Roots

Internationally acclaimed performance artist Eliza Soroga focuses on the representations of the ‘unfamiliar’ and the transformation of daily life into performance art. In March 2017, Soroga was the overall Winner of the 11th International Arte Laguna Prize in Venice in the category Performance & Video Art for her work Women in Agony.
Roots weaves cinematic and stage narration together. The first part of the performance consists of a documentary depicting the daily life of elderly women living on their own in remote villages of Epirus.
The documentary boasts influences from the Japenese Butoh dance, especially in terms of editing. A timeless cinematic approach, built around the metaphysics of female existence, as it emerges out of the wilderness. Women, through their particular relationship with time, narrate inner dialogues and stories from the past, along with beloved song lyrics. They are the last living guardians of memory of those particular places. The documentary has been developed in collaboration with Aegle Drakou.
In the second part of the performance, under the musical direction of the 'leader' of the Polyphonic Caravan, Alexandros Lampridis, who is renowned for promoting and disseminating the polyphonic songs of Epirus, women of three generations linked with singing take the floor: the polyphonic group of the 'Ladies of Ano Deropoli', the women of the polyphonic group 'Chaonia' along with two members of 'Isokratisses'. They share their personal stories with the audiences, gradually turning these stories into polyphonic songs.
The performance unfolds experiential stories of women, each one of them noted for its uniqueness and all of them together conjuring a timeless treasure trove of testimonies.
The documentary/performance Roots is a celebration of inner female strength through an innovative blend of traditional and avant-garde styles.

With Greek and English surtitles