The National Opera Ballet traveled to Egypt and presented two dance performances at the Cairo Opera House with great success. On June 6, 2024, “Dance with my shadow” was presented, with music by Manos Hadjidakis and choreography by Konstantinos Rigos, while on June 7, 2024, the contemporary dance diptych titled “Return of the Summer” was presented, with music and choreography by Giorgos Koumendakis and Hector Berlioz Giannis Mantafounis and Konstantinos Rigou.

The tour was implemented with the support of the donation of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) for the strengthening of the artistic extroversion of the National Opera.

“Dance with my shadow” started the two-day tour of the National Opera Ballet at the Cairo Opera House, which attracted the attention of the Egyptian Mass Media and confirmed the interest of the Egyptian public in the National Opera Ballet.

The excellent performance of the dancers in the impressive choreography of the director of the ELS Ballet, Konstantinos Rigos, thrilled the audience, who rewarded the actors with a warm applause. Through the universality of the three emblematic works – “The cycle of CNS”, “Captain Michalis” and “The cursed snake” – by the great Greek composer Manos Hadjidakis, the performance moved. The costumes were designed by Deux Hommes and the videos by Vassilis Kehagias.

The proceeds of the first performance were allocated to support the hospital founded by Hellenic Action Africa in the city of Beni Suef, Egypt.

The following day, the contemporary dance duo “Return of the Summer” took over. In the first part, “Point of No Return” was presented, choreographed and edited by Yiannis Mantafounis and music by Giorgos Koumentakis. The contemporary dance work with kinesiology elements deeply rooted in the tradition of classical dance impressed the audience with its energy. In the second part, the choreography “Les Nuits d’été” by Constantinos Rigos to music by Hector Berlioz was presented.

A play about love, loneliness, quest and journey. The special costumes were by Deux Hommes.

The ELS dancers showed off their masterful choreography with dynamism and energy and received warm applause from the audience, who rushed for the second day in a row to the Cairo Opera House to watch the performance. The lighting of the two shows was supervised by Christos Giogas.