Ten years have passed since the presentation of Europium by the same artistic duo at our festival.

Mountain is a ritual about loss, transformation, and our relationship with death. RootlessRoot combines movement and a compelling monologue in an intimate ceremony. Mountain reminds us that accepting death also means accepting life.

From a cone of light, two figures slowly emerge—the narrator (Jozef Fruček) and the dancer (Linda Kapetanea). The space awakens as a place evoking an ancient rite, an altar, or a sacred circle. It is soon entirely filled by the dancer, whose movement quality is exceptional - a supple, flexible body charged with fierce energy. Expressive gestures shift into fluidity; sharp attacks turn into waves—from breathtaking stomping in red dust to moments of delicacy that seem to defy ordinary anatomy. The dynamics rise, thicken, and intensify into ecstatic moments, then withdraw again. Physical energy gradually flows into the narrator’s voice, which fills the space with an existential, deeply personal text.

The atmosphere of the work is mysterious, ritualistic, and mystical. The soundscape blends deep rumbling, clapping, drumming, and shamanic chants. The props—a rattle, twigs, dust—are not mere illustration, but material that opens symbolic layers of the piece. The choreography is gripping: raw, at times almost abrasive, full of explosive expressivity and powerful partnering.

Mountain is a ritual of loss and transformation. A ceremony that does not glorify the past, but restores to our perception what is fading in today’s world: the ability to consciously encounter death and accept it as a part of life—as an act of awareness and profound human presence.

RootlessRoot is an artistic duo formed by Linda Kapetanea and Jozef Fruček, founded in Athens in 2006. Together they have created more than twenty productions, presented at dozens of venues and festivals worldwide. They have collaborated, among others, with Akram Khan, the Helsinki Dance Company, and DOT504. In Greece, they work with Onassis Stegi, the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, and the Ballet of the Greek National Opera. They are also known for their Fighting Monkey method, which focuses on body movement and healthy aging.

rootlessroot.com

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