The national dance company ŻfinMalta is presenting its “versatility and excellence” in a triple bill by three-award winning choreographers this weekend.
“Żfindays is a celebration of dance… a showcase of ŻfinMalta’s versatility and excellence, and an important moment in our performance season that continues to foster creative relationships within our territory,” artistic director Paolo Mangiola said.
The shows will start with the national premiere of Silk, choreographed by Riccardo Buscarini of Italy. The dance is about travelling, communicating and hovering in time and is inspired by a winter’s journey on the Trans-Siberian railway.
Photo: Sebio AquilinaLast year, the piece was nominated in the best choreography category at the Russian National Theatre Award Golden Mask, and Mr Buscarini was nominated in the best choreographer.
After that, the ŻfinMalta dancers will perform Tnax, an energetic and athletic choreography, described as a dance-sport work. It is actually a recreation of Italian choreographer Jorge Crecis’s original work 36, produced in 2011 for the company Edge and presented in 2012 at the Royal Opera House in London.
Closing the night is Prototype Hero, an original work created for ŻfinMalta by renowned Italian-
born dancer-choreographer Jacopo Godani, which invites its audience to enter another world and contemplate the illusion of endless transformations and appropriation of life.
Mr Godani is a long-time collaborator of US choregrapher William Forsythe, and now artistic director and choreographer of the Dresden Frankfurt Dance Company.
The 2018/2019 season was the busiest the company has seen, with significant growth in focus on audience development and accessibility through new, targeted outreach initiatives
These innovative, world-class productions prove ŻfinMalta’s commitment to produce works which reflect an outward-looking, contemporary Malta.
Founded in 2014, the company has presented various new productions such as Barh (2017), Carmen (2018), Boulevard (2018) and Voyager (2019). Since 2018, local audiences have increased by 30 per cent.
Mr Mangiola joined the company in 2017 and his input is considered as instrumental in raising ŻfinMalta’s profile in the Mediterranean and international dance community.
A choreographer, dance educator and performer, Mr Mangiola works within ballet and contemporary dance practices, and draws inspiration from various artistic sources, the web and emerging movements.
Photos: Matteo CarratoniHe has danced with world-renowned dance stars Wayne McGregor, Deborah Hay, Martin Creed and Mauro Bigonzetti and created works for the Royal Ballet, Tanztheater Nürnberg, Aterballetto and Balletto di Roma.
His choreographies have been performed in theatres as well as in contemporary art galleries and urban spaces in the UK, the US, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Spain, Serbia and have been broadcasted worldwide on the cultural platform Nowness.
Mr Mangiola likes to think of ŻfinMalta as a “cultural ambassador for Malta and the beautiful country we represent”.
The 2018/2019 season was the busiest the company has seen, with significant growth in focus on audience development and accessibility through new, targeted outreach initiatives, including open classes, an artist-in-residence programme, education programmes and dance projects which invite participation from all parts of the community.
It featured three world premieres and one national premiere. Two of these works, which debuted at the Malta International Arts Festival, will be performed again this week.
The 2019/20 season takes this growth to new heights, with nine productions, featuring local artists and acclaimed international choreographers; three collaborative outreach productions for key festivals and events; four programmes for dance participation and education; an artist-in-
residence programme; and a new series of public presentations on choreography by experts from alternative creative fields.
For more information about the company, visit http:// zfinmalta. org/.
Żfindays is being held at the Valletta Campus Theatre on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8pm. For tickets, visit kultura.mt.
Photos%3A Matteo Carratoni
Photos%3A Matteo Carratoni
ŻfinMalta dancers rehearsing for their Upcoming production. Photo%3A Sebio Aquilina