden Age, choreographed by Konstantinos Rigos – which had its world premiere at the Belgrade Dance Festival – begins its major tour in Cyprus on 18 & 19 September, as part of the Nicosia International Festival. It then returns to Athens on 21 September for a special happening at Art Athina, continues to Thessaloniki where it will be presented at the National Theatre of Northern Greece’s Theatre of the Society for Macedonian Studies on 10, 11 & 12 October during the 60th Dimitria Festival, and travels to Italy where it will be performed on 18 October in Gorizia, European Capital of Culture 2025. Finally, on 1 November, a duet from the work will be presented in Bologna as part of the 3rd Bologna Ballet Competition.

A reflection on today and tomorrow of dance

The Golden Age speaks about the present and future of dance, while at the same time acting as a reflection of Konstantinos Rigos’ 35-year artistic journey, where irony and nostalgia appear intertwined. From the State School of Dance, the flourishing of Greek dance in the 1990s, and his company OKTANA Dance Theater, to collaborations with the Art Theatre, the National Theatre of Northern Greece, the National Theatre of Greece, the Athens Festival, and the Greek National Opera, Rigos’ artistic imprint extends beyond dance, engaging in dialogue with the arts surrounding it.

With The Golden Age, Rigos introduces the vocabulary of dance theatre to the Ballet of the Greek National Opera, creating a new work that envisions the future of dance through an unpredictable blend of moments that have marked his 35-year career. Past material is revisited with a contemporary lens, speaking today of what has passed, projecting forward into tomorrow.

A declaration of faith in humanity

Through golden reflections, vertical screens, slogan-words, and a monumental chandelier designed by visual artist Petros Touloudis, The Golden Age asserts a declaration of a new belief system: not faith in God but in humanity, not “in heaven” but “on earth” – a manifesto that does not promise salvation but guarantees an escape from hell.

With Rigos’ musical selections, and with original compositions by Theodoros Regklis, the piece resounds like a wild dance party – from twisted, melancholic adaptations of Verdi and Bizet, to Greek songs by Hatzis, Loizos, and Mamangakis, and rock and jazz hits from the ’60s and ’70s. From the aria Addio del passato and the lyric from Hotel California (“Some dance to remember, some dance to forget”) to texts and songs performed by special guests including Eleftheria Arvanitaki, Myrto Vassiliou, Dimitris Kapouranis, Idra Kayne, Dorothea Mercouri, Konstantinos Bimpis, and Elena Topalidou, The Golden Age reminds us that since we cannot escape what we are, we must continue to dance in order to exist.

Creative team

• Choreography, Direction, Musical Supervision: Konstantinos Rigos
• Dramaturgy: Eri Kyrgia
• Visual Design: Petros Touloudis
• Costumes: Daglara
• Lighting: Christos Tsiogas
• Video: Vasilis Kehagias

Performed by the Dancers of the Greek National Opera Ballet.

Performance Schedule

• 18 & 19 September 2025 – Nicosia International Festival
  Municipal Theatre of Nicosia, 20:30
• 21 September 2025 – Art Athina
  Zappeion Megaron, Peristyle, 20:00
• 10, 11 & 12 October 2025 – 60th Dimitria Festival
  Theatre of the Society for Macedonian Studies, National Theatre of Northern Greece, 21:00
• 18 October 2025 – Gorizia, European Capital of Culture 2025
  Teatro Comunale Giuseppe Verdi di Gorizia, 21:00
• 1 November 2025 – 3rd Bologna Ballet Competition
  Teatro Duse, 21:00

Photos: © A. Simopoulos