Festival takes audiences to the past and back again
Once again culture comes alive as the Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, in the Faneromeni area, opens its doors and invites the public to a dazzling arts festival where attendees can enjoy dance performances, concerts and a unique cinema experience. The 2024 edition opens on July 11 with a musical performance and will run until the end of September with cultural experiences for old and young audiences.
On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of its establishment, this year the Cultural Foundation presents a unique mix of the arts, taking people on a journey from the past to the present and back again. Utilising cutting-edge techniques and redefining the history and life of Cyprus from antiquity to the present day, the Faneromeni24 Arts Festival has as its central theme the non-negotiable unity of the island.
A journey through the sounds of music and poetry will unfold, starting from the past and coming up to the present day – a testament to local folk culture featuring beloved folk and artistic Cypriot songs, as well as poetry by unknown and known folk poets who captured the rich history of the island and its people.
On July 18, the musical performance A journey in time: ancient, mediaeval and traditional music of Cyprus, will take place performed by the Sibil•la Ensemble with Cypriot and Greek musicians. It combines different time periods and aesthetic trends derived from the history of Cyprus. The programme mixes songs from ancient Cypriot rituals, mediaeval songs from the Cyprus Codex, and folk music.
On September 5, the Valitsa Intra Portas theatre ensemble, drawing on the writings and testimonies of foreign travellers, will bring the devised theatre performance titled P.S. CYPRUS, highlighting the story of Cyprus in the past. Four actors simulating a folk gaggle will throw a party on stage, bringing back memories of the past.
Next will be the performance Seeking Europe-Varosha 2024 AD taking place on September 12. Here, musician Vangelis Gettos (lute, drums, samples, background music) and Italian dancer Erika Guastamacchia, under the guidance of Italian choreographer Giulio De Leo, unfurl a multi-layered dance spectacle with live on-stage music and video art with film clips of the inside of Varosha, drawing inspiration from, and making allusions to, the myth of the Abduction of Europa.
The festival’s closing performance will take place on September 26, with the music and dance event titled The Pulse of Life. It’s a bi-communal creation by the Mires dance duet – Ianthi Sparsi and Dervish Zeybek – with the participation of the Mystics Tribal Fusion dance team and the MA*GAIA drummers. The performance is inspired by the rich legacy of female drummers and dancers of antiquity and is driven by the sounds of the primeval drum – the sacred musical instrument of the Mother Goddess. It aims to highlight the beauty of the sound, and of music and the rhythm of dance as practices of religious worship, linking these to the forever pulsating universe.
But that’s not all. The courtyard of the Cultural Foundation will once again transform into an outdoor summer cinema, sure to draw children and adults alike. An event in partnership with The Friends of Cinema Society, it will feature the movies Little Nicholas and The Treasure Hunt on August 1, Smuggling Hendrix on August 8, Little Nicholas Goes on Holiday on August 29 and SIN on September 19.
FANEROMENI24 Arts Festival
Annual arts festival with dance, theatre and music performances and film screenings. Until the end of September. Bank of Cyprus Cultural Foundation, Nicosia. 8.30pm. Free. Tel: 22-128175
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