ŻfinMalta’s newest initiative Intimate Żfin is where music meets dance in one of Malta’s most elegant and historically resonant spaces, Palazzo Parisio. It is also an opportunity to see the company’s extraordinary dancers up close in a series of choreographic miniatures created by artistic director Paolo Mangiola.
Malta’s national dance company has teamed up with celebrated singer and musician Alexandra Alden and her band from Rotterdam and Malta, in a collaboration with Palazzo Parisio.
Intimate Żfin arrives in the middle of ŻfinMalta’s eighth season, with Malta’s performance spaces back to full capacity after a protracted period of closed theatres and borders.
Since joining the company in its third season, Paolo Mangiola’s vision has been to foster a culture supporting contemporary dance in Malta through relevant and intelligent dance works which inspire and move audiences – works which are multidisciplinary, challenging, and unique.
“My idea to invite Alexandra Alden to collaborate with ŻfinMalta, bringing her beautiful music and lyrics to the world of contemporary dance, is to open up our work to diverse audiences in an unexpected setting,” he says.
Intimate Żfin unfolds through what Mangiola describes as “a series of dance sketches, creating a dialogue between the choreography, music, and lavish surrounds of the Palazzo Parisio ballroom”.
Alden adds: “Working with Malta’s national dance company in such a collaborative way is truly a privilege and one of the most exciting projects I have had the pleasure to work on to date. It is an opportunity to merge two different artistic disciplines in a meaningful way and to communicate something heartfelt and unique to our audiences. ŻfinMalta is renowned for innovative and boundary-challenging projects, so I’m curious to see how our perspectives will overlap and diverge.”
What should audiences expect from this performance? Alden says her band is focusing on the themes of belonging, home and the ‘butterfly’ effect. In this case, the ‘butterfly’ takes shape in the form of a ladybird she once found, which brought colour to a dull and empty space.
“It’s about how one small action can lead to a bigger outcome and how, when you feel like you don’t belong in any one place, you have the freedom to belong everywhere or anywhere you wish. Each performance my band and I give is different, much like in a contemporary dance performance, as we have the freedom to move and react on each other’s feelings in the moment.
“It’s a symbiotic connection that I hope to bring across in our performance of songs from the new album Leads to Love which was released just last autumn. The band is made up of both Maltese and Dutch members, whom I’ve come to know over the years and have collaborated closely on this album.”
Intimate Żfin artists
Choreography: Paolo Mangiola in collaboration with the dancers
Music: Alexandra Alden – vocals and acoustic guitar; Daniel Van Der Duim – keyboards, backing vocals and samples; Jurriaan De Kok – acoustic and electric bass; Luke Briffa – drums; Jimmy Bartolo – electric guitar and effects
Light design: Moritz Zavan Stoeckle
Costumes: Julia Boikova
Intimate Żfin will be held at Palazzo Parisio on March 26, 2022, at 8pm. Duration: One hour. For bookings go to Visit Malta – Intimate Żfin (visitmalta.com). For ŻfinMalta’s full programme go to zfinmalta.org.