Greek Ballet Shines in Cairo with 'Dance with My Own Shadow'

On Thursday, Cairo Opera House hosted the first show of the Greek National Opera Ballet, "Dance with My Own Shadow."

"Dance with My Own Shadow" is one of the group's successful shows. It was presented for the first time in 2019. 

It reflects the feelings of loneliness, inner conflicts, love, sea, loss, and the differences between the North, the South, and the West.

Each segment depicts a different mood, as well as several cultural symbols.

Starting with C.N.S Cycle, this segment kicked off the show. The dancers performed silently for a few seconds. Symbolizing the North, some moves were harmonized with the background which was a silent, and sorrowful sea. The dances were dynamic but anxious and sad.

The lights were perfectly arranged to reflect the shadows of the dancers to deliver the concept of the show.

The C.N.S Cycle's music is mainly baritone and piano pieces. The musical compositions were based on poetry by the composer himself, written in memory of the death of young Spanish Etienne Röhrich Moritz (1952).

Next, the mood of the show was shifted with "Captain Michalis" segment. To represent the South with its dry landscapes, hot winds, and the magical Mediterranean, the dancers perform lovely, funny, and light moves. 

They were happier, honest, and open. They were confident, didn't fear the sharpness of the trees, the heat of the South, and the roughness of the sea.

This segment included different mixed, and solo dances which gave more space for dancers to represent their roles.

"Captain Michalis" segment is a theatrical adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis’s novel of the same title (1966), therefore, various auditorial and visual signatures of Kazantzakis works were symbolized in the show. 

Finally came the Accursed Serpent. It was more complex in terms of music, and performance. It represented the West with its mysterious fairytales, cultural codes, untold stories, hidden secrets, and magical myths.

Many dances depicted the essential and key symbols of these cultures like the sun, the sea, the wind, and values. There were love, pain, hatred, conflict, death, madness, life, and love. 

The music of this part carried various moods like piano, folk, the dances of two pianos, and the familiar and popular tunes of traditional Greek music.