“The Garden of Earthly Delights”: Spyros Kouvaras at the Municipal Theatre of Piraeus

The Municipal Theatre of Piraeus presents the new creation by choreographer Spyros Kouvaras and the Greek-French contemporary dance company Synthesis 748 Dance Co., titled “The Garden of Earthly Delights”, for six performances only, from April 16 to April 21, at the Omega Stage.

Drawing inspiration from the iconic painting by Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch, the choreographer explores the concepts of pleasure, desire, and intimacy, foregrounding the idea that enjoyment is not a deviation or a sin, but a natural aspect of human existence.

On stage, an emerging landscape unfolds, where the senses wander between the sacred and the profane, nature and technology, imagination and reality. Through memory, archetype, and the unconscious, an emotional “landscape of bodies” envelops us in its “skin” through a dance of survival. Here, the performers are not merely entities, but “kinetic gardens” that seem to anticipate a long-delayed rebirth.

Is this an emerging community or a lost utopia? In a world that appears increasingly dystopian, “The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Spyros Kouvaras invites us into a biblical flutter of imagination, posing a crucial question for a civilization searching once again for meaning: where can pure joy and bliss.

CREDITS

Concept, Choreography, Set Design: Spyros Kouvaras
Original Music: Thanasis Koumenteris
Dancers: Magda Argyriou, Semina Rizou, Spyros Kouvaras
Artistic Collaborator: Korina Kotsiri
Lighting Design: Thomas Oikonomakos
Costumes: Kenneth Haarstring – Hoodie Lab
Visuals: Dream Dropper
Assistant Choreographer: Mina Ananiadou
Photography, Videography: Giorgos Bakalis
Graphic Design: Danae Parouniadi
Communication: Marianna Papaki, Nontas Douzinas
Production: Synthesis 748 Dance Co.

The dance performance “The Garden of Earthly Delights” is realized with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture and with the support of the Municipal Theatre of Piraeus.

SYNTHESIS 748 DANCE CO.

Synthesis 748 Dance Co. was founded in Paris in 2010 by choreographer and dancer Spyros Kouvaras, with the support of the CND – the French National Dance Center. Since 2017, the company has been supported by the Greek Ministry of Culture and is now based in Athens.

The company has developed an international presence, presenting its work in theatres, museums, galleries, archaeological sites, and festivals across Europe, South America, Lebanon, and most recently at the CICA Museum in South Korea.

Spyros Kouvaras’ choreographic research embraces utopia and the social imaginary, often using myth as a tool to process contemporary concerns. His movement vocabulary departs from recognizable forms of contemporary dance, focusing instead on the interactions between body, sound, and image, creating kinetic environments of neo-ritualistic aesthetics that are primarily perceived through the senses and the spectator’s unconscious.