Biography
In the transition to the 20th century, there is a gradual revival of the ancient Greek dance in Europe and America (U.S. – Canada), with Isadora Duncan (1877-1927) as the pioneer. She settled in Kopyana, Vyronas, in the house built by her brother Raymond in 1903. This trend was followed and expanded by Vasos Kanellos (Vasileios Kanellopoulos),[1] who studied the most authentic models while combining them with his empirical knowledge of folk culture. Born on September 23, 1887, in Filiatra, Kanellos came from a Phanariot family, with his great-grandfather actively participating in the 1821 struggle as a close associate of Kolokotronis, composing improvised war songs and poems.[2] From a young age, Vasos began composing poems, painting, and giving improvised amateur theatrical performances. His elementary school teacher suggested he study at the School of Fine Arts, which he did in the following years, attending classes there as a high school student with the support of his relative, Major General Char. Loufa. At the School of Fine Arts, he studied under Georgios Iakovidis (1853-1932), who had just arrived in Greece with a distinguished career from Munich.[3] Very soon, he met Isadora Duncan in Athens, as well as Penelope Sikelianou, and began taking lessons at the American choreographer’s school in Vyronas, where he was accepted and passionately dedicated himself to the art of dance. In 1912-13, he participated as a volunteer – a sacred soldier – in the Balkan Wars. Besides Duncan, Kanellos also took lessons in the 1910s from the distinguished Russian dancer of the imperial ballets founded by Sergei Diaghilev, Michael Fokine (1880-1942). According to his testimony, he managed to study at the famous school thanks to the expenses covered by Eleftherios Venizelos.[4] Additionally, he studied Shakespearean drama for three years, collaborating with prominent British artists of the time.[5] One of his students was the current director of the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation, Lori Belilove, whom he considered the new Isadora when he met her.[6]
From 1919, after his successful performance at Carnegie Hall in New York, Vasos Kanellos began to systematically present choreodramas, primarily based on ancient Greek tragedy, as well as Byzantine history and the survival of folk tradition during the Turkish occupation. He remained true to the spirit of Romanticism, as conveyed by Konstantinos Paparrigopoulos (1815-1891), who considered the continuity between them unbroken. In the U.S., he was supported by Nikolaos Cassavetes, the father of pioneer filmmaker John Cassavetes,[7] and by the patriotic organization AHEPA, which funded the annual performances of Kanellos’ choreodrama group at the Eleusinian Theater from 1928 to 1932. Notably, in the 1929 performance, Yiannis Tsarouchis (1910-1989) participated as the attendant of Keleus. Charlotte Markham (1892-1937) became a close companion and co-creator of Kanellos for nearly two decades, and they married. She initially took the artistic pseudonym Tanagra due to her resemblance to the ancient female figurines found in Tanagra.[8] The two appeared in the first complete revival of an ancient Greek festival at the Delphic Festivals organized by Angelos and Eva Sikelianos in 1927, following Angelos’ invitation. There, they presented a reenactment of the “murder of the dragon Python by Apollo” during the opening of the festivals, the Septiria, as had been done every nine years in ancient times at the same location.[9] At the end of the Delphic Festivals, they also performed the ancient Pyrrhic dance, accompanied by music composed by Konstantinos Psachos (1869-1949) specifically for the occasion. Their appearance at the ancient theater of Dionysus beneath the Acropolis the following year was equally historic, supported by Alexandros Philadelpheus (1866-1955), marking the first time since antiquity that the space of the original ancient theater was used again for its intended purpose. They also performed at various archaeological sites, including the Herodes Atticus Theatre, the Parthenon, the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion, Elefsina (inside the Temple of Demeter), ancient Olympia, and the ancient theaters of Epidaurus, Megalopolis, Argos, Ithome, as well as at the Amphiaraion of Oropos. These performances attracted a flow of visitors, comprising expatriates, foreign travelers, and local residents. After completing their extensive series of performances in Greece, the Kanellos couple returned to America, despite appeals from dozens of intellectuals for their efforts to be institutionally supported and for them to remain in the country.[10] Following the untimely death of his wife Tanagra from sepsis, Kanellos continued to perform with their daughter Xenia, whom he referred to as his second Tanagra. In 1960, he returned permanently to Greece, where he remained until his death at around 100 years old, on January 25, 1985, in Athens. He was honored twice in the U.S. by Presidents Roosevelt and Kennedy, and another two times in Greece, for his political action and for the revival of ancient theaters during the centenary celebrations in 1930.
Vasos Kanellos, in addition to his 88 recorded performances in Greece and America featuring the choreodramas he directed and starred in,[11] also showcased his visual art in several exhibitions. His wife was a graduate of the Chicago Art Institute and had been exhibiting her work since the 1910s.[12] She had even decorated the Milwaukee Theater and served as a professor of art history at the prestigious Downer College in the same city, as well as the director of the Art Institute.[13] In 1928, she organized an exhibition in Greece at the invitation of Angelos Sikelianos, after spending six months in Parnassus and the Peloponnese to capture the intense color character and idyllic beauty of the Greek landscape.[14] In 1935, the Kanellos couple presented models of ancient tragedies in Manitowoc (at the Public Library of Wisconsin), and in March 1936, they showcased watercolors inspired by the Greek landscape, which served as sketches for larger-scale murals, depicting the gentle curves of the Greek hills and the tranquil valleys of a Homeric-inspired setting. Moreover, in 1933, Vasos Kanellos created a mural in the residence of John Rockefeller in New York, collaborating with the high priestess of modern art, his first wife Aby Rockefeller. In 1938, after Tanagra’s death, Vasos presented watercolors and murals featuring scenes from Greece at the Art Institute of Chicago. During the tumultuous period of 1942-45, Kanellos organized numerous exhibitions and fundraising events in various cities across the U.S. to aid his homeland, which was severely affected by occupation, raising $10 million as part of the “The Greek War Relief Association.” In 1951, he traveled on a scholarship to Taos, New Mexico, where he stayed for three years and organized exhibitions, studying the art of the Pueblo indigenous populations and seeking similarities with the folk art of his homeland, looking for what he called a “bridge from Taos to Athens.” In 1955, he exhibited models of choreodramas at the Art Center in La Jolla, California, and in 1956 at Method University in Dallas, as well as at the University of Houston. In 1958, he organized an exhibition at the Atlanta Hill Auditorium, and in 1959—his last in the U.S.—he organized the exhibition “Minoan Art” at Betty Creek, Rabun County, Georgia, at The Jay Hambidge Art Foundation. In 1963, he organized an exhibition of 60 works in Italy at the University of Padua. The final presentation of his visual work took place in an exhibition in February 1978 in Athens.
Vasos Kanellos sought to adapt the visual and dance traditions he found in the pottery of ancient Greeks from the 6th and 5th centuries BC to the living tradition of dances he experienced in his homeland, such as Pentozalis, Tsamikos, and Pidikton. His father guided him by “listening next to the hearth or at the table to our immortal folk songs and laments.”[15] He considered ancient tragedy a total art form where music, dance, painting (as well as poetry, movement, and architecture) harmoniously collaborate. His long-standing and continuous cultural activities, particularly his persistent efforts to revive ancient dance, occasionally gained international acclaim, evidenced by covers and articles in prestigious magazines, such as two covers and detailed articles by Jean Martin in L’Illustration in 1929 and 1939,[16] as well as the publication of photographs of the Kanellos couple in color in the December 1930 National Geographic. Furthermore, he received laudatory comments in The Times of London and the well-known newspaper Le Temps in Paris. Despite this, Kanellos remains relatively unknown to the general public today, possibly because the ideological background of his work does not follow the usual and widely accepted Western narrative but retains many elements of purely Eastern origin, such as Byzantine influences, Orthodox Christianity, and post-Byzantine folk elements from the Ottoman period.[17] Anastasius K. Orlandos emphasizes his focus on the movements and gestures found in ancient pottery, as well as the ancient meter and language during recitation.[18] Alekos Lidorikis aptly points out that Kanellos made no concessions to satisfy his environment and its demands, characterizing him as an irredeemable dreamer, and highlights his dual role as not only a dancer but also a writer, poet, and—emphasizing this aspect—an excellent painter.[19] The renowned photographer Arnold Genthe underscores Kanellos’s efforts to capture on paper his impressions of his birthplace, wonderfully conveying the Greek landscape through a fundamental rhythm and evocative light.[20] He maintained that art is not merely entertainment and engagement for the public; it carries an educational mission, as exemplified by a great art at its perfection: exceptional works of sculpture, poetry, and music. Furthermore, both Vasos Kanellos and Tanagra had received lessons from the quintessential—if not the last—romantic artist of their time, Kostis Parthenis. Their work reflects the subtle yet distinctive influence of the great teacher, to whose circle they belonged. This influence is evident at least in the sensuous portrayal of the landscape and the intense color composition that gives a nearly metaphysical quality to the depicted subject, without falling short in design. Specifically, as Kanellos stated himself, he aimed in his work to instill the fundamental characteristics of the Greek people, namely the simplicity of the rural folk, the dances of the mountain dwellers, the colors, the folkloric elements, and the ancient language, which, according to him, have greatly contributed to world culture.
Anestis Melidonis
Art Historian
Scientific Collaborator of the Hellenic Diaspora Foundation
[1] In the 1920s, the well-known photographer Nelly’s (Nelly Sougioulzoglou) captured professional dancers for the first time at the archaeological site of the Acropolis, specifically the Russian Mona Paiva in 1924, followed by the Hungarian Nikolska in 1929 and the French Daljell in 1930. I would particularly like to thank Ms. Konstantina Stamatogiannaki, theater scholar and head of the Performing Arts Archives at ELIA/MIET.
[2] See M.F., “Biography,” Messinia News, 18/11/1962, in Vasos Kanellos, Ancient Greek Tragedy, Athens 1964, p. 29; as well as the testimony of Pavlos Krinaios, in the same work, p. 75. V. Kanellos’s sister, Theodora, also distinguished herself in singing, participating in her brother’s performances in Greece.
[3] Vasos Kanellos, National Gallery Museum of Alexandros Soutsos, Athens 1980, p. 7.
[4] Vasos Kanellos, Ancient Greek Dance and Isadora Duncan, Athens 1966, p. 63.
[5] Ibid., p. 68.
[6] See https://www.dancemagazine.com/teachers-wisdom-lori-belilove/#gsc.tab=0
[7] Vasos Kanellos, Ancient Greek Dance and Isadora Duncan, op. cit., p. 132.
[8] According to Vasos Kanellos’s testimony, the name Tanagra was given to her by the then Greek ambassador in the U.S., Michalis Tsamados, who was impressed by a performance of the couple (source: Vasos and Tanagra Kanellos Archive | Performing Arts Archives ELIA/MIET).
[9] Al. Philadelpheus, “Ancient Dances at the Theater of Dionysus in Athens,” Parthenon Magazine, no. 3, May 1928, p. 80.
[10] The appeal was co-signed by Kosti Palama and dozens of literary figures, including artists: Iakovidis, Parthenis, Roilos, Th. Thomopoulos, V. Germenis, A. Chatzimichalis, A. Tarsoulis, G. Bonanos, K. Foskolos, X. Sochos, P. Lyttras, G. Dimitriadis.
[11] See Vasos and Tanagra Kanellos Archive | Performing Arts Archives ELIA/MIET, Folder 1.4. In addition to the aforementioned locations, Kanellos also performed in Milwaukee (his wife’s hometown), Chicago, Oakland, San Francisco, Berkeley (in the ancient Greek architectural outdoor theater of the University), Los Angeles, San Diego, Pyrgos (Seven Hills), Rochester, Athens (Kotopoulis Theater and elsewhere), Canada, Santa Fe, Phoenix, and more.
[12] Anna Leon, “Choreography, Virility and the Nation: The Case of Vasos Kanellos,” in “Danza e ricerca. Laboratorio di studi, scritture, visioni,” year XIII, number 13, 2021, p. 156. Her work “The Song of the Courts”, of 1928, is in the Collection of the National Gallery – Alexandros Soutzos Museum.
[13] See Giuseppe Mugnone, Duncan Kanellos Sikelianos. Classical Dance and Greek Tragedy, Stediv/Aquila-Padova, 1969 (source: Antonis Vathis Archive, Avlida).
[14] See Journal des Hellènes, 19/2/1928 (source: Vasos and Tanagra Kanellos Archive | Performing Arts Archives ELIA/MIET, folder 3.2).
[15] See F.[iladelpheus?], “The Revitalization of Greek Dances,” Evdomas (source: Vasos and Tanagra Kanellos Archive, op. cit.)
[16] The articles by Jean Martin are: “The Resurrection of Ancient Dances and Dramas in Athens,” L’Illustration, 7 Sept 1929, pp. 234-236; “The New Life of Ancient Greek Theaters,” L’Illustration, No 5031, 5/8/1939, pp. 488-490.
[17] See Anna Leon, “Choreographing Proximity and Difference: Vasos Kanellos’s Performance of Greekness as an Embodied Negotiation with Western Dance Modernity,” Dance Research Journal, 55/1, April 2023, p. 40.
[18] Vasos Kanellos, op. cit., p. 9.
[19] Vasos Kanellos, Ancient Greek Tragedy, op. cit., p. 107.
[20] See Giuseppe Mugnone, op. cit.