Events 2023

Music Concert by Marina Satti

Just a few months after conquering the top charts with her new songs “Pali” (Again), “Ponos Kryfos” (Hidden Pain), and “Spirto kai Venzini” (Matches and Gasoline), Marina Satti is coming to the “Giortes Rokkas” festival for a unique concert in Crete.

Marina Satti’s concerts are as exceptional as the songs she creates. In her live performances, she presents a unique and special musical spectacle, deeply influenced by traditional roots intricately combined with contemporary musical trends.

“For me, tradition is about people – who come and go – the way they connect, communicate, and the things they leave behind.”

During her new concert, we will hear live all the songs from her debut album titled “YENNA.” The title is not accidental, as it symbolizes her intention to capture the creative process from conception to birth: the enthusiasm, fear, insecurity, pain, and finally, the moment of arrival in the world, and consequently, the transformation.

Marina Satti’s first album is a journey with references to the sounds of the entire Greek countryside – from the zurna and davul of the North or the polyphonic singing of Epirus to the feasts and dances of Crete.

Marina Satti captures the primal vibrations of the Greek countryside, inspired by the wild mountains and the endless Mediterranean Sea, while daring to experiment with pop and urban elements, elevating her unique sound that made her stand out.

She is accompanied by an exceptional band, creating a modern musical celebration with polyphonic alchemy, unexpected orchestrations, and her uniquely characteristic aesthetics.

Songs from Greece, the Balkans, and the Eastern Mediterranean. Bagpipes and beats. Davuls and 808s. A celebration – with the power to unite people of all nationalities and generations – where the modern meets the traditional to express themselves through the most direct language: music.

Information:

Marina Satti Concert

Location: Rokka Square

Date: August 13, 2023

Start Time: 21:00

Ticket Price: 15€ (reduced 12€)

Pre-sale: 12€

Pre-sale points:

• Mini Market “Mikro” – Kissamos, Iroon Polytechniou 151, T: +302822022150

• Bookstore “Librairie” – Chania, Andrea Papandreou 75 (opposite the Cultural Center of Chania), T: +302821045554

• Mediterranean Architecture Center (Megalo Arsenali) – Chania, Plateia Katechaki, T: +302821034200

For online ticket reservation, click here.

Bus services (KTEL) to/from Rokka village on Sunday, 13 August

Cost per trip: 5 euros | Departure times: 19.00 (from Chania), 20.00 (from Kissamos) |Return from Rokka village to Kissamos and Chania: After the end of the concert

“Kera A Stage” | “The Fairytale”

(Two-day dance-theater event, starting time: 18:00)

“Kera A Stage”  is an action that is closely associated with the Giortes Rokkas festival more than any other, symbolizing the hospitable and pedestrian character of the event.

For the fourth year in a row, the entire Kera village will be transformed into a huge stage with short acts taking place in courtyards, balconies, streets, fields, and houses, blurring the boundaries between art and everyday life. This year, the invited artists, under the artistic direction of Meti Panagiotopoulou, will work with the concept of fairytales. Stories from the oral tradition of peoples from distant and nearby places teach us about the healing power of love and the harmonious coexistence of people. They speak of the importance of personal responsibility and the collectivity of dreams. The sacrifices one makes to attain something they desire with all their heart. The obstacles that are opportunities in the journey of life and teach us to believe in ourselves and ultimately help us understand the world anew. These tales bring to the forefront profound pan-human truths, quests, concerns, and projections of collective imagination, coming to life through the voices of storytellers, dance, and physical theater. They are breaths of the world, offerings from the heart.

The audience will once again wander through the narrow streets of Kera with a map in hand, discovering the acts in the courtyards of houses and various corners of the village. The audience will encounter various dance styles, theater performances, and storytelling for both children and adults, featuring renowned artists who will invite them to follow in their footsteps.

“Kera A Stage – THE FAIRYTALE”

Artistic Direction: Mety Panagiotopoulou

Dramaturgy, Selection, and Adaptation of Fairytales, Narration: Dimitris Prousalis, Vania Stampolaki

Scenic and Costume Design: Magda Dimou

Lighting Design: Giannis Lykos

Supporting Artists: Aria Stamataki

Dance-Theater Acts

Artists: Anna Fytila, Alexandros Tzanakakis, Panagiotis Tzanakakis, Babis Tyrakis, Aria Stamataki, Giorgos Fasolis, Lampros Koukounas, Margarita Pavlou, Manos Katsiadakis, Giannis Protopapadakis, Matina Kokolaki, Androniki Marathaki, Elena Stavropoulou, Io Asithianaki, Stella Tripolitaki, Anastasia Giamouzi, Vasiliki Doudoulaki, Kostas Kokolakis, Maria Latinaki

Children’s Acts

Artists: Valentina Papadimitraki, Leonidas Maridakis, Theoni Koutsounaki, Ioanna Simantiraki, Christos Stratakis

Start Event Acts
Artists: Georgina Tsontaki, Ioanna Georgiadi, Anasa Partheniou-Kalaitzi, Ioanna
Koupani, Irida Nikolakaki, Margarita Houdalaki

Parallel Activities within the “Kera A Stage” event (18:00-20:30)

-> Dance Workshop for Children and Adolescents: Breakdance in the streets of Kera | Facilitator: Manos Katsiadakis

In this workshop, participants will start with the basic steps of breakdance incorporated into choreography. They will become familiar with the rhythm, flow, explosiveness, and sudden stops (freezes) of this dance style. Breakdance is a rhythmic, explosive, and highly dynamic dance that belongs to the street dance genre, originating from the streets of America and hip-hop culture. It borrows techniques and elements from martial arts and folk dances and is characterized by acrobatic movements, abrupt stops, and the flexibility of the entire body. It is an ideal way for children and young people to exercise and express themselves artistically.

-> Recycling Art Workshop for Children | Workshop Leader: Theodor Parasakis

Over the past 10 years of Giortes Rokkas festival, materials like posters, programs, works from previous workshops, and leftover materials from various activities have left their mark on the villages. With the aim of raising awareness among young people about the environmental impact of our actions, artists will collaborate to redefine the role of each material. In this workshop, primary and secondary school children will have the opportunity to reuse old materials, give them new value and meaning, and create original works of art through recycling. Children will become familiar with artistic techniques and acquire basic skills for creating artworks. An exhibition of the children’s works will be organized at the end of the activity.

> Daily Ticket: 12 euros (pre-sale), 15 euros (at the door), 12 euros (reduced).

Photography Workshop “My Own Geography,” in collaboration with the platform “Postcards from home”

Workshop Instructor: Fotini Papachatzi

“An individual is not distinct from his place; he is that place” (Gabriel Marcel, 1948)

Giortes Rokkas festival hosts once again “Postcards From Home” platform, a three-day creative workshop titled “My Own Geography,” inviting the residents of Rokka and Kera to meet with participating photographers and share their own geography: their favorite routes, locations on the map connected with experiences, memories, emotions, events, and oral histories.

Special attention is given to the elderly residents of the area who possess photo albums from the “old days.” These albums will be digitized, thus preserving the local cultural heritage.

The goal is to visually reconstruct the place through the eyes of the participants and residents, capturing memories photographically and potentially creating a narrative within the three-day time frame.

To prepare and organize the workshop, there will be a preparatory online meeting where we will discuss the project and work together to discover the themes each participating photographer will focus on, using examples of photographic stories.

The resulting works will be showcased on the “Postcards from home” platform.

About “Postcards from home” (postcardsfromhome.net)

“Postcards from home” is an international artistic community reflecting and creating around the concept of home. Established in October 2016, it has since developed in two directions: as an online collaboration and creation platform, open to anyone interested in being part of it, and as an educational community for photography, based on non-conventional education. Each participation is showcased on the Facebook group @postcardsfromhome.net, while every participant is invited to develop their concept on Instagram @postcardsfromhomenet. So far, 364 artists, both professionals and amateurs from all over the world, have participated in the platform, with 157 of them narrating stories of home through images and texts on Instagram.

>Free participation (up to 15 photographers of all levels and up to 15 residents of the villages), reservation required.

>It is also recommended to attend the Oral History Workshop that follows on August 27 for enriching the narrative of the participating photographers.

PARTICIPATION DECLARATION: click here.

Screening of the awarded italian film “My brother chases dinosaurs” (“Mio fratello rincorre i dinosauri”) in collaboration with the Chania Film Festival

The Chania Film Festival meets the Giortes Rokkas festival, and as part of the “Villages with Lights On” event, it organizes the screening of the film “My Brother Hunts Dinosaurs.”

As a kid, Jack was sure his brother Gio was a superhero with special powers, just like in the comics. Now that he is about to go to high school, Jack is aware that his brother has Down syndrome. Jack is almost ashamed of him now. When he meets Ana, his first love ever, Gio’s unpredictable behavior becomes a growing burden. Concerned about his status among his classmates, Jack conceals the fact that he has a brother.

>Free entrance. The movie is addressed to children from 4th grade and the whole family (greek subtitles)

First Aid Demonstration by the Red Cross – Local Branch of Kissamos

Specialized members of the Red Cross will present a First Aid Demonstration (20:00) covering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for children and adults, the Heimlich maneuver for choking hazards, and the recovery position. This informative session aims to equip participants with vital first aid techniques and knowledge, demonstrating the correct procedures in case of an emergency.

Experiential Oral History Workshop “Voices, Oral History in the Spotlight”

This is an open discussion and experiential workshop focusing on oral history, the preservation, and the promotion of intangible culture through the program “Crete, Oral History” by the Cultural Society of Crete.

As part of this program, which has been active since 2010, recordings of oral testimonies, publications, training sessions (annual and intensive), documentary productions, exhibitions, and special educational events are conducted. The program is implemented in collaboration with the Regional Unit of Chania and other local authorities and cultural organizations in Crete.

During the workshop, excerpts from stories of the area’s residents will also be presented. These stories were collected during the 2021 recordings in Rokka and Kera, once again as part of the Giortes Rokkas festival.

Program designers: Hará Andreádou (MA, MEd, PhD candidate), historian, archaeologist, cultural scientist, educator, and scientific collaborator of the Chania Film Festival | Matthaios Frantzeskakis, mathematician, journalist, adult education trainer, Director of the Cultural Society of Crete and the Chania Film Festival.

>Free participation, reservation required.

PARTICIPATION DECLARATION: click here.

Full Moon with “Carmina Burana” at the Archaeological Site of Rokka 

WATCH LIVE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuDwcJpBtPE

The programme of the most atmospheric concert of the August Full Moon includes  one of the most popular works of the modern repertoire of the 20th century, the cantata “Carmina Burana” by the German composer and music educator Carl Orff.

The soloists Maya Mourignelli (soprano), Antonis Koroneos (tenor), Angelos Chondrogiannis (baritone), the “Phonodia” Vocal Ensemble and the Choral Group of the Heraklion Music School (taught by Ioannis Idomenes) will perform in this great evening, as well as the Choral Ensemble of Heraklion (taught by Yannis Protopas), the Academic Choir of the Youth of Athens (taught by Nikos Maliaras), the Youth Choir of the Heraklion Regional Unit (conducted by Lena Hadjigeorgiou) and the Percussion and Piano Ensemble of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Athens, under the musical direction of the important Greek conductor Myron Michaelides. This is a production of the Heraklion Cultural Conference Centre which was presented with great success last June.

> Free entrance

Useful tips: low show, pillow, jacket

Bus services (KTEL) to/from Rokka village on Thursday, 31 August

Cost per trip: 5 euros | Departure times: 19.00 (from Chania), 20.00 (from Kissamos) |Return from Rokka village to Kissamos and Chania: After the end of the concert