News
Dancers learn to dive for underwater performance
In what is being billed as a world first, 14 dancers have donned scuba gear for an underwater performance, complete with specially composed music, to an audience submerged to a depth of approximately 5 meters in Cape Sounion, southeast of Athens, beneath the ancient temple of Poseidon.
The performance is the brainchild of Greek choreographer Apostolia Papadamaki and French choreographer Sophie Bulbulyan, whose dance group in one of Paris’ poorest neighborhoods includes disabled dancers.
The two, who are recreational divers, met three years ago during a dive.
“We liked each other and then we started talking artistically, exchanging ideas,” Papadamaki explained. They had “the very impulsive idea one day after a fun dive: Let’s make an underwater performance. Let’s see if it’s possible. An underwater dance performance.”
It was possible – but not easy.
“This project is like going to the moon on a bike,” said Bulbulyan. “There was an enormous amount of difficulties.”
For a start, dancers – including those with mobility problems – had to learn to dive, and control their buoyancy through their breathing to the point where they can hover upside down and sideways, or rise and fall without moving a muscle. Seventy percent of the performers were dancers who became divers – all in the last year.
Then there were the logistics: diving gear, transport, financing, the vagaries of the weather and political upheaval in Greece, complete with banking restrictions and early elections.
“I’m bringing a French dance group from the poorest neighborhood in France, which has handicapped people in its group, to Greece, a country in chaos, and we’re doing something without limits,” Bulbulyan said. “It’s all that together, with crazy logistics.”
The music needed special consideration. Composer Trifonas Koutsourelis researched and tested the transmission of sound frequencies so his score could both be heard clearly and choreographed in water, where movement slows down.
It took him two and a half months. “I haven’t slept for the last three weeks at least,” he said.
For the dancers, especially the disabled, the experience was “beyond words,” said Papadamaki.
“They feel equal. For the first time they can move without a wheelchair, without the restriction of somebody having to carry them.”
Irini Kourouvani, who uses a wheelchair, has been a dancer for 15 years but was wary of the water as she needed a flotation board to swim.
She was hooked from her first dive.
“I forgot to be afraid and to get scared because I was so entranced by what I was seeing,” Kourouvani said. “I felt like I was floating in space, like I was on earth and the wind was coming and lifting me up.”
Now, she said, the deep is something “I won’t part with. Because now I carry it within me.
Last Thursday, Oyster Diving transformed Mercers Lake into a hauntingly unforgettable underwater realm for their inaugural Halloween Scuba Party. Approximately 20 intrepid divers plunged into the darkness, weaving through a mesmerising scene of spectral decorations, glow sticks, and eerie underwater pumpkins.
After the thrilling night dive, participants gathered to feast on a ghoulish spread of pumpkin soup, chilli con carne, and decadent fudge brownies, perfect fuel for the frightful festivities.
With a resounding success, Oyster Diving is excited to announce plans for this event to become an annual tradition. Next year, look forward to a fully licensed bar and live music, promising an even spookier celebration under the moonlit waters.
Join us next Halloween for an experience that promises to be a haunting delight!
Find out more about Oyster Diving at oysterdiving.com.
After a two-year tour of UK art galleries, community spaces and aquariums, the Shark Trust’s acclaimed Oceanic31 exhibition takes its final bow at the Royal Geographical Society later this month. And the unique collection of artwork, depicting 31 species of oceanic sharks and rays, donated by 31 artists, is now open for bids from art lovers and shark enthusiasts. The online auction, launched today, will close on the 7th December at 8pm (BST). The money raised will support the Shark Trust Oceanics Programme.
People can now bid on 27 of the artworks by visiting this website:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
It is a chance to own a beautiful piece of original art and to support the Shark Trust. The timing of the auction also means that these would make a very special Christmas gift for any shark-lover.
-
- Bigeye Thresher Shark by Janina Rossiter
-
- Carcharodon carcharias by Jimmy Higgs
-
- Croc VR 2030 by Tom Mead
-
- Oceanic Whitetip by ATM
-
- Silky Street by ScapaJoe
The diversity of pieces mirrors that of the sharks and rays they represent. You can bid on paintings, digital creations, sculptures, mixed media and more. You can pick your favourite artist or species of shark. Or you can select the perfect artwork to make a statement in your home or office. Whichever you choose, you will be supporting the work to protect these amazing animals.
One of the pieces of art has been selected to be auctioned live by Steve Backshall at the For the Love of Sharks event at the Royal Geographical Society in London on the 29th November. In addition to this, two further pieces will be raffled at this event, giving people a chance to win an incredible piece of shark art. For the Love of Sharks is the Shark Trust’s flagship evening. A night to celebrate sharks. Steve Backshall is the headline speaker at this event that will see other prominent shark advocates join him on stage.
Tickets for the event can be snapped up here:
https://thesharktrust.org.uk/Event/flos24
Those that would like to see the Oceanic 31 exhibition have one final chance. It is being displayed at the Pavilion at the Royal Geographic Society from 26th November until the 7th December. Entry is free.
Find out more here:
https://www.rgs.org/events/upcoming-events/oceanic-31
Paul Cox, Shark Trust CEO, Said “This exhibition has given us the opportunity to reach out to a new audience. And inspire more people with the wonderful sharks and rays on which our Big Shark Pledge campaign is based. We are immensely grateful to the 31 artists who have worked so hard to create these works.”
Bid for your favourite Oceanic 31 artwork here:
https://superstars-auctions.com/sharktrustauction
Banner Image: Smooth Hammerhead by Alicia Hayden
-
Blogs3 months agoGozo: An Underwater Treasure Trove in the Heart of the Mediterranean
-
News3 weeks agoIconic SS United States to become the World’s Largest Artificial Reef
-
Blogs2 months agoNovoScuba’s Game-Changing Approach for Dive Store Owners: WE PAY YOU!
-
News1 month agoBook Review – 52 Assignments: Underwater Photography
-
Marine Life & Conservation3 months agoBook Review: Sharkpedia
-
Gear News1 month agoDYNAMICNORD – New German diving brand enters the British market
-
News1 month agoExploring Cenote El Pit: A Diver’s Dream
-
Gear News1 month agoTry BARE drysuits (and maybe even win one!) this Friday with Sea & Sea at North West Dive Fest