HELLENIC DANCE COMPANY
The Hellenic Dance Company, as part of the National School of Dance, operated from 2000 to 2018 with the establishment by law in 2017. Its aim was to create performances in Greece and abroad according to international standards in order to operate as the link between the Greek contemporary dance scene and the world dance scene. The core of the group consisted of both professional dancers and students of the School. Prominent choreographers from Greece and from abroad who are at the peak of their careers, were invited to create original works or present works from their contemporary repertoire. The Dance Group was one of the most important projects at the National School of Dance and a cornerstone of Pavlina Veremis’ educational and artistic philosophy. Pavlina Veremi believed in the necessity for tomorrow’s professionals to go on stage, to get the ‘baptism by fire’ with professional quality performances and quality works.
The reward for their efforts was the most important element for the members of the Company, and practical proof of their level of artistry. At the same time, Pavlina Veremi believed that the contact with renowned artists, would inculcate the will of the young dancers and would raise within them the standards of professional requirements, an important asset in their future careers.
The themes of the performances were mostly centered on the individual. The aim was to trigger the participation and emotion of the spectator rather than to provoke sensationalism through exaggeration and the overuse of stage effects. The Hellenic Dance Company played an important role in the dance scene in Greece, introducing new blood and a fresh perspective to an art that is constantly evolving.
Critiques
A few words from the spectators
I think that the now well-established annual performance of the National School of Dance all expectations this year. The excellent choreography highlighted the high level of the dancers. The effort and progress made by the National School of Dance, even under less than favourable conditions, is very encouraging for the present and future of dance in Greece, confirming by the fact that Greek dancers from the School have joined international and important dance companies. As a former member of the Board of Directors of the National School of Dance during the period when Mrs. Pavlina Veremi took over the reins, I closely followed the rebirth of the School. So let me say that my sincere thanks and congratulations are due to her.
Congratulations! Greece should be proud of you!
Congratulations and a big “thank you”!
Watching the Open Borders of the Hellenic Dance Company, I was fascinated by the excellent level of the production. As an artist myself, I want to draw particular attention to talent, demanding work, and passion. Hence, I would like to congratulate Pavlina Veremi for her long-term contribution to dance; also, I wish to congratulate her remarkable collaborators and dancers who presented work of a high international standard.
Here is what Greece would be like, if only…!
The performance Open Borders that we attended at the MMA in October 2014, left us and many others literally speechless and moved! We had expected quality, because we have watched with interest the upward trajectory of the National School of Dance in recent years, but the performance we saw documented a leap much greater than we expected. The choice of themes through the established international choreographers and especially the technique of the dancers was on par with the best international productions. Congratulations to all the participants. It has been long since we have felt such upliftment in our country!
Lydia Karras-Director
Founders of the Hellenic Society for Environment and Culture
The Hellenic Dance Company proves that there is reason to enjoy the support of the State. Through its cultural activities, during its short but extremely impressive journey, the group has managed to offer both the Greek and international audience the experience and enjoyment of excellent dance performance.
The performance at the MMA was a very pleasant surprise. Both the selection of choreographies and, above all, their flawless execution by a group of young dancers with great talent and, obviously, inspired guidance, resulted in a presentation full of vitality and good taste, but which also showed remarkable discipline and technical training. Congratulations to the National School of Dance for the excellent work it carries out.
Every encounter with the power and energy of the National School of Dance dance team is a poetic escape from the trivial. The passion of all the young dancers is truly touching.
I owe you a big thank you for giving me the opportunity to attend HDC’s amazing show Open Borders. I was thrilled! Especially Tono Lachky’s “No More Fairy Tales” and Akram Khan’s Vertical Road, elicited my enthusiasm along with the prolonged applause of the entire audience. The emotion was pervasive; the hall was full. It should be noted that as we met with acquaintances and friends after the performance, it was a common consensus that this kind of quality work in the cultural sphere boosts our morale, something we so very much need.
Congratulations to Pavlina, her collaborators, choreographers and dancers, and with best wishes that they find the support they undoubtedly deserve and are entitled to for the remarkable work they offer us.
Dear Pavlina, congratulations and thank you very much for the amazing performance of the Hellenic Dance Company. I enjoyed it very much and I did not want it to end, especially the third part where everyone’s comments were full of enthusiasm! Good luck with your work and congratulations again.
Excellent and awesome performance! One of the two most amazing dance shows I have seen this year!
Because I happen to be on the Board of Directors of the National School of Dance, I am personally aware of the enormous struggle that is being made not only for the survival of the School, but also for the achievement of a high level of primary creation, which is a goal. I want to emphasize that it has been a long time since I have been to a performance of such a high level that made you forget the young age of the dancers. Congratulations!
I have been following with admiration the excellent work of the National School of Dance in recent years. The level of the performances and the talent of the dancers fills me with optimism for the future of contemporary dance in our country.
Bravo! To the Greek National School of Dance and to Pavlina. It is always a pleasure to attend your performances and hope to join you again soon.
Ι was really amazed at the extremely excellent quality of the work of the HDC. These young dancers made Greece very proud dancing in March at the New York City Center and the Herodion in July. Now once again they were able to produce in such a great manner under the terrible conditions of the economic crisis. Seeing this young people perform I strongly feel that Greece has a future.
Dear Pavlina, I wanted you to know how happy I am for our cooperation, and I express this in the letter I am enclosing. It was a great pleasure to welcome you in Paris last April and I wanted to congratulate you once again on the excellent level of your team. I am at your disposal to continue a cooperation regarding the student exchange programme as well as the possibility of inviting our ballet to Greece in the coming 2009 season.
Pavlina, I trust you!
One night at the Open Studio (Black Box) of the ΚSOT, is enough to realize that, in a deprived Greece that is oppressed by its miserable vices and ruthless foreign interests, the only source of dignity remains the youth’s daring for art – daring for poetic expression, in the exact meaning of the word, for the creation of new forms of consciousness of body and spirit. Without substantial resources and only through the tenacity of the dedication of both teachers and students, against the provincial lifestyle that has swept us over the last twenty years, the flame of true education still burns in the National School of Dance
I am deeply grateful to the robust Hellenic Dance Company for the night of “methexis”that it offered us with the Athens Festival’s “Open Borders”, a night that compensated us for the many days and nights of sadness and disappointment the last years in Greece. My warmest congratulations to our incredible dancers and to Pavlina Veremi, this great teacher, who knows how to inspire the creative enthusiasm of her students, teaching them discipline, hard work, noble competition, passion for excellence, in short, virtue. Bravo, a thousand times!!!
With respect and admiration.
I attended the performance “Open Borders” of the Hellenic Dance Company in MMA. It was an anthem to the art of dance and to the ability to describe contemporary reality through the choreography presented.
Thanks for the wonderful show. Ι wish the best career to the young dancers.
Everything was perfect! Majestic, with a lot of energy and consistency. Well done!
…the main Graham troupe and the Hellenic Dance Company visiting from Greece. All the performers were admirable -the evening’s bigger applause went to “Panorama”, jointly performed by Graham 2 and the Hellenic visitors, all pounding the ground and contracting in midair…
… The loud applause for “Panorama” (1935) was to hail its 35 young dancers, who, in the three main groups, jumped, flexed and tilted with impressive choral force. Despite their devotions, the work itself looks like a thoroughly bygone piece of 1930s modernism. The dancers maintained sculptural tension throughout the moved with an unwavering dynamic urgency…
I was temporarily lulled into the illusion that I was elsewhere, since we are all more or less victims of the impression that the greatest things happen “outside” Greece and “elsewhere”. However, everyone “outside” would have had much to learn and would be inspired by this performance, and above all by the skill and passion of the dancers. Well done!