ATROPOS – A fusion of Bharatanatyam and contemporary choreographic methods, this performance embarks on a profound exploration of the connections between death and migration through the rich tapestry of Greek mythology and the lived experience of a female migrant artist. The dancer’s body becomes the meeting point between cultures, where threads of longing, memories, and grievances are spun into a powerful expression of our shared humanity. ATROPOS (‘the unalterable’) is a new, multimedia solo work by dancer, choreographer Lydia Touliatou.
Working group:
Timo Tikka (sound design), Katalin Trencsényi (dramaturgy),
Joona Mäkelä (video design), Mikko Salminen (scenography), Saana Hannonen (lighting design), Hilla Ruuska (costume design), Lydia Touliatou (choreography & performance).
Choreographies of discard
2024 – Contestations.Ai Symposium, Helsinki
Choreographies of Discard is an extractive enquiry, juxtaposing the labor of dance and the work of machines, both physical and computational, into a critical narrative. The performance includes Lydia Touliatou (dancer), Esther Calderon Morales (sound composition and performer) and Samir Bhowmik (narrator). Background Machine Learning (ML) and data analysis is done by Minh Anh Nguyen on Mudras, that are gestural movements in Bharatanatyam.
nexe
2023 – Musiikkitalo, Helsinki
Creator: Esther Calderón Morales
Co-choreographed: Christy Ma, Ronja Syvälahti, Lydia Touliatou
Nexe is a musical composition, a performance that evolves in real-time, combining dancers, singers, live electronics, multichannel audio, and interactive elements, to create an immersive experience.
The project takes inspiration from the ways genetics and social relationships shape human behavior and development. It’s an exploration of how we become who we are, drawing inspiration from theories in genetics, sociology, and human behavior. The score and elements in the piece are at times generative and adaptive to the input of dancers and the singers themselves.
Fera Matter
2023 – Theatre Academy, Helsinki
Fera Matter draws its theme in female empowerment from the Greek myths of Atalanti and Persephone. The choreographic investigation delves into Bharatanatyam’s narrative tool of ‘abhinaya’. From a levitating and gradually rising sequence, the dancer arrives at a state of direct story telling of female glory.
Choreography + Performance: Lydia Touliatou
Sound design: Alina Ostrogradskaya
Music composition: Oh Jin Yong Derek Lighting design: Anssi Ruotanen
Spatial design: Aino Kontinen Costume design: Havina Jäntti Photos: Jussi Ulkuniemi
Fositár
2022 – Theatre Academy, Helsinki
Fositar is an environmental choreographic enquiry, where soil, bone and flesh are tied together with the string of sacred.
Choreography: Lydia Touliatou + Performers
Sound design: Eliel Tammiharju Lighting design: Outi Vedenpää Set design: Mikko Salminen Costume design: Hilla Ruuska Performers: Iiris Puustinen, Iiris Laisi, Paula Nousiainen, Kaarne Fredriksson, Ellen Aunio, Ritni Páske Pieski
Photos: Jussi Ulkuniemi
Signalo
2021 – Theatre Academy, Helsinki
Signalo is a movement exploration of Bharatanatyam’s mudras (hand gestures). Different manifestations of non-verbal communication was the core question, which the performer navigated through the inherent cultural and semiotic wealth of mudras.
Lydia Touliatou 