A surreal masterpiece that was the surprise hit of many European festivals last summer, The Great Tamer takes shape around the notion that human life can be seen as a journey of discovery — an exploration for hidden treasure, an inner archaeological excavation for meaning.Its 10 performers grapple with reveries of life, death, and the mysteries in between. The ingenious and multi-talented Greek artist Dimitris Papaioannou creates productions that can be seen as moving still lifes, always with a strong, distinct visual intensity. Papaioannou does not see himself as a dancer or a choreographer, but as a visual artist, a painter on the stage who creates worlds of astounding beauty from the human body, imbuing life with magic. While he became widely known as the creator of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, his poetic, wordless allegory on the passage of time is a different kind of spectacle. Between levity and tragedy, Papaioannou sets the bar high and asks all of us to “exhaust our lives” and give everything we can before leaving this world. Please Note: The Great Tamer contains frontal male and female nudity.
