With Streams & Overflows, Harris Gkekas initiates a series of works entitled “DEFINIR/INFINIR”, which highlights the inseparable link between consciousness and freedom. “Streams & Overflows, the first in this series, questions the vitality and playfulness of academic vocabulary. The metaphor of water seems apt to me, because before flowing freely at high speed to the point of overflowing, currents have a source as their initial point. In our case, the source is the academic vocabulary and its infinite possibilities due to its precision. The definition of what is at stake is approached as a tool for both analysis and composition. Rigorous but not austere, our proposal will be guided by the pleasure, vertigo, playfulness and intoxication inherent in the overflowing nature of academic vocabulary, in order to unleash the potential of our strengths and desires. A call full of energy, like the wild waters, their brilliance and vitality. Keith Jarret's album, Book of Ways, and his harpsichord improvisations, demonstrate how the source of J.S. Bach's Baroque heritage flows naturally into his playing today. A great stylist whose impact on the world of dance is comparable to that of J.S. Bach on music, William Forsythe gave classical dance an innovative outlook. His impulse is still alive in me. Free and joyful as the swift waves, the playful spirit he succeeded in instilling will, I'm sure, live on for generations to come.

Harris Gkekas, born in 1983, grew up in  Olympus Mountain in Greece. After early classes with Tania Miltenova he studied with Daniel Lommel  in Bourges during five years . He benefited  A.Onassis Foundation's support during two years. 

His dancing career makes him one of the most versatile dancers of his era. He is one among few chorographers asked  to create both contemporary  works and  pieces on point shoes in neoclassical style. 

He began his carrer as member of Jeune Ballet International in Cannes and then performed  as  soloist in companies like AENAON Ballet Théâtre, Ballet National du Rhin, Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève and Lyon Opera Ballet. He participated  in creations with Lucinda Childs, Maguy Marin , Ralph Lemon, Rachid Ouramdane, Christian Rizzo, Otto Ramstad, Felix Ruckert and  danced works of Trisha Brown , Saburo Teshigawara, Alain Buffard, Russel Maliphant, William Forsythe, Jiri Kylian , Mats Ek , Merce Cunnigham, Jérôme Bel, Tero Saarinen , Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui ..among others.

Since november 2014 he collaborated  with  Catherine Diverrès  for  the duet Dentro, Blow the Bloody Doors Off ,Jour et Nuit, Echo.  He collaborates also with Hervé Robbe New Landscape, Christian Rizzo Une Maison, MIRAMAR, Syndrome Ian , Michèle Noiret Chant des Ruines Théo Mercier La fille du collectionneur , Lionel Hoche Dimanche éperdument, Ioannis Mandafounis One One One, Yves Noel Genod Leçons de Ténèbres, and Fabrice Lambert RENVERSE.

In 2015 he founded Strates and initiated it's activity with personal projects such as, Yond.Side.Fore.Hind , VWA , Mille, Plateaux, Toute l’eau et rien que des gouttes, UNE,  BLACKOUT DIALOGS and also collective works as INFINIR with Elise Alloin, Sivi Simon and Didier Ambact.

Beside the works inside Strates , Harris made works for  Ballet de l’Opéra National du Rhin,  CNSMD de Lyon (two times-on point shoe ) , CNSMD de Paris , CNDC d’Angers, CAD de Châteauroux, Greek National Opera, Greek National Opera School, Delattre Dance Company, KSOT-Greek National Contemporary Dance School. In 2017 Fondation Royaumont  chose him as a chorographer for ‘‘ Dialogues 2 ’’. 

Since 2018 he is the artistic director of several video works for public or private structures, and also an artistic advisor of The Office Gallery based in Nicosia and Paris. the private collection of the Gallery is now one of the most respected worlwide and selected among the BMW Art Guide.    https://theofficegallery.com

Harris is a guest teacher in schools like Royal Danish Ballet Summer school or Rosella Hightower in Canens or Ballet Companies like Ballet de Lyon, New Zealand  Royal Ballet, Basel Ballet and Ballet du Rhin.  Strates is also turned to transmission through seminaries , workshops in order to share the creating field's fresh impressions in the most direct way possible. 

Son and little son of self tought musians, he continues this tradition by being a self tought musician as well.  He mainly explores keybords and guitar and composes psychedelic rock music, but also collaborates with great drummers like Didier Ambact and Seijiro Murayama. 

Born in 1977, Fabien Plasson is a video director specialized in the field of performing arts (dance , music, etc).

During his studies at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux-Arts de Lyon (joined in 1995) Fabien discovered video art. He was trained by various video artists (Joel Bartoloméo Pascal Nottoli , Eric Duyckaerts , etc).
He first experimented with the creation of installations and cinematic objects.

From 2001 to 2011, he was in charge of Ginger & Fred video Bar’s programming at La Maison de la Danse in Lyon. He discovered the choreographic field and the importance of this medium in the dissemination, mediation and pedagogical approach to dance alongside Charles Picq, who was a brilliant video director and the director of the video department at that time.

Today, Fabien Plasson is the video director at La Maison de la Danse and in charge of the video section of Numeridanse.tv, an online international  video library, and continues his creative activities, making videos of concerts, performances and also creating video sets for live performances.

Sources: Maison de la Danse ; Fabien Plasson website

More information: fabione.fr

Creation: 1985

Each season, the student dancers of the Jeune (Junior) Ballet du CNSMD of Lyon explore different territories of choreographic art, working with a new generation of emerging and renowned choreographers, nourished by a hybrid practices, communities and dance styles.

From Neo-classical to House, Jumpstyle to Post-modern, DanceHall to Afrofunk, Contemporary to Performance Art…

On the cusp of their professional lives, final year students in classical and contemporary dance studies at the prestigious Higher National Conservatory of Music and Dance Lyon, join the Jeune Ballet for a bona-fide creation and dance company tour experience. Performing in France and internationally, on stage, in museums, public spaces, urban settings, forests, under the open sky… where ever dance can exist.


Source: CNSMD Lyon

More information: cnsmd-lyon.fr