Conference 2025 Workshops

Workshops on Friday and Saturday are 2,5 hours, on Sunday are 2 hours long, for a limited number of participants.

For workshop details (description, day, time, language, facilitators' CVs, etc) click on the title.

HOW TO RESERVE A PLACE IN WORKSHOPS 
The available places in each Workshop are limited.
Reserving a place in a WORKSHOP will take place after the general Conference Registration via a personal email.
Priority will be given based on the order of the date of Conference Registration.
After you have completed the Registration process, you will receive a personal email. This email will be sent based on the priority of your registration date and will allow you to choose the workshop you wish to attend.
Check language, date, hours, before reserving a place
Note: all workshops are offered in parallel sessions in the same time slot each day. Participants may choose one each day

 

 

 

Play Jam

Play Jam

Athens, 23/03/2025, conference workshop, Eleni Papaioannou

Event date: 3/23/2025 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM Export event

Play Jam

 

Eleni Papaioannou
Movement Educator, Choreographer, Performer, Greece

 

WORKSHOP

Athens International Conference "Theatre/Drama & Inclusive Education"

23  March 2025

Hellenic Theatre/Drama & Education Network (TENet-Gr)

 

Language: English
Limited number of participants

 

 

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Play JAM—A Workshop in Movement, Connection, and Inclusive Play

 

Introduction

Play JAM is an immersive workshop, open to all ages and abilities, created as a dynamic space for exploring the art of play in a deeply inclusive way. Rooted in the concept of “Play Movement,” it’s designed to be both a practice and a process, offering a unique opportunity to come together, explore, and engage in meaningful, movement-based games. Play JAM invites participants to explore what it means to play—physically, emotionally, and socially—creating a supportive environment where everyone can find their own place within the circle.

 

The inspiration of Play JAM traces back to the “Peace Games,” an Erasmus+ training program in the Czech Republic that centered on gamification. This experience, alongside training in “Segni Mossi”—an approach combining movement and drawing—inspired Play JAM’s development as a cross-disciplinary practice, integrating aspects of theatre, movement, education, and life itself. This workshop embodies a playful learning approach that invites self-expression, societal reflection, and personal growth. Whether you’re an experienced mover or a newcomer, Play JAM encourages each participant to embrace play as a tool for connection and self-discovery, breaking down traditional ideas around competition, winning and failure.

 

Play JAM is designed to:

- Foster a safe, collaborative environment that values each participant’s unique abilities and perspectives.

- Encourage open discussions and reflection after each task, exploring the role of play as a powerful, educational experience.

- Cultivate free expression, while redefining “play” as something deeply educational, not limited to childhood or idle time.

- Build connections between body movement and emotional well-being, showing how play can foster deeper social bonds and self-awareness.

- Reinforce the belief that every individual, regardless of age or physical ability, can meaningfully engage with the experience.

 

The workshop

The workshop unfolds in three main parts, each crafted to offer a holistic exploration of play:

 

1. The Personal: What’s inside?

This stage centers on personal exploration. Through guided movement improvisations and meditative tasks, participants connect with their bodies, uncovering where play “lives” within them. Individual games prompt reflections on their effects on emotions, physicality, and self-perception, fostering a journey of reconnecting with one’s inner voice and playful spirit.

 

2. The Collective: What’s out there?

Moving from the self to the group, participants explore what it means to be part of a community. This stage emphasizes opening one’s senses to group dynamics, focusing on mutual support, communication, and inclusivity. Collective physical games provide insights into cooperation, empathy, and the formation of shared values, celebrating the diversity of each individual’s contribution to the whole.

 

3. The Making: Let’s do it!

In the final stage, participants work together to create a “Play JAM”—a playful performance that celebrates creativity, “failures,” and successes alike. Through improvisational tasks and theatrical games, they shape a collaborative outcome that is uniquely theirs. This process showcases the inclusive, connective power of play, encouraging participants to integrate these playful, cooperative tools into their daily lives.

 

 

Play JAM is built on the belief that every body can play. By combining elements from Play Movement, Gamification theory, and experiences from working with children and young people, the workshop offers a fulfilling experience to participants of any age or physical ability.

 

Participation requirements:

Note that the workshop includes exercises with possible physical contact.

No prior experience is necessary, and the activities are adaptable to ensure inclusivity for all. Through movement, meditation, and shared exploration, Play JAM becomes a living practice of inclusivity, where diverse voices are valued, and every participant contributes to a joyful, supportive community.

 

 

 

Eleni Papaioannou is a choreographer, performer, and movement educator specializing in contemporary dance, physical theatre, and improvisation. Born in Athens in 1993, Eleni began her dance journey early, acquiring a First-Class BA (Hons) in Contemporary Dance from London Contemporary Dance School in 2014. Her professional career has since spanned working with choreographers, directors and artists worldwide. In 2020, Eleni completed an online course in Play Therapy and is currently pursuing an MA in Theatre Education from the Open University of Cyprus. She has taught at renowned institutions, including The Place and the Royal Academy of Dance, and has facilitated workshops globally in Mexico, Thailand and India. Eleni founded A(r)CT in 2014, a performing arts group with a mission to foster social change through art. The group has received national funding from the Greek Ministry of Culture and has presented work at international festivals.

 

 

 
FRIDAY 21/3/2025, 16.30-19.00

"The Raft Game"
Georgia Antoniou, teacher at 5th High School Corfu Greece
Angeliki Kladi teacher at 5th High School Corfu Greece
Language: Greek
Room: 5405 (wheelchair accessible)

The acceptance of self through the affirmation of others
Lambros Arapakos, social worker, Greece
Giouli Douvou, theatre pedagogue, Greece
Language: Greek
Room: 131 (no wheelchair accessible

"we all can…supporting diversity through enhancing the general self-confidence of adolescents in secondary education"
Aikaterini Asimidou, teacher, Music School of Piraeus, Greece
Antonios Lenakakis, Professor of Theatre Arts and Education, Department of Preschool Education Sciences, Faculty of Education, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Angelos Souliotis, music teacher,  Music School of Piraeus, Greece
Language: Greek
Room: 5407 (wheelchair accessible)

"Biography Based Language Teaching Through Creative Drama"
Ferah Burgul-Adıgüzel Assoc. Prof. Gazi University Gazi Faculty of Education, Turkey
Language: English
Room: 132 (no wheelchair accessible)

"The theatrical educational model through the neurological approach of acting"
Annita Capousizi, Instructor of the inclusive performing arts, Artistic director of the theatre group ARTimeleia, Greece
Language: Greek
Room: 5404 (wheelchair accessible)

"Oficina Manta plus democracy and modern slavery"
Hugo Miguel Coelho, ExQuorum, Portugal
Language: English
Room: 127 (no wheelchair accessible)

"I am Malala - a process drama approach to address gender-based violence in classrooms"
Adam Cziboly, associate professor Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway
Language: English
Room: 310 (wheelchair accessible)

“The Navel of the Earth- A workshop on inclusion” 
Maria Frangi, University of Patras Department of Theatre Studies, Greece 
Language: Greek
Room: 313 (wheelchair accessible)

"Lotus Project yoga meets poetry"
Bruno Freyssinet artistic director of Transplanisphere France
Foteini Dimitriou Yoga Family Violet Alignment school, Greece
Language: English/Greek/French
Room: 311 (wheelchair accessible)

"Who Was My Granny"
Sunčica Milosavljević, theatre director, drama pedagogue, Serbia
Nataša Milojević, drama and dance pedagogue, Serbia
Mladen Brekić, Youth Drama Club POKUS, Serbia
Sara Prodanović, Youth Drama Club POKUS, Serbia
Language: English
Room: 5204-nykton organon (wheelchair accessible)

"POWER! - Exploring and blocking racism within and around us” 
George Moschos, Director of Youth Engagement Scheme YES, CAMHI, Greece 
Olga Orfanidou, primary school teacher, Greece 
Language: Greek
Room: 410 (wheelchair accessible)

"A Thousand Languages of Dance: Dance as a Tool for Inclusion"
Maria Papadopoulou, Movement Teacher / Trainer, InDancEdu, Greece
Language: Greek
Room: Estiatorio (wheelchair accessible with some difficulty)

"Journey to the Water"
Tríona Stokes, Drama Lecturer, Maynooth University, Ireland
Language: English
Room: 312 (wheelchair accessible)

"Devised Theatre - new meanings and new narratives"
Sofia Vgenopoulou, child psychiatrist, director, theatre educator-group animator, Greece
Language: Greek
Room: 409-chorodias (wheelchair accessible)

 

 

SATURDAY 22/3/2025, 09.30-12.00

"The things couldn't fit in my suitcase"
Ömer Adıgüzel, Prof. University Faculty of Educational Sciences, Turkey
Zeki Özen, Assoc. Prof.  Ankara University Faculty of Educational Sciences, Turkey
Language: English
Room: 131 (no wheelchair accessible)

"Uninstall the installs: deconstructing the roots of fascism"
Katerina Alexiadi,  educator, drama teacher Greece
Vasilis Klissiaris educator, drama teacher Greece
Language: Greek
Room: 5405 (wheelchair accessible)

"Theatre as an Awareness Practice: 1955 - 2024, a Bus Ride"
Maria Olga Athinaiou, Theatre Practitioner, Processworker, Greece
Language: English
Room: 5404 (wheelchair accessible)

"Oratio Mix, intercultural dialog at school"
Noémie Besace, artist, pedagogue, France
Bruno Freyssinet, artistic director Transplanisphère, France
Language: English/French
Room: 132 (wheelchair accessible)

Theatre with singing as a vehicle
Aris Biniaris, Director, actor, Greece 
Language: Greek
Room: Estiatorio (wheelchair accessible with some difficulty)

"Embodied Storytelling: Exploring Kathabhinaya for Empowering Vulnerable Social Groups"
Janardan Ghosh, story performer, creative director, education officer, India
Language: English
Room: 409-chorodias (wheelchair accessible)

"Everyday stories through trace, movement, and sound” 
An inclusive approach inspired by local pedagogy, kinesiology, and the work of Trisha Brown.
Vagelis Kolotsios, educator, Greece
Elina Vafeiadi, educator, Greece
Language: Greek
Room: 127 (no wheelchair accessible)

"The prince and the prince"
George Konstantinidis, Child Psychologist, Actor, Volunteer at the Rainbow School, Greece
Elena Skarpidou, Sexual Education Trainer, Head of Education Department at the Rainbow School, Greece
Language: Greek
Room: 5407 (wheelchair accessible)

"Devising as a Process of Inclusion and Developing Group Harmony" 
Sanja Krsmanović Tasić, choreographer, dance-theatre practitioner, Serbia 
Language: English
Room: 5204-nykton organon (wheelchair accessible)

"The Red Lantern Festival, or How the Emperor’s Maidservant changed his Mind and Saved the People"
John O’ Toole, Professor University of Melbourn, Australia
Language: English
Room: 410 (wheelchair accessible)

‘Truth or Lie’ - simple responses to a complex world
Lutz Pickardt, director, theatre pedagogue, BuT, Germany
Language: English
Room: 313 (wheelchair accessible)

"Elements of applied theater and technique by Ivana Chubbuk 12 Tools in drama pedagogy on examples of scenes from plays by A.P. Chekhov"
Arma Tanovic-Brankovic Professor on Academy of Performing Arts, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Language: English
Room: 311 (wheelchair accessible)

"One Well, One World: Activating Water Justice in the Global Textile Industry"
Philip Valle Lecturer - Department of Theatre and Dance, California Polytechnic State University, USA
Phyllis Wong Lecturer - Department of Theatre and Dance, California Polytechnic State University, USA
Jenna Brock Student, Research and Teaching Assistant - California Polytechnic State University, USA
Sara Sjoblom Student and Research Assistant - California Polytechnic State University USA
Language: English
Room: 312 (wheelchair accessible)

“Me, You, Together!” 
Eirini Zoi, philologist, drama teacher, Greece 
Foteini Papacharalampous, psychologist, psychotherapist, Greece 
Melina Hadjigeorgiou, drama teacher, educator, Greece 
Language: Greek
Room: 310 (wheelchair accessible)

 

SUNDAY 23/3/2025, 09.30-11.30

“Getting into improv theatre”
Frank Hohl, theatre pedagogue, Germany
Language: English
Room: 313 (wheelchair accessible)

“Where is mum? - Applying Drama for Gender Equality Education” 
Martha Katsaridou, Assistant Professor of Drama/Theatre Education at the Department of Early Childhood Education, University of Thessaly, Greece 
Koldo Vio, Drama Educator, Theatre director, Greece/Spain 
Language: English /Spanish/Greek
Room: 132 (no wheelchair accessible):

“Codes Under the Shadows”
Aglaia Naka, drama-pedagogue, Greece
Christos Rachiotis, actor, animator, teacher, Greece
Language: Greek
Room: 127 (wheelchair accessible)

"Play Jam"
Eleni Papaioannou, Movement Educator, Choreographer, Performer, Greece
Language: English
Room: 131 (no wheelchair accessible)

“Talking about the ideas of hate in the classroom” 
Kostis Papaioannou, director of “SIMEIO: for the Study and Confrontation of the Right-Wing Extremists”, Greece 
Aspasia Kalisora, teacher, member of “SIMEIO: for the Study and Confrontation of the Right-Wing Extremists”, Greece 
Language: Greek
Room: 5204-nykton organon (wheelchair accessible)

 

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