The Crossword Ballet was created to challenge the stereotypes of what ballet is about. We are working on transforming the traditional princess-ballerina figure into a dynamic warrior ballerina. We hope that our first production "Exodus" will inspire and awaken our audience to break their stereotypes and discover how the oposites can co-exist. The Crossword Ballet is a new dance company founded in
2013 by Symeon Kyriakopoulos. It explores the core elements of seemingly opposing movement vocabularies, ballet and wu-shu. The company was created to give birth to a female mythological hero character. The
female hero will be a ballerina; but instead of using the typical movement qualities and skills of a ballerina, the company will explore how to bring out other dynamics with more warriorlike qualities. We want to turn the ballerina into a powerful, dynamic warrior. This new approach and training will challenge the archetypal figure of the graceful-fragile ballerina and develop the physical and expressive skills of the dancers. Our dance pieces will reflect on existential issues that have preoccupied humanity at a collective level throughout the centuries: good versus bad, masculine versus feminine, spirit versus matter. Carl Jung described the “shadow side” of the self which lies within but is usually undisclosed, even to ourselves. By exploring the underlying connections between two seemingly opposing styles, the traditionally elegant, feminine form of ballet and the masculine martial arts, I want to discover the “shadow” side of ballet and bring out a more warrior-like dynamic within the classical vocabulary. Although a ballet choreography and a wu-shu performance form may appear different, there are similarities in the underlying principles. It is these similarities that The Crossword ballet will explore, and discover how to expand, enrich and recontextualise the ballet style. The aim is to create a new style of dance capable of attracting new audiences. Vision
to empower and connect people through dance and myth. Mission
The Crossword Ballet was created to challenge the stereotypes of what ballet is about. We hope that our first production “Exodus” will inspire and awaken our audience to break their stereotypes and discover how the opposites can co-exist. Our warrior ballerina is not just a symbol of transformation but a symbol of return.. Inspired by two seemingly opposite techniques Classical Ballet and Wu-shu (kung-fu) we are aiming at creating a new choreographic signature. At the same time we draw knowledge from the works by Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell, who both worked profoundly on themes of individuation process and the hero’s journey. Their work has inspired us and we hope to transfer it on stage with our personal artistic manifestation.
