Innovative French dance July 10, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Ballet Dance & Opera, Hellenic Athens Festival.add a comment
Boris Charmatz and his troupe Association Edna perform as part of the Athens Festival tonight and tomorrow.
Representative selections from the work of the innovative French choreographer Boris Charmatz and his dance troupe Association Edna continue today and tomorrow at the Pireos 260 venue as part of the Athens Festival.
An active member of the so-called “choreographers of meaning” group in France, Boris Charmatz challenged modern dance’s rules and stereotypes from an early age. After his graduation from the Ecole de Danse de l’Opera de Paris and the Conservatoire Nationale Superieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon, Charmatz went on to dance in the groups of Regine Chopinot and Odile Duboc. His performances of the period were undoubtedly instances where his many-sided talents shone through. A decisive moment in his artistic growth came in 1992 with the founding and creation of Association Edna along with Dimitri Chamblas. The following years were full of creativity, fertile partnerships, pioneering undertakings and works which provoked a large emotional response, causing the international press to recognize a new development in modern dance.
In 1993 the two artists wrote as well as performed the duet “A bras le corps” and a year later co-wrote “Les Disparates.” “Aatt enen tionon” (1996) followed, which Charmatz presented by himself, and after came “Herses” (1997), a study of nude bodies for five dancers and one cellist. From 1997, in addition to Association Edna, Charmatz has choreographed and worked constantly, searching for the creation of an open and multidimensional space, finding ways and forms of expression with which to record dance but also the spectacle dance creates.
‘Herses’ > Choreographed by Boris Charmatz, Association Edna will stage “Herses (une lent introduction),” a study on nudes for five dancers and a cellist. The production is performed by dancers Boris Charmatz, Audrey Gaisan, Christophe Ives and others. Tickets are available at the Hellenic Festival box office, 39 Panepistimiou Street, Athens, tel 210 3272000.
At the 260 Pireos venue, next to the School of Fine Arts.
Elvis Costello tonight in Athens July 10, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in MusicLife LiveGigs.add a comment
Acclaimed British rocker Elvis Costello will join forces with veteran pianist and songwriter Allen Toussaint for a concert of jazz and much more at the Herod Atticus Theater tonight.
For ticket information, contact the Hellenic Festival box office, 39 Panepistimiou Street, Athens, tel 210 3272000.
Tonight at the Herod Atticus Theater, Acropolis Metro Station.
EU approves financing for Thessaloniki tunnel July 10, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Architecture Infrastructure.add a comment
The European Commission said it has approved 96 million euros of financing by the Greek government for the construction of the Thessaloniki submerged tunnel.
The tunnel project is part of the city’s multi-modal transport strategy, which aims to alleviate congestion in the city centre while linking the populous south-east metropolitan area to the economically-strong north-west.
J&P Avax signs deal with Athens International Airport July 10, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Architecture Infrastructure.add a comment
Greek construction company J&P Avax said it has signed a 7.5 million euro roads and utilities infrastructure deal with the Athens International Airport for the North West Commercial Development Area.
The Athens International Airport plans to develop its north western area, which is about 175,000 cubic meters, into a commercial area.
The contract with J&P Avax includes the development of all access roads, infrastructure works and networks, as well as the connection of all new facilities to the airport’s existing systems. The contract was signed on July 2 and the project is planned to take 15 months for completion.
Police crack huge Athens sex ring July 10, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Crime.add a comment
Dozens implicated in ring
Police in Athens yesterday claimed to have broken the biggest and most well-organized prostitution ring ever to have operated from the capital, following the arrest of 11 suspected ring members in Greece and abroad.
Nine people, including Greeks, Ukrainians and Moldovans, were arrested in Greece, while two of the suspects were arrested in Ukraine. They are believed to have been operating the ring for two years.
Another seven suspected ring members are being sought abroad with the help of Interpol, police said. Officers in Greece arrested another 62 people, strip bar owners and alleged prostitutes, on charges of facilitating and profiting from illegal sexual activity.
Three Ukrainian women, believed to have been held against their will and forced into prostitution, were to be given protection in women’s shelters. The Ukrainian women’s alleged captors had demanded 30,000 euros from each of them for their release, police said. The rest of the women, mostly from Eastern Europe, are believed to have consented to work as prostitutes.
The sweep of arrests followed a two-month investigation culminating on Sunday in 34 simultaneous raids across Attica involving 160 police officers and overseen by five prosecutors and 10 representatives of non-governmental organizations.
The drive led to seven apartments in which the alleged prostitutes had been living, several luxury cars believed to have been used for their transfer to appointments and an “operations center” with 36 telephone lines and bulky registers containing clients’ names. According to police, two telephone switchboard operators, eight drivers and 12 prostitutes were employed on each shift. The women allegedly received between 100 and 150 euros for each appointment, 30 or 40 euros of which they would keep.
Police also discovered receipts for bank transfers sent abroad, amounting to 200,000 euros. This is believed to have been the ring’s profits for the past two months. Officers are also investigating the possible involvement of a Greek businessman in the ring’s operations as well as the activities of a security firm set up by one of the suspects.
EU bans ‘sunblock’ labels July 10, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Health & Fitness.add a comment
There is no such thing as 100 percent protection from the sun, the European Union’s consumer chief warned holidaymakers yesterday and she banned the words “sunblock” and “100 percent sun protection” on sun cream.
Such labeling is misleading and contributes to thousands of deaths each year, Consumer Protection Commissioner Meglena Kuneva said. “Consumers need clear, accurate information on sunscreen products so they can make informed choices,” she said in a statement. “There is no such thing as 100 percent protection and we need to reinforce that essential message. This is just one of many measures that are necessary for effective protection against the sun.”
According to Cancer Research UK, skin cancer cases in that country have more than doubled since the early 1980s with over 2,000 deaths from skin cancer each year.
Under the new rules, which came into force yesterday and will be phased in before the end of the year, the new labels will also include a new UVA logo and standardized terms such as “low,” “medium,” “high” and “very high” protection.
UVA is the term used for ultraviolet light that can cause chronic conditions such as the appearance of aging and interferes with the human immune system. UVB radiation is the cause of sunburn, but damages only the skin’s outer layer or epidermis. Although both types of radiation are major contributors to the risk of skin cancer, experts believe UVA plays a bigger role.
The Commission said sunscreen products with only UVB protection may provide a false sense of safety because they do not protect against UVA radiation. As labels for 2007 have already been printed, around 20 percent of sunscreen products on the shelves will feature the new labels. “So for now consumers are advised to read labels very carefully during this summer,” Kuneva said.
High-speed suburban railway reaches Kiato July 10, 2007
Posted by grhomeboy in Transport AirSeaLand.add a comment
The section of the western extension of the Proastiakos suburban railway that runs between Corinth, west of Athens, and the town of Kiato, opened to commuters yesterday.
The journey from Athens to Kiato takes about one hour and 45 minutes and a one-way ticket costs 8 euros. A ticket from Athens International Airport costs 10 euros.
Trains reach speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour along the 21-kilometer section. Some 20,000 people use the Proastiakos each day. The Kiato extension is expected to be used by around 500 commuters a day. The new station at Kiato will act as hub for Patras-bound trains.
The suburban railway is expected to head further westward, to Xylokastro, by 2009.
grhomeboy
