2019/20
SEASON PROGRAMME
Matt Thompson
ŻfinMalta creates and commissions extraordinary dance which engages and resonates with audiences, celebrating the spirit of Maltese culture in the contemporary world. ŻfinMalta has pioneered fresh thinking about contemporary dance in the Maltese islands. The company works with the best dancers and choreographers, from the Maltese islands and worldwide, to create innovative new productions of a world-class artistic standard.
/ INTRODUCTION
SINCE 2014, ŻFINMALTA HAS PIONEERED CONTEMPORARY DANCE IN MALTA. THROUGH COLLABORATIONS WITH ACCLAIMED INTERNATIONAL CHOREOGRAPHERS AND EMERGING NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL DANCE MAKERS, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PAOLO MANGIOLA HAS TRANSFORMED THE COMPANY INTO A EURO-MEDITERRANEAN HUB.
Matteo Carratoni
/ Artistic Director
PAOLO MANGIOLA IS A CHOREOGRAPHER, DANCE EDUCATOR AND PERFORMER WORKING WITHIN BALLET AND CONTEMPORARY DANCE PRACTICES. Operating in the interstices between codified dance and ordinary movement, Paolo is interested in exploring this relationship in the context of our interconnected society, drawing inspiration from various artistic sources, the web and emerging movements. As a performer Paolo has collaborated with, and danced for, artists and choreographers including Wayne McGregor, Deborah Hay, Martin Creed, and Mauro Bigonzetti, among others. In 2015 he attained a Masters in Choreography at The Place, London. Paolo has created works for the Royal Ballet, Tanztheater Nürnberg, Aterballetto, Szczecin Opera Ballet and Balletto di Roma, and 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, and Serbia, and have been broadcast worldwide from the online cultural platform Nowness. As an educator, Paolo designed the programme for the Contemporary Dance Department, Scuola del Balletto di Roma, and he was a full-time teacher of composition at the English National Ballet School, London. Paolo was appointed resident choreographer at Balletto di Roma in 2015, where he remained for three season. In 2017, Paolo was appointed Artistic Director of ŻfinMalta, Malta’s national dance company.
Gary Bugeja
2019/20
SEASON PROGRAMME
01 /
PRODUCTIONS
FOUR HANDS / Commissioned for Notte Bianca ŻFINDAYS / Triple bill THREADED FINE / Durational dance performance A MID SUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM / A contemporary dance adaptation 21 DANCES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY / A collaborative project between Paolo Mangiola & Kane Cali SUNRISE MASS / A ŻfinMalta & KorMalta collaboration QUARTETS IN MOTION / Malta International Arts Festival
02 /
REACHING OUT
GET LOOSE / Co-production with ŻiguŻajg Festival 3Ws / Collaboration with BeSmartOnline! KREATTIV / Collaboration with The Malta Visual & Performing Arts School
03 /
EDUCATION
CHRISTMAS INTENSIVE / Company’s repertoire EASTER INTENSIVE / Contemporary dance workshops with international artists SUMMER INTENSIVE / Ballet intensive
04 / 05 /
PARTICIPATION
MOVIMENTO / Five perspectives on choreography
AiR2020
Artist in residence programme
/ PROGRAMME CONTENT
OPEN CLASSES / Classes with ŻfinMalta company dancers
Matt Thompson
01 / PRODUCTIONS
WE WORK WITH THE BEST ARTISTS, DANCERS AND CHOREOGRAPHERS FROM THE MALTESE ISLANDS AND ACROSS THE WORLD TO CREATE WORK WHICH SHOWS THE BEST THAT AN OUTWARD LOOKING, CONTEMPORARY MALTA CAN PRODUCE
Matt Thompson
ŻFINMALTA PRESENTS A NEW OUTDOOR DANCE PIECE FOR THE BEAUTIFUL AUBERGE DE CASTILLE COURTYARD Paolo Mangiola Choreographer
FOUR HANDS
EXPERIENCE THIS NEW WORK, CHOREOGRAPHED BY ŻFINMALTA’S ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PAOLO MANGIOLA, AT NOTTE BIANCA, MALTA’S BIGGEST ANNUAL ARTS AND CULTURE FESTIVAL. FOR ONE SPECIAL NIGHT EVERY OCTOBER, NOTTE BIANCA LIGHTS UP THE VALLETTA CITYSCAPE WITH A SPECTACULAR CELEBRATION THAT IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND FREE OF CHARGE. Following in the spirit of their performance at the Valletta 2018 European Capital of Culture opening ceremony, ŻfinMalta presents a new outdoor dance piece for the beautiful Auberge de Castille courtyard. Four Hands explores the notion of unity as a response to current issues around human trafficking, and is created in support of the campaign #humanlikeyou Four performances take place throughout the night, each for 15 minutes, with a different cast of dancers, all to the musical score of Debussy’s ‘Épigraphes Antiques’, played live by the Maltese pianists Veronique Vella and Gisele Grima. Four Hands is a collaboration with the Parliamentary Secretariat for Reforms, Citizenship, and Simplification of Administrative Processes. FREE EVENT / DURATION: 15mins
PRODUCTION TEAM Choreography: Paolo Mangiola in collaboration with the dancers Music: Debussy, Épigraphes Antiques Musicians: Veronique Vella & Gisele Grima Lighting design: Andrew Zammit
01 / PRODUCTIONS
DATES: 5 OCTOBER 2019 / TIME: 19:00, 20:00, 21:00, 22:00 LOCATION: AUBERGE DE CASTILLE COURTYARD, VALLETTA
ŻFINDAYS TRIPLE BILL
DATES: 6, 7 & 8 DECEMBER 2019 / TIME: 20:00 LOCATION: VALLETTA CAMPUS THEATRE, VALLETTA
“ŻFINDAYS IS A CELEBRATION OF DANCE, UNFOLDING OVER THREE DAYS, AND AN OPPORTUNITY TO SEE THE COMPANY’S CURRENT REPERTOIRE, BEFORE IT TOURS INTERNATIONALLY. ŻFINDAYS IS A SHOWCASE OF ZFINMALTA’S VERSATILITY AND EXCELLENCE, IN A UNIQUE EVENING OF DANCE. I HOPE THAT THIS FIRST EDITION OF ŻFINDAYS WILL BECOME A TRADITION, AND AN IMPORTANT MOMENT IN OUR PERFORMANCE SEASON THAT CONTINUES TO FOSTER CREATIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN OUR TERRITORY.“ Paolo Mangiola, Artistic Director
SILK
Silk was originally created by Riccardo Buscarini for the Chelyabinsk Contemporary Dance Theater (Chelyabinsk, Russia) and co-produced by Theater im Pumpenhaus, Münster (Germany). The choreographer says: “The work is dedicated to all the encounters that brought me back to the Silk Road, and made my life intertwine with those of my Russian friends… It is a piece about travelling, communicating and hovering in time, inspired by a winter’s journey on the TransSiberian railway.” In 2018 Silk was nominated in the category Best Choreography, and Riccardo in the category Best Choreographer, for the Russian National Theatre Award ‘Golden Mask’, at the Bolshoi Theatre, Moscow. In 2019 Silk is given new life in this re-staged version for ZfinMalta, signalling the power of dance to connect different people and cultures.
TNAX
Tnax is a dance-sport work; a universe regulated by complex mathematical and graphic permutations, a real risk that tests the physical and mental resistance of eight dancers who have to do the impossible to achieve the impossible. Tnax is a combination of logic, aesthetics and emotion, a puzzle that plays with the concepts of success and failure, risk and pragmatism, and explores the limits of the human body. This energetic choreography has the ŻfinMalta dancers learning 24 different roles, as decisions on the choreography are taken in real time, during the performance. While performing Tnax the dancers randomly select three roles to perform, therefore the output of the dance is always different. The piece also has the dancers hurling half-filled plastic bottles at each other – the equivalent force of a hammer falling – while performing intricate steps, thereby keeping them on high alert, not just in their movement, but also for their own safety and that of their fellow performers. Tnax is an exclusive re-creation from Crecis’ original work 36, created in 2011 for the company Edge and presented in 2012 at the Royal Opera House in London.
PRODUCTION TEAM Choreography: Riccardo Buscarini Music: Caroline K Light Design: Moritz Zavan Stoeckle Costumes: Riccardo Buscarini This project is supported by the Italian Institute of Culture
Choreography: Jorge Crecis Music: Vincenzo Lamagna Light Design: Moritz Zavan Stoeckle Costumes: Jorge Crecis
PROTOTYPE HERO
Renowned Italian-born dancer-choreographer Jacopo Godani invites the audience to enter another world and contemplate the illusion of endless transformations and appropriation of life, by creating a space to explore an unmapped land. In this work choreography moves across different planes, and between the intangible qualities of the material world and established existing objects. Nothing disappears completely in this unmarked territory; what came earlier continues to underpin what follows. Prototype Hero suggests a threshold at which the dancers embody the intersection of choreography and the environment. Space becomes organic in the togetherness between groups, and in the individuals who give a direct expression of the choreographic work. Dancers metamorphose through choreography, costumes and set design. They replace bodily movements with traits of abstract storytelling, and the process of becoming human seems to be entrusted to their will. This experience of metamorphosis takes place in a poetic world and the stage, as a representational space, grows into a mythical narrative.
Choreography: Jacopo Godani Music: 48nord Light Design: Moritz Zavan Stoeckle Costumes: Jacopo Godani
TICKETS: kultura.mt / DURATION: 1h30m with interval / AGE: 5+
Matteo Carratoni
01 / PRODUCTIONS
A SHOWCASE OF ZFINMALTA’S VERSATILITY AND EXCELLENCE
Simon Weir
A PERFORMANCE THAT IS BOTH INTIMATE AND EXPANSIVE Rosemary Lee Choreographer
THREADED FINE
DATE: 1 FEBRUARY 2020 / TIME: 16:00 – 21:00* LOCATION: VALLETTA CAMPUS THEATRE, VALLETTA
THREADED FINE IS A NEW DANCE WORK BY THE RENOWNED BRITISH CHOREOGRAPHER ROSEMARY LEE, COMMISSIONED AND PRESENTED BY ŻFINMALTA. THIS DURATIONAL PERFORMANCE GATHERS A CROSS-GENERATIONAL CAST OF 24 PROFESSIONAL AND NON-PROFESSIONAL DANCERS FROM ACROSS THE MALTESE ISLANDS, INCLUDING THE MEMBERS OF THE ŻFINMALTA COMPANY. Over a period of five hours, 24 solos are performed like a relay, one after the other, starting with the youngest dancer and ending with the oldest. With moments of intensity and stillness, each dancer brings their own unique quality to this repeating, almost ritualistic performance, accompanied by a specially commissioned soundscore, performed live by young composer and singer Isaac Lee-Kronick. As each dancer ‘hands the baton’ on to the next, audiences will be free to come and go, or to stay for the duration. Continuing her passion for making large-scale, intergenerational performances and films, Lee has drawn inspiration for this new work from the cyclical rhythms of life that shape us, while also highlighting the singular individuality of each performer. Threaded Fine is a performance that is both intimate and expansive, offering the audience the opportunity to be in closer proximity to the dancer. BOOKING: kultura.mt / DURATION: approx. 5hrs
PRODUCTION TEAM Choreography: Rosemary Lee Original Score: Isaac Kronick-Lee Light Design: Moritz Zavan Stoeckle Set Design & Costumes: Flora Moyes Project Manager: Nicole Bearman
This project is supported by British Council and the Mediterranean Conference Centre
01 / PRODUCTIONS
*This is a durational work that will run for approximately 5 hours. The audience is free to come and go, or stay for the full length.
THERE ARE NO DREAMS ON SLEEPLESS NIGHTS. AT MIDSUMMER, THE NIGHT IS FOR DAYDREAMING
Sergiu Matis Choreographer
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM DATES: 3, 4, 5 APRIL 2020 / TIME: 20:00 LOCATION: ORPHEUM THEATRE, GZIRA
ANOTHER MIDSUMMER IS APPROACHING AND THE HEATWAVE IGNITES RANDOM BONFIRES. THE WIND SCATTERS THE ASHES ON THE REMAINING TREE STUMPS, AND IN THE GLARING FLAMES THE CHARRED FORESTS MAGICALLY SPARKLE, AS IF ENCHANTED.
01 / PRODUCTIONS
During the night, the heat is bearable. But no one sleeps, they venture out of their bunkers to admire the spectacle of flames. Walking on fire is an old ritual for cleansing – now it’s the new normal. There are no dreams on sleepless nights. At midsummer, the night is for daydreaming. Half lucid, half mesmerised by the blazing world, people search for magic and the mystery of love. They dance to remember who they are, they dance to bring back what was lost, they dance at a party where polyamorous operating systems control whatever organic matter they find. Identities are fluid and love is an algorithm. In this Midsummer Night’s Dream no one laughs at trivial erotic turbulences anymore. What do we laugh at in the post-apocalypse? Sergiu Matis is a Romanian choreographer living and working in Berlin. He often uses sciencefiction or dystopian scenarios as points of departure for his movement scores. They enable reimagining and reorganising the body towards new intensities and extremes, making visible an exaggerated version of the bodies of the present. BOOKINGS: kultura.mt / DURATION: 2hrs / AGE: 10+
PRODUCTION TEAM Choreography: Sergiu Matis Original Score: Antje Greie AGF Light Design: Moritz Zavan Stoeckle Set design & Costumes: Romualdo Moretti
Kane Cali
AS THIS MULTI-LAYERED DANCE PIECE UNFOLDS, CHAPTER BY CHAPTER, IT TRACES THE SPIRIT OF WHAT IT MEANS TO LIVE NOW Paolo Mangiola Choreographer
21 DANCES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY 21 DANCES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY IS ŻFINMALTA’S SECOND FULL-LENGTH PERFORMANCE, CHOREOGRAPHED BY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PAOLO MANGIOLA, IN COLLABORATION WITH MALTESE-BORN VISUAL ARTIST KANE CALI AND AWARD-WINNING COMPOSER RAY HARMAN. Through the mediums of choreography, video and 3D printing, this visual feast of technology and movement investigates 21 topics, pertinent to our time. Borrowing its structure from the highly acclaimed book 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, by Yuval Noah Harari, 21 Dances for the 21st Century offers reflections and solutions on pressing issues in our global contemporary culture and the digital age, such as machine learning, AI and the extinction crisis. As this multi-layered dance piece unfolds, chapter by chapter, it traces the spirit of what it means to live now, and the challenges we face. BOOKINGS: kultura.mt / DURATION: 70mins / AGE: 5+
PRODUCTION TEAM Choreography: Paolo Mangiola in collaboration with the dancers Visual Artist: Kane Cali Original Score: Ray Harman Light Design: Moritz Zavan Stoeckle Set design & Costumes: Kane Cali
01 / PRODUCTIONS
DATES: 29, 30, 31 MAY 2020 / TIME: 20:00 LOCATION: MANOEL THEATRE , VALLETTA
Daniel Cilia / Heritage Malta
A KIND OF ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE SENSES SUNRISE MASS
DATES: 20, 21 JUNE 2020 / TIME: 05:15 LOCATION: MNAJDRA TEMPLES, HERITAGE MALTA, QRENDI
IN A FIRST-TIME COLLABORATION, ŻFINMALTA, KORMALTA AND HERITAGE MALTA, COME TOGETHER TO CREATE A SITE-SPECIFIC WORK AT THE MNAJDRA TEMPLES.
01 / PRODUCTIONS
The work centres around Ola Gjeilo’s renowned ‘Sunrise Mass’, written for a chorus and string orchestra. Choreographic sketches accompany and bring to life this exceptionally light and moving piece of music. Based on the premise that the rising sun is not merely an evocative and romantic image, Sunrise Mass is a deeper reference to the origins of light, and the origins of movement; a kind of archaeology of the senses. Experience the phenomenon of the alignment of the rising sun’s rays with Mnajdra, accompanied by the choir and orchestra. Light and sound manifest in the dance in a metaphorical journey, from starry heaven to earth, and from undifferentiated darkness to solid, warm life, evolving spiritually into human form. BOOKINGS: shop.heritagemalta.org /
DURATION: 1hr
PRODUCTION TEAM Choreography: Paolo Mangiola Choir Ensemble: KorMalta, Malta National Choir Original Score: Sunrise Mass by Ola Gjeilo Live musicians: String Orchestra & SATB a cappella choir
Matt Thompson
A VISCERAL EXPERIENCE QUARTETS IN MOTION DATES: 3 JULY 2020 / TIME: 20:00 LOCATION: MANOEL THEATRE, VALLETTA
‘QUARTETS IN MOTION’ BRINGS AN INTIMATE AND VISCERAL EXPERIENCE TO THE AUDIENCE, IN CLOSE PROXIMITY WITH THE DANCERS. This cycle of choreographic miniatures is set to the music of Bartók’s string quartet No. 4 and Beethoven’s string quartet No. 11 in F minor – performed live by the Somogyu String Quartet from Budapest. A series of dances ranging from solos to duets, trios and ensemble, will animate the unique space of Teatru Manoel, enhancing the special relationships between bodies, dance and music. The programme will alternate between the live chamber music recital, dance accompanied by the live quartet, as well as dance in silence. ‘Quartets in Motion’ is organised by the Malta International Arts Festival under the artistic direction of Ruben Zahra. PRODUCTION TEAM Choreography: Paolo Mangiola Live String Quartet: Somogyi String Quartet Light Design: Paolo Mangiola Costumes: Luke Azzopardi
01 / PRODUCTIONS
BOOKINGS: kultura.mt / DURATION: 1hr / AGE: 5+
Matt Thompson
02 / REACHING OUT
IMAGINATIVE AND INSPIRING PROJECTS FOR PEOPLE OF ALL AGES AND BACKGROUNDS
GET LOOSE
DATES / TIME: 21 NOVEMBER 2019 / 09:30 & 11:30 22 NOVEMBER 2019 / 17:30 23 NOVEMBER 2019 / 11:30 24 NOVEMBER 2019 / 17:30 LOCATION: CITY THEATRE, VALLETTA
GET LOOSE IS A HIGH ENERGY CELEBRATION OF OUR UNIQUENESS AND DIVERSITY, AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF A TALENTED YOUNG CAST IN THE ULTIMATE DANCE-OFF.
PRODUCTION TEAM Choreographer: Gabriel Galindez Cruz Set Design: Pierre Portelli Sound Design: James Baldacchino Costumes: Nicole Cuschieri Rehearsal Director: Abel Hernández González Cast: Aimy L’Ecuyer, Andrew Nicola Spiteri, Blake Harmsworth, Ella Joy Zammit, Eloise Mifsud, Emma Cusens, Emma Delicata, Eve Cassar Brimmer, Jaden Grech, Kenzie Galea, Krista Spiteri, Martin Tanti, Martina Debono, Matt Sullivan, Matthias Magri, Maya Attard, Nicola Saliba, Noah Haber, Sarah Pace, Teyarnie Galea, Zac Bianco BOOKINGS: ziguzajg.org DURATION: 50mins
PARTNERSHIPS:
SUPPORTED BY:
02 / REACHING OUT
Elisa Von Brockdorff
Displaying their vitality and spirit, these dancers go head-to-head in a dance battle. Get Loose is an imagined competition/show, choreographed by Berlin-based artist Gabriel Galindez Cruz, and performed by a group of young dancers, selected through local auditions with ŻfinMalta. They aim to raise the bar – and some eyebrows – with this dynamic new performance. Get Loose is co-produced by ŻfinMalta and ŻiguŻajg Festival. Supported by Arts Council Malta – President’s Award for Creativity.
Illustrations Emma Walker / Photos Giola Cassar
3Ws
DATES: JANUARY – MARCH 2020 VENUE: SCHOOLS AROUND MALTA & GOZO AS PART OF CULTURE PASS
THE 3WS IS A ROADSHOW PROMOTING THE SAFE USE OF INTERNET, THROUGH DANCE. PRESENTED IN THREE CHAPTERS, THIS FULL-LENGTH, DANCE THEATRE PERFORMANCE PROMOTES AWARENESS OF DANGERS WHICH HAVE BECOME PERVASIVE IN INTERNET USAGE TODAY.
02 / REACHING OUT
1. UPLOADING Experience a day in the life of a selfieabsorbed individual. This chapter traces the journey of their digital footprint, from the bedroom to the wider world. 2. SENDING To be ‘catfished’ is to be lured into a relationship by means of a fictional online persona. This cautionary tale conveys the helplessness of online messengers as the messages they deliver begin to tell a dark story of their own. 3. CONNECTING In this story we witness the transformation of an optimistic young person, with big hopes and dreams, to despair, as she discovers her friends are not who she thinks they are.
Addressing issues such as Privacy and the Digital Footprint, Grooming, and Cyber Bullying, The 3Ws, choreographed by Jacob Piccinino with the ŻfinMalta dancers, combines seriousness and comedy to highlight these very current cyber situations and threats. A collaboration between BeSmartOnline! & ŻfinMalta, this roadshow promotes dance as an educational tool, while opening up sensitive discussions about the everyday online world that are often avoided. DURATION: 70mins AGE: 5+
PRODUCTION TEAM Choreography: Jacob Piccinino Production Manager: Martina Zammit Music: Dimitri Shostakovich - Waltz no.2 The Blue Danube Waltz - Johann Strauss Jr Wake up - FX Ilya Alekseevich Shatrov - On the Hills Manchuria Offenbach - Can Can Music Interstate - Karl-Löwe-St. Groove (ft Birol) Nto - La Clé Des Champs Set Design: Adrian Mamo Costumes: Adelina Delia
Matteo Carratoni
KREATTIV
FOR THE CREATION OF THIS PERFORMANCE, YEAR 9 MUSIC AND DANCE STUDENTS AT THE MALTA VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL (MVPAS) WERE INVITED TO CRAFT A CHOREOGRAPHY BASED ON CONTEMPORARY DANCE, AS WELL AS COMPOSE A MUSICAL SCORE. This unique collaboration gave MVPAS music and dance teachers access to ŻfinMalta’s professional company dancers to co-create and perform a work in which all were involved in the creative process. The theme of the work is ‘Respect’– for ourselves, our environment, and for each other. DURATION: 70mins / AGE: 5+
PARTNERSHIP:
02 / REACHING OUT
DATES: JANUARY – MARCH 2020 LOCATION: ŻFINMALTA STUDIOS, VALLETTA MALTA VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS SCHOOL, ĦAMRUN
Matt Thompson
03 / EDUCATION
MOVEMENT WORKSHOPS, INTENSIVES AND TECHNIQUE TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
CHRISTMAS INTENSIVE
EASTER INTENSIVE
SUMMER INTENSIVE
ŻfinMalta’s second Christmas Intensive promises to finish the year with a bang! Spanning three days, and open to participants over the age of 12, the intensive offers contemporary classes and ŻfinMalta repertoire sessions, which explore different contemporary dance practices.
The Easter Intensive, led by two guest artists, is a series of workshops which introduce distinct, contemporary modes of movement practice. The workshops aim to give participants a grasp of various contemporary dance tools and styles. Through the guest artists, this intensive provides an access point to alternative, contemporary movement languages, and marks an important turning point in the history of dance and its recognition as a contemporary art form on the Maltese islands.
ŻfinMalta closes the season with an exciting Summer Ballet Intensive. Recognising ballet technique as a central feature of contemporary dance practice, ŻfinMalta is offering an opportunity to indulge in intensive ballet training over a period of several days.
DATES: 20 – 22 DECEMBER 2019 LOCATION: ŻFINMALTA STUDIOS
Led by ŻfinMalta’s professional company dancers, under the supervision of Artistic Director Paolo Mangiola, this intensive will expose participants to ŻfinMalta’s repertoire and techniques such as floorwork, release technique and Cunningham-based classes for warm-up. The Christmas Intensive is offered at both intermediate and advanced levels. TICKETS:
3-day intensive experience: €100 Drop in: €40 per day / AGE: 12+ REGISTRATION: kultura.mt
DATES: 6 – 9 APRIL 2020 LOCATION: ŻFINMALTA STUDIOS
As well as providing practical tools for the participating dance artists, the Easter Intensive will encourage and foster broader discussion on the nature and relevance of dance as an artistic expression and practice.
DATES: 10 - 12 JULY 2020 LOCATION: ŻFINMALTA STUDIOS
ŻfinMalta’s Summer Ballet Intensive aims to expose local and international, professional and aspiring dancers to diverse styles of ballet training, giving all participants a stronger ballet class repertoire from which to build individual knowledge and experience. BOOKINGS: kultura.mt DURATION: 70mins / AGE: 12+
BOOKINGS: kultura.mt DURATION: 70mins / AGE: 12+
OPEN CLASSES DATES / TIME: 10:00 – 11:15 16–19 SEPTEMBER 2019 / BALLET WITH ANNA NOWAK 28 OCTOBER–1 NOVEMBER 2019 / CONTEMPORARY WITH SERGIU MATIS 18–22 NOVEMBER 2019 / CONTEMPORARY WITH RICCARDO BUSCARINI 16–19 DECEMBER 2019 / BALLET WITH PAOLO MANGIOLA LOCATION: ŻFINMALTA STUDIOS, VALLETTA ŻfinMalta is excited to be opening its company classes to local and international professional dance artists. This is a unique opportunity to join the ŻfinMalta dancers during their morning practice, which is always varied and led by international guest teachers. Classes are also open to students who are following vocational and professional training in dance. REGISTRATION: kultura.mt / PRICE: €8 / AGE: 18+ Follow ŻfinMalta on facebook for more information regarding future open classes in 2020
03 / EDUCATION
Matteo Carratoni
THIS INTENSIVE PROVIDES AN ACCESS POINT TO ALTERNATIVE, CONTEMPORARY MOVEMENT LANGUAGE
MOVIMENTO
DATES / TIME: 18:30 17 OCTOBER 2019 9 JANUARY 2020 6 FEBRUARY 2020 2 APRIL 2020 4 JUNE 2020 LOCATION: MUŻA, VALLETTA
WITH A FRESH AND INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT, ŻFINMALTA IN COLLABORATION WITH HERITAGE MALTA AND MUŻA PRESENTS MOVIMENTO. Movimento is a series of five appointments with five artists, from Malta and abroad, who use their experience to demystify dance and the process of choreography. Join us at MUŻA and see dance come to life through the stories of these five diverse thinkers whose work intersects with movement. Movimento offers a unique experience that delves into its subject and invites the audience to become active spectators. Our Movimento experts will take you on a journey of discovery that reveals how patterns of choreography can be found all around us.
EXPERTS Victor Jacono Scott deLahunta Michele Tufigno Arthur Dumas Nicole Bearman
PARTNERSHIPS:
TICKETS: https://shop.heritagemalta.org PRICES: €10/€8 concession DURATION: 1hr
Matteo Carratoni
04 / PARTICIPATION
SEE DANCE COME TO LIFE THROUGH THE STORIES OF THESE FIVE DIVERSE THINKERS
DATES: MARCH – JUNE 2020 LOCATION: ŻFINMALTA STUDIOS, VALLETTA
THE ŻFINMALTA ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAMME (AiR) PROVIDES THE OPPORTUNITY FOR LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS TO EXPLORE THEIR IDEAS IN A NEW CONTEXT. Following a successful pilot programme in 2019, ŻfinMalta is excited to offer three residencies in 2020, between the months of March and June. Located in the Mediterranean, Malta is a bilingual country, speaking English and Maltese, with year-round sunshine. Within this unique setting, and based at the ŻfinMalta studios on Valletta’s Grand Harbour – one of the most beautiful harbours in the world – the company offers national and international dance-makers a space for research and dialogue. The residencies are open to both experienced and emerging, local and European choreographers, who are seeking time and space to focus on the creation and development of their work. REGISTRATION: By open call, December 2019 Follow ŻfinMalta on facebook for more information
05 / ARTIST DEVELOPMENT
AiR2020
Matteo Carratoni
THE COMPANY OFFERS NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL DANCE-MAKERS A SPACE FOR RESEARCH AND DIALOGUE
/ Dancers Emma Louise Walker was born in the UK. She was accepted as an associate at the Royal Ballet School at the age of ten. She graduated with a First Class Honours degree in Dance and Performance from the Central School of Ballet in London. During this time she participated in ‘Blink Margate’, working with Wayne McGregor | Random Dance. Emma was selected for the pilot year of Akram Khan’s AKX programme, training in ballet, contemporary, improvisation and repertoire, with teachers including Yen-Ching Lin and Andrej Petrovic. In 2018, Emma toured the UK with DeNada Dance theatre’s production ‘Toro,’ by Carlos Pons Guerra. Emma joined ŻfinMalta as an apprentice in 2015, and a fulltime dancer in 2018.
Keith Micallef, born in 1993, began his dance training at age 12 under the tuition of Theresa Lungaro Mifsud at The Dance Workshop. He trained in classical ballet in the Cecchetti Method, achieving a Distinction in Advanced 2 level. He also trained in contemporary and flamenco dance styles. Keith joined ŻfinMalta in 2014, and has since performed works by Paolo Mangiola, Jacopo Godani, Jose Agudo and Iván Pérez Avilés, among others. Prior to joining the company, Keith graduated from the University of Malta with a Degree in Legal Studies.
Tara Dalli was born in 1998. She began gymnastics at the age of three, and trained with the National Gymnastics Team of Malta between the ages of 8 and 13. Tara trained in classical ballet and contemporary dance under the direction of Dorian Mallia. She has participated in numerous projects locally, including ‘88 Lilies and a Dog’ with Cienfuegos Dance Company, as well as productions with Moveo Dance Company. Tara has worked with choreographers Jacopo Godani, Jorge Crecis, Kerry Nicholls, Kristina and Sade Alleyne, Peter Jasko and Oded Ronen. Tara joined ŻfinMalta in 2018.
Simon Riccardi-Zani was born in 1998 in Nice, France. He started classical dance aged eight, and furthered his studies with programmes at Rosella-Hightower Dance School (Cannes), Princess Grace Academy (Monaco), and Lyon National Conservatoire. Simon began professional classical training at the Opera Ballet School of Paris and later trained in contemporary dance at the Paris National Conservatoire (CNSMDP). He has danced repertoire including Kurt Jooss, Olivier Dubois, Rainer Behr and Pina Baush. Workshops have included Anne Teresa De Keersmaker processes, Gaga techniques, and repertoire by Akram Khan, Angelin Preljocaj, and William Forsythe. Simon joined ŻfinMalta in 2019.
Nicola Micallef was born in Malta in 1999. She began classical ballet aged seven at the Dance Workshop, under the direction of Theresa LungaroMifsud, and contemporary dance at the age of 13. Nicole has attended masterclasses at the Royal Ballet and English National Ballet, and worked with choreographers and dancers including Jacopo Godani, Jorge Crecis, Jose Agudo, Kristina and Sade Alleyne, and Yoshua Cienfuegos. She joined ŻfinMalta as an apprentice in 2017, and continued as a full-time dancer.
Amber van Veen was born in Amsterdam in 1999. She started her dance education at the Dutch National Ballet Academy in Amsterdam and graduated from the Royal Ballet School Antwerp in Belgium in 2018. During a traineeship at the Royal Ballet Flanders she had the opportunity to work with Akram Khan, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Jean-Christophe Maillot and Alexander Ekman. Meanwhile she toured throughout The Netherlands and Belgium as an apprentice of the International Dance Theatre, Amsterdam. Amber joined ŻfinMalta in 2019.
Simon Van Heddegem graduated from the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp (Belgium) in 2008. He started his dance career in the Royal Ballet of Flanders, and went on to join the Staatstheater Ballett Nürnberg (2010) as a soloist, and the Oper Graz Ballett (2015-2018). He has danced pieces and creations by various international choreographers including Crystal Pite, Mats Ek, Johan Inger, Jiri Kylian, William Forsythe, Jörg Weinöhl, Goyo Montero, Nacho Duato, and Paolo Mangiola. Simon starts his second season with ŻfinMalta in 2019.
Andrea Martín Albert was born in Barcelona in 1998. She started dancing when she was 7 years old under the direction of Eulàlia Blasi, and at the age of 11 started studying at the Conservatori de l›Institut del Teatre, training in classical formation. She received her diploma six years later. In 2016 Andrea joined the young company ITDansa in Barcelona where she spent three years touring around Europe and learning and performing pieces by Alexander Ekman, Ohad Naharin, Akram Khan, Sidi Larbi, Jirí Kylián, and Rafael Bonachella, among others. Andrea joined ŻfinMalta in 2019.
Félix Deepen was born in Brussels in 1996. He trained in classical ballet and was accepted at the Rudra Béjart School in 2014, where he performed in The Boléro and The 9th Symphony, by Maurice Béjart. In 2016 Felix joined ‘Don’t Dance Division’, based in The Hague, where he danced pieces by the directors Thom Stuart and Rinus Sprong. In 2017, he moved to Barcelona to dance with IT Dansa, under the direction of Catherine Allard, where he performed pieces by Akram Khan, Jiri Kylian, Alexander Ekman, Lorena Nogal, Ohad Naharin, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Rafael Bonachella. Félix joined Żfinmalta in 2019.
Elise Lijmbach was born in 1998, in Delft, the Netherlands. She started her professional dance education at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague at the age of 12. During this time she was given the opportunity to dance with guest teachers from Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT), as part of the annual ‘Young Talent Project’ of the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague, in association with NDT. She has performed in various pieces by choreographers including Crystal Pite, Jiří Kylián, Johan Inger, Hans van Manen, Menghan Lou, Lukáš Timulak, and Ohad Naharin. Elise joined ŻfinMalta in 2019.
Matt Thompson
Calvin Rüth was born in Germany in 1996. He started dancing at the age of 15, with the Dance Academy Schweinfurt. In 2017 he graduated from Palucca University of Dance in Dresden. During his Bachelor studies he danced in works by Cameron McMillan, David Dawson and Ohad Naharin. His first engagement was with the Ballet Preljocaj Junior in Aix-en-Provence. He toured internationally with ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Snow White’, and in several excerpts of Angelin›s work. In 2018/19 he danced with Ballett Chemnitz, where he performed in works by Kaori Ito, Marco Goecke and Alexander Ekman. Calvin joined ŻfinMalta in 2019.
/ BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Alison White, Chairperson Joanne Butterworth Andrea Cassar Kate De Cesare Ingrid Sciberras
Martina Zammit Martina was born in Malta in 1987. She first danced with the Olivia Dow School of Russian Ballet in Malta, where she studied the Legat System. Martina completed three degrees at the University of Malta, beginning with a Bachelor degree in English and Archaeology, and followed by a Masters in English, Modern and Contemporary Literature and Criticism. She then undertook a Bachelor of Dance Studies, which is where she was introduced to contemporary dance. Martina joined ŻfinMalta as a company dancer in 2014, and since 2018 has been making the transition to the role of Education & Outreach Artist.
/ CREDITS Editor: Nicole Bearman Photography: Matteo Carratoni, Matt Thompson, Gary Bujega, Elisa Von Brockdorff Design: Anthony Galea Creative Consultant: Andrew Borg Wirth Make-up Artist: Roberta Sultana
Nicole Bearman Nicole Bearman is a cultural producer with more than 20 years experience creating programmes, events and publications for contemporary art spaces, museums, universities and festivals, including ŻfinMalta, Blitz, Malta Design Week, the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (Powerhouse Museum), Sydney Design Festival, the Biennale of Sydney, and Australian Design Centre. She has edited and contributed to numerous art, architecture and design magazines, including Australian Art Collector, Indesign, Monument, Vogue Living, Homeworks and Artpaper. Nicole holds degrees in Visual Arts and Museum Studies, both from the University of Sydney. She joined ŻfinMalta in 2018 as Project Manager of Threaded Fine, by Rosemary Lee.
/ THANKS
ŻfinMalta would like to acknowledge the support of Arts Council Malta, Holiday Inn Express and Intercontinental Hotel Malta.
Matt Thompson
/ Company
Rachel Vella Rachel was born in Malta in 1987. She holds three degrees from the University of Malta – a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Maltese, a Post Graduate Diploma in Interpreting Studies, and a Masters of Arts in Maltese, for which her research focus was on the history of Maltese Television Drama. Rachel has several years’ experience working in Malta’s arts, culture and media sectors, including the Public Broadcasting Services Ltd, and Arts Council Malta. She joined ŻfinMalta in January 2019.
ĹťfinMalta National Dance Company Mediterranean Conference Centre Hospital Street, Valletta VLT 1645, Malta T. / +356 2099 4532 E. / info@zfinmalta.org
Matt Thompson
zfinmalta.org