The Greeks / 9+

Choreographer Duda Paiva interprets three Greek myths through dance and puppetry: King, Nikè and Cyclops. Magical tales of greed, stupidity and entanglement, with gripping, priceless encounters between the dancers and the life-like puppets.

King is the story of a self-indulgent Greek hero who is punished by the gods with insatiable hunger. Driven by gluttony, he devours everything around him, even his own daughter.

Nikè is the goddess of victory. This winged beauty descends into the human realm to award men with glory and fame. To keep the angel here with them, they break her wings and lock her up in a palace, with all its consequences.

Cyclops is a dull-witted giant who is cunningly and ruthlessly duped by the Odysseus and his companion. It is comical as well as cruel to see the dancers grab power and leave the battered colossus behind.

Press quotes
“The beauty is that Duda Paiva’s creations are so life-like (…) a villainous puppet who whines, flatters and abuses in the arms of puppeteer/dancer Andreas La Monica.” (Volkskrant about King)
“The most beautiful and touching fragment is the duet between a man and the goddess Nikè.” (Theaterkrant about Nikè in the Break a Legend project)

Duda Paiva
Duda Paiva is an internationally well-known choreographer, dancer en puppeteer. He creates unconventional and gripping dance performances with the help of life-like sculptures made of soft foam rubber who come to life in the hands of professional dancers. In November of 2011 Duda was awarded the Fund for Culture Stipend for young theater makers. The jury: “Duda‘s voice is unique in the theater landscape. He combines dance, puppetry and manipulation of objects in his way and arrives at an original form of contemporary theater. He entertains his audiences and simultaneously challenges them. His work speaks a universal language that transcends international borders.”