After Croatia, Georgia has been the second Country for the work activities of “NU.DA. Live! – Contemporary Choreographic Experiences“, a project that aims to internationalize the careers of young Italian choreographers conceived and developed by Movimento Danza, under the artistic direction of Gabriella Stazio, and winner of Boarding Pass Plus 2022 – 2023 – 2024, a call of the Italian Ministry of Culture that promotes the comparison and exchange of artistic practices between Italian and foreign professionals.
A project created to internationalize young choreographers
Movimento Danza shared this second and intense experience in Georgia, hosted by the Arts Research Institute directed by Levan Khetaguri and the Regional Theatres Network coordinated by Iuri Mgebrishvili, with the support of Oliko Barbakadze, together with Italian partners AlphaZTL – Compagnia d’Arte Dinamica, directed by Vito Alfarano, and gruppo nanou, a contemporary dance and performing arts company.
Following the project’s mission, the protagonists of the networking meetings with cultural realities – theaters, theater, dance and mime companies, local and Italian institutions in Tbilisi, Poti, Gori and Batumi were, as last time, the works of young choreographers presented by the Italian associations.
Claudia Caldarano, Aurelio Di Virgilio, Francesco Biasi introduced themselves
Claudia Caldarano presented “Piano Solo, Corpo Solo” for Movimento Danza, introduced by artistic director and choreographer Gabriella Stazio and Eleonora Tempesta for project coordination and promotion. Claudia Caldarano was the winner of the “Residanza – La casa della nuova coreografia” 2021 call.
Aurelio Di Virgilio presented “Jeplane” supported by nanou group, represented by choreographer Marco Valerio Amico for artistic direction and Domenico Garofalo for artistic co-direction and promotion.
Francesco Biasi brought “Shut up! Toxic Love” a diptych produced by AlphaZTL, an association present with Vito Alfarano, its artistic director and choreographer, and Giancarlo Quaranta for promotion.
Next stop in Naples at Movimento Danza project leader
The next stage will be in October in Naples, home of lead partner Movimento Danza, to draw conclusions and project evaluations and lay the groundwork for even more extensive and effective future development.
Going deeper, into the heart of the experience, here are some of the artists’ travel notes that highlight the value, not only in terms of professional, but also human growth that the project represents as well as weaving international and intercultural relationships – which we hope – will be productive and long-lasting.
Participants’ travel notes: the wonder of discovery
We discover “a small country with an intriguing history, with a proud and genuine people, an extremely diverse landscape and amazing nature. Why Georgians like Italians. Because, although it is not Italy, you can drink good wine. Because Georgians like to eat with friends. Because Georgian churches are very impressive. Because it has remained a very tolerant country, mosques rise between churches and synagogues. Because Georgian toasts warm the heart. That’s right, they “warm the heart,” as it was for me during my week in Georgia. (Francesco Biasi)
This experience had an intense value of discovery. I discovered first of all a country I had never been to by finding every open door of theaters, schools, and places of culture, which otherwise, if I had gone without NU.DA Live!, would most likely have been closed. I got to know the generosity of Iuri, Levan, and Olikò who immersed us in their reality and shared their relationships, their network of collaborations between Tbilisi, Poti, Gori, and Batumi while also delivering to us a three-dimensional Georgian, historical and political as well as cultural insight. (Claudia Caldarano)
The impression I had of the was of a magnetic place, very seductive and at the same time fatigued. (Aurelio Di Virgilio)
The Georgian trip, a land I mistakenly perceived and imagined as distant, when in fact it is close in culture and affinity, was surprising. (Marco Valerio Amico)
Looking back on the week spent in Georgia we still feel the excitement and sharp memories of those days. A country seemingly far away geographically, indeed inconvenient to reach, but now definitely close to us, very close!, in so many ways. (Vito Alfarano, Giancarlo Quaranta)
A proud, deep-rooted and traditional culture
Georgia seemed to me to be a territory in renewal with a future yet to be written and imagined, charged with its past and identity, strong in its enormous respect for the concept of culture. (Marco Valerio Amico)
In Georgia, dance is mainly related to traditional rituals, and it was surprising to see a celebration of Georgia’s rich and diverse life and culture. (Francis Biasi)
Dance is taught to everyone starting in elementary school. It is a complex dance, certainly not popular, but it is taught to the population. And so the population has a heritage of common signs that feed the “sense of we” in a bodily and social dimension. […] This is a culture that has matriarchal roots, which is based on the myth of Medea, and makes irrationality a homecoming, a vital drive. (Claudia Caldarano)
The surprising aspect was to relate to a land with a strong magical component (I need only think of Medea who is the symbol of Georgia). (Aurelio Di Virgilio)
Contemporary dance, a language to be built together
The important attendance that celebrated our presence made clear the perceived necessity of our work. I feel strengthened by the people we met who gave our artistic languages the importance of curiosity, knowledge and transmission highlighting how Georgia is an educated and mature territory and yet, in many ways, a virgin. (Marco Valerio Amico)
Contemporary dance remains little known, seeing the eyes shine, feeling the energy, and most of all the desire to learn during the workshops given to the children I always come home prouder of what my eyes see. (Francis Biasi)
The feedback we received especially from the dancers after the contemporary dance workshop we held at the Movement Theatre in Tbilisi was really encouraging and gave us back the feeling that in the Georgian contemporary dance scene there is indeed a fertile ground of protagonists who yearn to be contaminated by new energies and for whom we can provide a valuable, healthy, fruitful contribution to their development. (Vito Alfarano, Giancarlo Quaranta)
The prospect of future collaborations was one of Levan’s first thoughts within this journey, and that is also why I felt very strongly the desire on the part of the partners to give coordinates to think about the contexts in which to make the work of each of us dialogue. (Aurelio di Virgilio)
The value of common planning
We still feel a lot of emotional closeness with each of the Nu.Da Live group and a lot of appreciation for all the people we met during the trip; special mention goes to Levan, Yuri and Olliko who took charge of organizing every little detail and every single aspect of the week’s program, making everything very smooth and flowing; we cherish the precious sense of care that our partners showed towards the group and the individuals, the ability to listen, the competence in providing answers, the return of a sincere interest in dialogue and in building a broad collaboration. […] As AlphaZTL, we returned to Italy with the impression that Georgia remained an open door for the future, that it will be a stage to which we will have the opportunity to return, that we will again be welcomed with pleasure, and that we will be put in the best conditions to offer what we were appreciated for. (Vito Alfarano, Giancarlo Quaranta)
I return with the clarity that the project led by Dance Movement is a bet in search of cultural encounters in which we happily and gratefully participate. (Marco Valerio Amico)
I deepened relations with Gabriella and Eleonora (Movimento Danza) and discovered the people who animate the partners of the NU.DA. project, finding with all of them (Gabriella, Eleonora, Vito, Aurelio, Giancarlo, Marco, Francesco, Domenico) affinities that go beyond the fact of being colleagues working in the same field. We exchanged views and visions about current events, the profession, and life. (Claudia Caldarano)
I think back to the art installation near the port of Batumi, the metal and mobile statues of Ali and Nino, two lovers who much of the time are forced to look for each other and look at each other from afar but who, when they can get close, almost dancing, even manage to interpenetrate into each other, capable of a deep connection, even if for a very short granted time. And it seems to me the right metaphor to describe what can be the relationship of present and future collaboration between Italy and Georgia, on the contemporary dance scene and beyond. (Vito Alfarano, Giancarlo Quaranta)
author | Eleonora Tempesta