Little Big Dance Cycle Two: Artist Commission

Cycle two sees us building on the learnings and successes of cycle one to offer 13 artists a residency-style Artist Lab opportunity; and one artist a £30,000 commission to create and tour a brand new dance work to UK venues in Autumn 2023.

The Little Big Dance Cycle Two commissioned artist is Xenia Aidonopoulou, a dance artist who makes visually compelling dance theatre works that have been presented at venues including Greek National Opera, Sadler’s Wells, The Lowry and Polka Theatre.  

Xenia has an extensive background in dance dramaturgy and performance, having worked with organisations including the National Theatre of Greece, the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, and the Thessaloniki Concert Hall; and with choreographers and directors including Georgia Tegou, Alexandros Efklidis, Lenio Kaklea, Sivan Rubinstein and Victor Arditti. Xenia was also dramaturg and creative consultant with Oktana Dance Theatre and choreographer/director Konstantinos Rigos, current Director of the Greek National Opera Ballet.

For Little Big Dance Cycle Two, Xenia is developing and creating a new work called Skydiver for children under five. 

Skydiver will build on the success of Xenia’s 2022 work Underwater – a multi-sensory dance theatre show for babies and their grown ups, co-directed with Georgia Tegou, co-produced with Greek National Opera Alternative Stage and funded by Stavros Niarchos. Underwater was commissioned by Belfast Children’s Festival, Watford Palace Theatre and The Lowry, Salford; and supported through public funding by Arts Council England. 

Skydiver is a Little Big Dance commission, led by South East Dance, in partnership with Dance East, Yorkshire Dance and Take Art, and co-commissioned by Dance Umbrella and Strike a Light Festival. Little Big Dance is funded by Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Arts Council England.