WALL OF BABEL
2023
Three bodies on stage, confronting each other’s tongue; mother tongue. They are in a state of constant translation; until words are not enough, until movement is not enough, until taste, music, memories are not enough.
Wall of Babel, is a multilingual piece interrogating concepts of identity, language, and translation. Taking the structure of the human cycle, the performance captures the challenges, humour and beauty of multilingual communication, venturing into non-verbal expression through movement and imagery. The audience does not always understand what the three bodies say, but it is present throughout.
Language: English, Greek Cypriot, Spanish, Mandarin
Running Time: 40 mins
Writer/Director: Nefeli Kentoni
Performers/Devisers: Melina Koutsofta, Santi Guillamon,
Pablo Temboury, Fatima Rodriguez, Kenny Lai, Nefeli Kentoni
Music Composition: Manos Stratis
Live Musicians: Elana Sasson, Manos Stratis
Production Assistant: Marita Anastasi
Photography: Justin Atkins
2023: Resolution Festival, The Place UK
2023: Buffer Fringe Festival, CY
2023: Artos House, CY
2024: Sprint Festival - Camden People's Theatre UK
2024: Voila Festival, The Cockpit UK
"The piece is densely layered, so much so that as I write, I continue to find more tidbits and clever details buried within the performance."
Liam Woodvine
"There were moments in Nefeli Kentoni’s Wall of Babel where I laughed out loud. Combining set and lighting in that ubiquitous pre-PowerPoint artefact, the Overhead Projector, was an inventive stroke of genius that underpinned another thoughtful piece, about language [...] A rare – if not unique – credit in contemporary dance!"
Graham Watts