Live Performance "Rebetiko" @DFT

Making its North American debut at the Detroit Institute of Arts, Rebetiko is a poignant and visually stunning puppet performance by Marseille-based Anima Theatre. Directed by Yiorgos Karakantzas and written by Panayotis Evangelidis, the piece draws on the Greek urban folk music of the 1920s—rebetiko—as a sonic thread through a contemporary odyssey of exile, displacement, and resilience. Merging handcrafted puppetry, live and recorded music, and haunting video projections, Rebetiko creates a dreamlike landscape where memory and migration intertwine.
Originally conceived as a meditation on forced relocation and state violence, the performance is both timely and timeless. Through deceptively simple gestures and richly layered imagery, Rebetiko offers a rare kind of catharsis—one that honors loss while affirming our shared humanity. (60 min.)
Recommended for ages 8+
The Friday, October 25 performance will be followed by a public conversation on migration—both global and national—featuring leading scholars, advocates, and legal experts. Moderated by Professor Anya Sirota, the talk-back will reflect on the performance’s themes and the urgent realities of displacement and border politics today.
Brought to Michigan through the University of Michigan’s Arts Initiative, and with support from Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, this performance exemplifies the power of international cultural exchange and interdisciplinary collaboration.
****Photo and Description attributed to Detroit Film Theater, et al***********

When I first looked at this I thought it was a movie. It is not. It is a performance that combines puppetry, music, and video images. Looks fascinating to me.

Let's meet up in Kresge Court for a meet and greet at 6 pm.