Anadyomene – by Phyllis Akinyi
A meditative walk to heal our community and ourselves
TIME & PLACE:
Friday 12 Aug. / from The Little Mermaid (17.00-18.00) to Brorsons Kirke/Church (23.00-24.00) – see below where you can join in-between
WHAT: Walk
FREE
From the sea we must ascend, to the sea we must pray. Pray to the mother of the sea and of the moon, Yemaya. May she look after the dead, may she look after the little ones, and may she heal the sorrow we carry.
On August 12, there is a full moon in the sign of Aquarius – a sign that stands for community awareness and reminds us that together we are stronger.
12 August is also a reminder of the fateful night in 2009 when Brorsons Church was cleared by the police.
Therefore, on this day, dancer and choreographer Phyllis Akinyi gives her body to Yemaya and moves through the city in her image, calling for loving revolution and community healing. A walk that honours the dead and those on the run.
The walk starts at The Little Mermaid. With tenderness we will send thoughts to those we have lost – known and unknown – and send flowers to the sea.
From there we move through the city in loving, meditative and continuous movement.
Finally, we arrive at Brorsons Church at 23, where Akinyi will dance, chant and pray in front of the church in memory of the Iraqi men, women and children who once lived here. This ritual lasts one hour.
You are welcome to follow the whole walk or just parts of it. White and blue are colors in honor of Yemaya and you are encouraged to wear her colors. Photos or items in honour of loved ones are also welcome. Flowers as well.
Let’s meet to send a little more warmth, healing and care into the world.
ROUTE
The beginning and the end are marked with a longer meditative ritual with movement and music.
You can also meet Phyllis Akinyi along the route, where she creates a space to pause and send thoughts and notes to those we want to connect with. Our deceased, our loved ones, those on the run.
17.00-18.00 THE LITTLE MERMAID / INITIATION RITUAL
18.30-19.00 Christiansborg
19.45-20.15 Ørstedsparken on the bridge
20.40-21.00 Dronning Louises Bro
21.30-22.00 Assistens Cemetery – central intersection of the cemetery, along the avenue
23.00-24.00 BRORSONS KIRKE / CLOSING RITUAL
You are welcome at the individual stops, and from Dronning Louises Bro you can join all the way to the end.
Phyllis Akinyi is a Danish-Kenyan dancer, choreographer and anthropologist. As a consequence of her nomadic life, she has found an interest in artistically investigating the intersections between movement, culture and identity, and her practice simultaneously combines dance with folkloric traditions.
Phyllis uses dance as a way to understand split and composite identities – as a way to understand herself and the world around her and as a way to connect to her roots and ancestors. Past, present and future are always intertwined, and in the same way Phyllis blurs the distinctions between individual and space, between body and universe.