Choreographer Artemis Lampiri presents her new work, “Apenanti/Across”, a duet exploring the concept of spatial relations as a defining condition between two bodies and the foundation of their every action.

What happens when two bodies stand across each other?
What does it truly mean to stand opposite?
At first glance, this stance evokes notions of confrontation. But aren’t we also across or opposite one another in an embrace or when we flirt?

In this work, the dancers’ bodies occupy opposing spaces, confronting one another, merging into unity, and then separating once more—continuously redefined through the gaze of the other.
The space is charged with interaction, gazes, silences, and the stage takes on its own temporality through a relatively minimalist approach. It resembles those moments when we look into each other’s eyes without speaking, and these times become timeless. The “Apenanti” flows like a breath from beginning to end, and the audience becomes a witness to the delicate and sensitive balance between connection, distance, and the separation of the two performers. One becomes a mirror for the other, distorted, and a deep relationship is built where, in the end, the audience will also find themselves opposite of them.

Drawing inspiration from traditional elements of folk dance, Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait paintings, and contemporary works like those of Marina Abramović, the choreographer investigates the distortion created when one’s perception is shaped by another. This mirror effect, born from our mutual gaze, shifts and transforms with the weight of our emotions.