Starting from the 1980s and gradually arriving to the present, a three-day cycle of discussions will contribute to tracing and reviving the atmosphere of an era significant to contemporary dance. Devised as discursive formats for collecting and sharing memories, the discussions will unfold through the testimonies of dance artists Adriana Borriello, Gabriella Maiorino and Marta Ciappina.
The common ground between these female dance artists who are linked to three different generations is the performing arts landscape of Italy. However, all three have embarked on a journey of experimentation and research abroad to explore other geographical territories in search of expanding their artistic and cultural horizons. Their narration intersects with memories of exploring the dance hubs of Brussels, Amsterdam and New York in a dialogue about migration, return and transformation in relation to the performing arts landscape in Italy over the years.
Spanning a time frame of approximately half a century, the discussions further aim to provide insights into the aesthetics and the politics of the Flemish performing arts scene and the postmodern dance. In this way, activating and sharing memory become tools for delving deeper into a personal history that offers alternative and complementary perspectives to the formal historical narratives. Physical memories of the body-as-archive, reflections and anecdotes turn history into a vibrating story that pulsates in the here and now, minimising the distance between past and present.
During the third discussion, Marta Ciappina weaves transatlantic connections between the USA and Italy to reflect on a somatic training that feeds the imagination and inspires the poetics of movement and artistic expression.
Booking required – write to dare.danceresearch@abcdare.it.
Ariadne Mikou is an artist-researcher and dance critic. She holds a PhD in Interdisciplinary Choreographic Research from the University of Roehampton (UK). Her work focuses on memory and transmission, social and spatial practices, and interdisciplinarity in the performing arts.
Marta Ciappina is a dancer and teacher. She trained in New York at the Trisha Brown Studio and at the Movement Research. She has collaborated with Alessandro Sciarroni, Michele Di Stefano, Marco D’Agostin, Anagoor, and others. She teaches at the Scuola Ronconi (Piccolo Teatro di Milano) and Biennale Danza in Venice. She won the Danza&Danza Award in 2022 and the Ubu Award in 2023.