The 27th Cyprus Contemporary Dance Festival, presented by the Department of Contemporary Culture of the Deputy Ministry of Culture in collaboration with Rialto Theatre, concludes on Sunday 21 June with TEMPO by Kalle Nio and Fernando Melo from Finland.
This year’s edition opened with strong momentum, offering audiences powerful and striking dance experiences by leading creators from the international and Cypriot contemporary dance scenes. The performances presented so far have filled Rialto Theatre with energy, emotion, and creative dialogue, reaffirming once again the Festival’s role as a key meeting point for contemporary choreographic voices from Cyprus and abroad.
The curtain falls on the 27th edition with TEMPO, an international co-production that explores the concept of time—its sensation, acceleration, deceleration, and suspension. Through a fusion of dance, theatre, and stage illusion, the performance invites audiences to reflect on how time is experienced and how it shapes our perception of everyday life.
TEMPO marks the first collaboration between director, visual artist, and magician Kalle Nio and choreographer Fernando Melo. Based on a text by Harry Salmenniemi, the work weaves together spoken and wordless scenes in which time slows down, reverses, or appears to come to a complete standstill. The music by Samuli Kosminen functions as an integral layer of the stage composition, enhancing the constant shift between the real and the imaginary.
Brazilian choreographer Fernando Melo, with a distinguished international career in leading European dance and opera companies, creates choreography that defies gravity and linear perceptions of time. On stage, Slovenian dancer and puppeteer Barbara Kanc, Italian dancer Luigi Sardone, and Swedish dancer-acrobat Winston Reynolds move within a space between dance, theatre, and acrobatics, producing images that stretch the boundaries of the possible.
Kalle Nio is regarded as one of the most significant figures of the contemporary Finnish scene, known for his unique ability to combine visual theatre, film, contemporary circus, and magic. Through his work and the company WHS, he has presented productions in more than 200 theatres across over 40 countries worldwide.
After the performance, at 21:30, audiences are invited to the Rialto Theatre’s outdoor bar for the CCDF closing party, featuring music by DJ D-Prank. A festive evening marking the conclusion of the 27th edition, bringing together audiences, artists, and collaborators for one final summer gathering before we meet again next year.
Credits:
Concept: Nio, Melo & Salmenniemi
Direction: Kalle Nio
Choreography: Fernando Melo
Text: Harry Salmenniemi
Performers: Barbara Kanc, Winston Reynolds, Luigi Sardone, Iiro Näkki
Music & Sound design: Samuli Kosminen
Costume design: Georgina Spencer
Lighting design: Johannes Hallikas
Stage manager / Rigger: Hedda Liukkala
Head of lighting: June Horton-White
Tour technician: Emilie Largier
Tour booking & Management: Yellow Everything
Photography & Trailer: Kalle Nio
Production: WHS / Kalle Nio
Co-production: Helsinki Festival, Lutkovno Gledališče Ljubljana, Slovenia
Supported by: Alfred Kordelin Foundation, Saastamoinen Foundation
Website: https://www.yelloweverything.com/tempo / https://kallenio.com/tempo
Duration: 60′
Age restriction: 8+
The Festival program continues with the following performances, all starting at 20:30:
- 10 June | Rialto Theater
SIRENS – Ermira Goro (Greece) - 13 June | Rialto Theater
- 15 Ιουνίου | Nicosia Municipal Theater
ODE – Elena Antoniou (Cyprus)
- 18 June | Rialto Theater
THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER 2.0 – Jan Martens (Belgium) - 21 June | Rialto Theater
TEMPO – Kalle Nio & Fernando Melo (Finland)
Organised by: Deputy Ministry of Culture and Rialto Theatre
In collaboration with: Limassol Municipality
Media Sponsors:Ο Φιλελεύθερος, ΡΙΚ, Vestnik Kipra, Russian Radio, Lenta, Radio Monte Carlo
Technical Partner: Eventpro
Venue Partner: Nicosia Municipal Theatre
Hospitality Sponsor: Alinea Hotel
Supported by: Εφημερίδα Λεμεσός, Check In, CITY, Limassol Today, Cyprus Butterfly, Cyprus News, Limassol Tourism Board
Information:
Ticket Price: €10 per performance.
E-tickets: https://rialto.interticket.com/programseries/ccdf27-20
Box Office: 77 77 77 45 (Monday–Friday, 10:00–15:00)
*Free admission for pupils, students, soldiers, pensioners, people with disabilities, and dance professionals.
