AEF2026: MÁM

This summer, Athens Epidaurus Festival's main city venue, the former industrial complex in Pireos 260, celebrates 20 years as one of the city’s most vital cultural meeting points. Under the artistic direction of Michail Marmarinos, this year’s landmark programme unfolds across two months of theatre, dance, music, performance, and multidisciplinary works, bringing together more than 50 events by acclaimed international artists alongside some of the most exciting voices from Greece’s contemporary scene. Pireos 260 will live through the Athenian summer as a dynamic space where emerging creators, established names, and curious audiences come together to explore what contemporary performance can be today.

New collaborations, technology-driven works, and immersive experiences sit alongside bold theatrical productions, live music, and cutting-edge choreography. Amongst these cutting-edge international showcases is the highly anticipated debut appearance in Greece of visionary Irish choreographer Michael Keegan-Dolan and his company, Teaċ Daṁsa, presenting MÁM. In the Irish language, the word translates to both "a mountain pass" and "an obligation"—a compulsory path followed with a sense of deep, inner necessity. Born from the windswept, myth-laden landscape of West Kerry, this Olivier Award-nominated production brings together twelve international dancers to create an ecstatic, high-energy community of moving bodies. The performance unfolds as a mesmerizing ritual where an initial nightmare gives way to a rapturous, intoxicating celebration, completely dissolving the boundary between the performers and the audience.

The production is propelled by a thrilling sonic collision, pairing the traditional, raw concertina playing of Irish virtuoso Cormac Begley with the avant-garde classical sounds of the European musical collective s t a r g a z e. Hailed by The Irish Times as "90 minutes of ritual ecstasy," the show is a hauntingly beautiful experience that transforms the stage into a space of shared breath. If you catch the opening performance on 10 June, you can also stay after the show for an exclusive discussion with the choreographer and a screening of Pat Collins' 85-minute documentary Dance, which captures the company's fascinating creative process.