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Nina Papathanasopoulou
Project Creator, Researcher, Speaker

Nina Papathanasopoulou is a Professor of Classical Studies specializing in Greek drama, mythology, and its reception. She joined the Classics faculty at College Year in Athens in January 2020, where she teaches Ancient Greek mythology, religion, and literature courses and runs field trips all over Greece for US students who are studying abroad.

Nina completed her PhD in Classics at Columbia University in 2013 and her BA in Classics at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens in 2003. From 2013 to 2019 she was Visiting Assistant Professor of Classics at Connecticut College, where she taught Greek, Latin, Classics and Theater courses and was deeply involved in outreach programming for Classics. At Connecticut College she also served as academic advisor both for Classics majors and for first-year students navigating their transition to college.

Since January 2019 Nina also serves as the Public Engagement Coordinator for the Society for Classical Studies, where she oversees their new initiative, “Ancient Worlds, Modern Communities” (formerly Classics Everywhere). This initiative encourages interdisciplinary collaborations between Classics and other fields, and supports programs that engage individuals, groups, and communities in critical discussion of and creative expression related to the ancient Mediterranean. Nina writes regular posts for the SCS blog about the programs the initiative supports.

Nina has been interested in dance since the age of 10. She studied dance passionately for 20 years, taking ballet, modern dance, contemporary, theater jazz, lyrical jazz, Horton technique, and flamenco classes in Athens, New York, Paris, and Seville. She trained in the Graham technique with Penny Diamantopoulou from 2001-2003 and has been an avid enthusiast of Graham ever since.

Penny Diamantopoulou
Graham Technique And Repertory Instructor

Penny Diamantopoulou is a Graham Technique and Repertory instructor reconstructing Graham pieces in collaboration with the Martha Graham Dance Company since 2002. She studied at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance (MGSCD) on a demonstrator’s scholarship and completed the Professional and Post-Graduate Program in 2000 with Diane Gray and Joyce Herring. She performed with the Martha Graham Dance Ensemble from 1996 to 2000, and taught at the MGSCD from 1998-2000. Penny taught at the National School of Dance in Athens from 2002-2021 and teaches at the Professional Dance School ‘Horohronos’ since 2017, as well as at dance schools all over Greece. In collaboration with the Martha Graham Dance Center, she has taught, reconstructed, and restaged pieces or excerpts of the Graham repertory for master classes and performances in New York City, Greece, France, Bosnia, Belgium, Hungary and Turkey. She has an on-going collaboration with Graham for Europe, teaching Graham technique and repertory for the Summer and Fall Intensive workshops in France and for the Summer Intensive workshop in Italy. Since August 2020 she has also collaborated with Movement Migration Nonprofit Organization where she has been teaching virtual Advanced Graham Technique classes for dancers in Europe and the USA. She is the founder, Artistic Director and Choreographer of ARTHROSIS Dance Company since 2003.

Penny’s role in the project is crucial. She creates and arranges Graham technique combinations that illustrate Graham’s technique and vision and she restages the excerpts from Graham’s repertory that are performed in each presentation. 

Penny also supervises the lighting and sound design and works closely with each theater’s technician to produce the atmosphere that best suits each venue.
pennydiamond@live.com

Nina Papathanasopoulou The Team
Dancer

Eleftheria Iliopoulou

Eleftheria Iliopoulou graduated with distinction from the National School of Dance in Athens in 2017 and from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Athens.

Eleftheria Iliopoulou graduated with distinction from the National School of Dance in Athens in 2017 and from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Athens. She works as a dancer and performer and since 2018 has been dancing with the Int. Physical Theatre studio Farm in the Cave company in Prague. She performed her solo “F.E.A.R.” in the 26th Kalamata Dance Festival in 2020 and in the 1st Rhodes Dance Festival in 2021. In 2022 she danced with A. Stavropoulos at Onassis Stegi and with L. Doumouliaka at the Theater der Künste in Zurich. In 2023 she danced for the Rolex Arts Festival in the Khoodia Toure's Óró production and at Mysteries 0 and 113 performed in Eleusis European Capital of Europe 2023.
Dancer

Natalia Kalogeropoulou

Natalia Kalogeropoulou graduated with distinction from the National School of Dance in Athens in 2021.

Natalia Kalogeropoulou graduated with distinction from the National School of Dance in Athens in 2021. She danced in the Greek National Rhythmic Gymnastics Ensemble from 2009 to 2013 and was a member of the musical theatre group Musical Arts On Stage (2012-2018). She participated in the Junior Hellenic Dance Company (2016, 2018) and in Zoe Eustathiou’s “Working Rhythm” at To Treno sto Rouf (2022). She has worked as a kinesiologist and choreographer for the Future Now festival of the Onassis Foundation (2023) and the Philippi Festival (2023). She has written and published the poetry collection "I knew only one child who walked on hands", published by Enypnio (2021). She works in Athens as a dancer, choreographer, and dance teacher.
Dancer

Maritina Katsimpraki

Maritina Katsimpraki graduated from the National School of Dance in Athens in 2020.

Maritina Katsimpraki graduated from the National School of Dance in Athens in 2020. She has danced in the Athens and Epidaurus Festival and participated in the short film Brutalia, the Days of Labor which received an award at the Cannes Film Festival. She is part of the organizing committee for Dance Laboratory Rhodes and a member of Vivian Triantafyllopoulou’s dance company (based in England). In 2022 she participated in the works of Marcos Morau & Penelope Morout – under the supervision of Linta Kapetanea in Epidaurus and the Kalamata Dance Festival. In 2023 she danced in the Mysteries performed as part of Eleusis European Capital of Culture 2023 under the supervision of Patricia Apergi. She has worked as a performer in productions by Georgia Tsagarakis and Yiannis Kakleas and as a kinesiologist in the graduation exams of the National Theater School for Sofia Antoniou and Konstantinos Sakoulas. She teaches ballet and contemporary in dance studios in Athens.
Dancer

Vassia Kolliou

Vassia Kolliou graduated with distinction from the National School of Dance in Athens in 2016.

Vassia Kolliou graduated with distinction from the National School of Dance in Athens in 2016. She danced with the Hellenic Dance Company in Graham’s Panorama at the Theater of Herodes Atticus in 2014. She performed in the Next@Graham festival in New York City in 2019 and at the Theater der Künste in Zurich with L. Doumouliaka in 2022.
Dancer

Marianna Papakonstantinou

Marianna Papakonstantinou graduated from the National School of Dance in Athens in 2020.

Marianna Papakonstantinou graduated from the National School of Dance in Athens in 2020. She studied Musical Theater on scholarship at the Midlands Academy of Dance and Drama in England in 2015-16. She has performed in Martha Graham’s repertory with Penny Diamantopoulou, in "The Simple Dance" by Iris Karajan and in "Move it" at the Dance Festival in London. Since 2020, she has been a member of the Artius Dance Theatre dance group, having danced in two state-funded productions. In 2022, she created and directs “Plenum Dance Co.”, a dance company based on the island of Rhodes. Since 2018, she is the official organizer of Dance Summer Camp - Rhodes, offering diverse dance seminars with teachers from Greece and abroad. She has danced with Atrius Dance Theater in 2021 & 2022 and in 2023 she participated in Mozart's "The Magic Flute" at the Megaron Athens Concert Hall.
Dancer

Marianna Tsikmanli

Marianna Tsikmanli graduated from the National School of Dance in Athens in 2021 and is completing her degree in Archaeology and History of Art at the University of Athens.

Marianna Tsikmanli graduated from the National School of Dance in Athens in 2021 and is completing her degree in Archaeology and History of Art at the University of Athens. She has collaborated with choreographers Tzeni Argyriou and Athanasia Kannelopoulou among others and has participated in numerous dance workshops in Athens and Brussels. She collaborated with Tzeni Argyriou for the Dior "Cruise 2022" campaign and has danced for Flux Laboratory Athens and the International Corfu Festival. She works in Athens as a dance teacher and kinesiologist in theatrical performances.
Dancer

Mara Tsourma

Mara Tsourma graduated from the National School of Dance in Athens in 2020 and is completing her degree in Theatrical Studies at the University of Athens.

Mara Tsourma graduated from the National School of Dance in Athens in 2020 and is completing her degree in Theatrical Studies at the University of Athens. She danced with the Hellenic Dance Junior Company from 2013-2018 and in the Athens and Epidaurus Festival in works of Ioannis Mantafounis and Iris Karagian in 2020. In 2018 she participated in a Graham Technique and Repertory seminar in Italy with Christine Dakin and Katerina Rago.
Dancer

Ioanna Tzanimi

Ioanna Tzanimi graduated from the National School of Dance in Athens in 2021.

Ioanna Tzanimi graduated from the National School of Dance in Athens in 2021. She is currently getting certified to teach Hatha Yoga and is also pursuing a degree in Preschool Education at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
Dancer

Androniki Vasili

Androniki Vasili graduated with distinction from the National School of Dance of Athens in 2018.

Androniki Vasili graduated with distinction from the National School of Dance of Athens in 2018. She was then awarded a full scholarship at the Martha Graham Dance School where she joined Graham 2 and later the Martha Graham Dance Company itself and received the Ooi Meland Award. There she performed lead roles in numerous works of Graham.