Duran 'Dee Dee' Abdullah, Salvatore De Simone and Tarantism
Resolution Festival 2025
About Duran 'Dee Dee' Abdullah, Salvatore De Simone and Tarantism
ANIMA
ANIMA, 'the irrational part of the soul', is a solo work by freestyle movement artist Duran. This immersive piece offers a sensory experience that explores the interplay between freestyle movement and its environment, using lighting, sound, and set design to transport the audience into a journey of spiritual and artistic evolution. As a continuation of Duran's previous solo, Chrysalis, ANIMA delves into the challenges of transformation, presenting these themes through fresh perspectives discovered during the creative process. This captivating work invites viewers to engage deeply with the complexities of the soul and the art of self-discovery.
About Duran 'Dee Dee' Abdullah
Duran is the pioneer and founder of Shway Style UK, a unique street dance style rooted in the 1970s gay club culture and codified by street dance legend Adolfo “Shabba-Doo” Quinones, who trained Duran in 2013. Since then, she has built the world’s largest community of Shway dancers. Combining her expertise in this art form with her skills as an artistic director, Duran seamlessly integrates movement, choreography, costume, prop and set design, and film to create innovative performances that celebrate the rich heritage and evolving nature of street dance.
Cast & Credits
Artistic Director/Choreographer/performer: Duran 'Dee Dee' Abdullah
Set Design: Duran 'Dee Dee' Abdullah
Music production: Taylor DaCosta
Ombra mai fu
Ombra mai fu is a visually evocative dance piece that follows an introspective journey from darkness into light. Through abstract allegories referencing Aeschylus Oresteia's tragedy, the choreography explores the human struggle to break free from the illusions and projections that cloud the mind. Shadows symbolize the unconscious, instinctive forces that alienate the self, while the interplay of light becomes a metaphor for awareness and transformation. Over the course of the performance, the shadows evolve into independent entities, culminating in a surreal and poetic "danse macabre" where they dissolve, leaving space for clarity and renewal.
About Salvatore De Simone
Salvatore De Simone, born in Calabria, Italy, trained in Milan at Teatro Carcano School. He worked with companies and projects across Italy before moving to Germany to work for the Deutsche Tanzkompanie as well as freelancing in Berlin. Salvatore joined the Biennale Danza College 2021 in Venice dancing works from Wayne McGregor and Crystal Pite’s repertory. Salvatore joined Company Wayne McGregor in 2021.
Cast & Credits
Dancers: Naia Bautista, Harry Theodora Foster, Salvatore De Simone
Music: David Laurence Westcott
Lucid Absurdities
Two strangers at an airport fall asleep after a flight delay, slipping into shared lucid dreams. Their subconscious minds merge, transforming the mundane into a dark, surreal journey. As they unknowingly project each other’s hidden fears and desires, the piece becomes a powerful metaphor for psychological projection. Blurring the line between reality and fantasy, it unveils the delusions that shape both our dreams and waking lives through a hybrid of physical theatre and street styles.
About TARANTISM
Vasiliki Papapostolou aka Tarantism is an international experimental dance artist whose work delves into the complexities of the human condition within contemporary society. Her unique movement language is a hybrid of physical theatre and elements of street dance styles and ballroom Latin.
As a choreographer, her works has been featured at prestigious venues and festivals, including Whitechapel Gallery (UK), Jersey City Theater Center (USA), Philadelphia Fringe Festival (USA), Sadler’s Wells - Open Art Surgery (UK), MASDANZA (Canary Islands), Arts On Site (USA), Morven Museum (USA), Koresh Artist Platform (USA), Tanztheater Erfurt (Germany), TEDx Panteion University (Greece), Burgos & Nueva York (Spain), The Place (UK), Block 336 - ICF (London), Dance Waves Festival (Cyprus), Zichri Theater (Israel) and more.
Cast & Credits
Choreography / Concept: Vasiliki Papapostolou aka Tarantism
Performance: Spiros Paltoglou, Vasiliki Papapostolou aka Tarantism
Music / Sound designer: Christopher Nas
Photography: Frank Ippolito
