What’s on this weekend

This weekend’s round of events includes live performances, new exhibitions, a festival that modifies its performances to be inclusive for all and a final visit to the Christmas villages before they wrap up for good.

Opening in Limassol is an exhibition that brings an important collection of paintings on bark created by Indigenous Australians to the heart of Limassol. The Exhibit 8 gallery will host the From a Continent to an Island this January and February and attending the opening event this Friday will be Fiona McKergow, the Australian High Commissioner in Cyprus.

Limassol will also host the Beyond DisDance Festival with performances on Saturday and Sunday and a pre-festival event on Friday. Happening for the second time, the festival is dedicated to the inclusion of people with disabilities both on stage and in the role of the spectator. As such, the performances raise issues on the topic and are created specifically for the festival under the guidance of an accessibility consultant. Each performance ensures that people with disabilities will be able to follow the piece either by using audio description, tactile tour, subtitles or interpretation in Cypriot Greek Sign Language.

A new local production will be presented in Nicosia and Limassol this weekend and is a unique theatrical concert. Titled Chromata the performance is an album presentation by the artist Sais. On this occasion, a theatrical work was also written in the Cypriot dialect by Cypriot poet and author George Papakonstantinou, which was published together with the lyrics of the songs in a unified narrative under the title Colours.

The Nicosia International Festival will also present three events this weekend. On Friday night, Cypriot artist Freedom Candlemaker will present his new album Ageless. On Saturday, the award-winning performance Still! A Statue That Travelled the World will return to the Nicosia Municipal Theatre for a series of weekend performances. Finally, on Sunday, Cypriot ballerina Anastasia Paschali will take the stage, not to perform but to engage in an open discussion with youth. The dancer will talk about the highs and lows of her career in the international dance world and present a short dance piece with fellow dancers.

This weekend will also be the last one that the Christmas villages will be open as they conclude their 2023-2024 season on Sunday. For a final dose of festive fun, head to Agros, Dherynia, Fikardou, Lefkara, Kalopanagiotis, Kyperounta or Laiki Geitonia in Nicosia.

Chromata

Theatrical concert. Album presentation by Sais. January 12. Rialto Theatre, Limassol. January 14. Satiriko Theatre, Nicosia. 8.30pm. Tickets at www.rialto.com.cy and www.soldoutticketbox.com.cy

Nicosia International Festival Performances

Album presentation by Freedom Candlemaker. January 12. Still! A statue that travelled the world. January 13-14.3pm. Open discussion with ballerina. January 14. 7pm. Nicosia Municipal Theatre, Nicosia. www.soldoutticketbox.com

From a Continent to an Island

Exhibition featuring paintings on bark, created by Indigenous Australians from Arnhem Land. January 12-February 3. Exhibit 8 gallery, Limassol. Opening night: 7.30pm. Tuesday – Friday: 10am – 11pm. Saturday: 12pm – 11pm. www.exhibit8gallery.com.cy Tel: 25-212171

Beyond DisDance Festival

Performing arts festival with accessibility for those with disabilities. By Ipogia Skini NGO. January 12-14. Polichoris Synergeio, Limassol. 6pm-9pm. €8 per performance or €12 general entry. Tel: 99-784949