Dance » Igra | 29 we have when we leave the theatre? “I think that also changes as I age. I‘ve recently been increasingly attempting to address the big issues of human existence. What the point of everything is, howwe deal with the loss of beauty, with the fact that gravity takes its toll on everything, the idea of death, how we address the current longing for something spiritual, how we can make friends with the beast within us and how we can escape it... I don‘t claim to be a great thinker. I play with these ideas, as a human and an artist. I might seem like a person who has strong attitudes, but I still don‘t trust them enough to convert them into something that I hope has the potential to last longer than my trivial life.” How do you recall the Olympic Games, the world‘s greatest show? Did you have the freedom to do what you wanted? “Yes, I had freedom. I didn‘t have the freedomto present nudes, because we were the hosts, so we had to try to ensure that everyone felt comfortable. I had freedom, but I knew that I shouldn’t be arrogant with that kind of freedom, because this was a mission, product advertising, and that product was Greek culture. That was a celebration, not my personal artwork, rather a national promotion, which is what the Olympic Games are. I subtly included many details, at a subconscious level. I‘m very proud of that today, and infinitely grateful to life for giving me that opportunity.” It is interesting that your avant-garde works are performed on classical stages. How have you managed to reach such diverse audiences? “I‘ll have to ask you that, as I have no idea. I‘m grateful, I don‘t take that for granted, I don‘t know howithappened. I experiencedmass acceptance inGreece, especiallyafter theOlympics. It was also irritating, because peoplewho didn‘t likewhat I was creating nonetheless came to watch my pieces... I became someone whose works are unmissable. I was very privileged in that sense, but I wasn‘t known where I most wanted to be – at international art festivals. And then all of a sudden that also happened, for which I‘m of course indebted to Claire Verlet [artistic director of Paris‘s Théâtre de la Ville].” You‘ve already been a guest of the Belgrade Dance Festival. What are your impressions of Belgrade; how do you remember our city? “Oh, I think it‘s very sexy. I really liked the brutalismof the building where we performed, the Sava Centre. I think there‘s something very intenseabout situatingmyvery unusual atmosphere in such a brilliant environment. I actually have the fondest memories of Belgrade and your Dance Festival. I‘m really hopeful of a new encounter.” What can we expect this year; what kind of show are you bringing for us and will you shock us? “I think this is a much brighter, lighter piece, compared to what you‘ve seen already, and I also think that something sweet exists in it - of course alongside themelancholy that ismynature...That‘sall I cansay. Whenyouwatch the trailer you‘ll get a small impression of what follows, because pictures and sounds are always better thanwords. Oncewe‘ve revealedTransverseOrientation, we can talk about what people think. It is precious tomewhenpeople reveal something that I didn‘t knowabout my own work, which is why it‘s always better not to mention them, not to interpret the showinadvance. I‘m very curious, because we don‘t know what kind of impression the piece will leave. We‘ve been working on it for so long and have never had a hundred or a hundred and fifty people watching it; we‘ve never felt their energy, joy and enthusiasm, or their repulsion, coughs, silence... For now this is a book that no one has opened and read.” To conclude, what would you single out as a treasure that must be seen, felt and experienced in your hometown... And that isn‘t part of the usual tourist offer? “This is a very difficult question. I think everything‘s a tourist attractionalready. I don‘t knowhowto answer this question, but I can say that it was perhaps only in Los Angeles that I saw a similar light to the one that Athens possesses. I think this is an unavoidable experience, but that it‘s also my city‘s most valuable and therapeutic element. I can‘t suggest anything I knowthat isn‘t alreadyawell-knownmuseum, abeautiful stroll, a good bite or a place for swimming.” Možda sam samo u Los Anđelesu video sličnu svetlost koju ima Atina. Mislimda je ta svetlost najvredniji i terapeutski element koji moj grad poseduje Perhaps it was only in Los Angeles that I saw a similar light to the one that Athens possesses. I think that light is also my city's most valuable and therapeutic element
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