Haris Gekas has a brilliant career as a soloist in ballet and hard work in classical dance. He has been working since the age of 17, first at Daniel Lommel’s Eternal Dance Theater and then at the International Youth Ballet in Cannes.

He left his home and Greece at the age of 13 to study on a scholarship from the Alexandros S. Onassis Foundation near Lommel in France. “I was a quiet child,” he recalls, “but I had a great need for action.” During his studies, he struggled with severe back pain that began as a teenager with great discipline and dedication to his art. For years he trained in a soft corset that allowed him to move but reminded him that his spine needed attention and strengthening.

“When you love, everything falls into place,” he answers the question of why he didn’t give up then. He also answers the question of what makes him dance now, when he is 40 years old. “Love,” he repeats. “Dance is like a big family to me. As in any family, there can be rivalry, but if you love the dance and not yourself when he dances on stage, then you have a healthy relationship with your art, you know when it’s time to leave, and you don’t lose your modesty.

A discussion with an international Greek performer and choreographer resident in France takes place on the occasion of the invitation of the alternative scene ΕΛS to participate in the contemporary dance triptych “Human Nature”, which will be presented next Sunday (12/3). ). In his work Eclipse, in which he also designed sets and costumes, ELLS dancers face an erotic call inspired by the theories of alchemists: the perfect fusion of male and female bodies that creates the perfect hermaphrodite. The silver and gold costumes, together with the stage choreography, express an alchemical allegory of the perfect union of sunlight and moonlight.

“I am happy when I find groups with classical traditions and training,” says Mr. Gekas. “When I came to Athens, I worked with ballet dancers who are open to modern dance. The musical composition of Apostolis Koutsoyannis, which has a strong lyrical element, led me to a composition with duets and neoclassical dance vocabulary that makes me feel like I’m finding my old friend.”

As a choreographer, he has many stylistic qualities that match the character of each idea. In addition, over the years of his career, he distinguished himself as a soloist with the ballet of the National Opera of the Rhine, the ballet of the National Theater of Geneva and the ballet of the Lyon Opera, ceasing to be a dancer in the repertory group. In 2014, he founded the Strata group, which works exclusively on modern projects. His work has been presented in major theaters and festivals in France, Luxembourg, Belgium and Spain, as well as in organizations such as the Ballet de Rhine, the Lyon Conservatory of Music and Dance and the Frankfurt Dance Company Dresden. He continues to perform alongside established choreographers “while I still have the energy,” he says. “In addition, in the dance we learned to work quickly and demandingly. Performance, choreography, and teaching is a triangle that I find balance in, and I will continue a little while longer, as long as I have the energy to serve some good ideas, mine or others.

“Human Nature”, a modern dance triptych directed by Haris Gekas, Gedian Doda, Konstantinos Rigu.