Šibenik Dance Festival: Panopticon & Salopette

PANOPTICON (Vasiliki Papapostolou, Greece)

In the eighteenth century, Jeremy Bentham created the Panopticon, a prison design emphasizing constant surveillance. Foucault argued that this concept reflects modern society, where individuals internalize external scrutiny, leading to self-surveillance. The piece PANOPTICON explores the inner conflict among the ego, superego, and subconscious, highlighting the tension between order and chaos and the desire for control over an unpredictable life. The red handed character wrestles with the paradox of wanting visibility while feeling invisible, performing for others and questioning their identity. Ultimately, the piece reflects on life’s meaning, the desire to escape judgment, and the futility of societal rules, portraying the soul trapped in a machine-like body in an increasingly predictable world.

Choreography/ Performance/ Text: Vasiliki Papapostolou (Tarantism)

Music composer/ Sound Designer: Christopher Nas

Lighting designer: Emma Gasson

Videographer: Klaus Shehaj

(YAZ) Yellowbiz Art Collective, work Salopette

Salopette is a contemporary dance performance that tells an intimate story of lifelong love through a duet between two performers. Blending dance with theatrical elements, the piece traces a relationship as it unfolds: from playful beginnings, through the challenges of emotional maturity, to the quiet tenderness of growing old together.

At its core, Salopette is less about movement and more about feeling, atmosphere, and the unspoken moments that keep love both alive and fragile. It explores how emotions evolve over time; how support can slip into dependence, how the everyday can create distance, and yet, how love can endure as a conscious and powerful choice.

Structured in four chapters (youth, maturity, personal growth, and a reflective epilogue), the performance leans on expressive physical storytelling and a rich musical landscape. The soundscape blends soul classics by Sam Cooke with carefully selected instrumental pieces, while a single costume, a shared pair of overalls, symbolically follows the couple’s journey through time.

Salopette is a tender, honest, and emotionally layered ode to love: not the kind that lasts because it’s easy, but the kind that endures because it is nurtured and chosen, again and again..

CREATIVE TEAM

(YAC) Yellowbiz Art Collective:

Choreography & Direction: Michele Pastorini with YAC

Performance: Maria Matarranz de Las Heras, Valentin Chou

Dramaturgy:Michele Pastorini with YAC

Music: Sam Cooke + Funkadelic + The Orange Bird Blues Band

DEFINING ONE’S SELF (Anja Miličić – Anyami, Croatia)

As an introduction to the evening’s main program, in the category “Emerging Young Dancers”, Anja Miličić – Anyami will present her solo performance “Defining One’s Self”, that blends breakdance with elements of house, hip-hop, and contemporary movement.