This step of the project involved the Italian partners Instabili Vaganti and ATER Fondazione, as well as the international partners TAFMA and Ahum Trust – India, La MaMa in New York, and the National Theatre of Tunisi. It took place from May 17th to 31th during the PerformAzioni Festival, across three different locations: the Savigno Community Theater in Valsamoggia, the Oratorio San Filippo Neri in Bologna, and the Laura Betti Theater in Casalecchio di Reno.
The first part of the work involved an artistic residency focused on exchange and collaboration, led by director Anna Dora Dorno and performer/playwright Nicola Pianzola, founders of Instabili Vaganti, with the support of choreographer Elena Copelli. The working session included participants such as Camilla Paris and Arianna Terreno, both young Italian dancers under 35; Menghu Suokhrie, a singer and performer; Ethel Wangha, a traditional Naga dancer; Anurdha Venkataraman, a classical Indian dancer; Cecilia Seaward, an American performer; Moody Ghazouani, a Tunisian dancer and choreographer; and Angel Pelay, a Venezuelan-born playwright.
The team had the opportunity to share and discuss artistic/performance techniques from their different backgrounds, working together to define a common training regimen and to develop a performance structure. This structure aimed to incorporate and expand upon the scenic and choreographic elements already explored in previous stages of the project, both in Italy and abroad.
Workshop session – Training – Savigno Community Theater
During the residency, engaging with the local community was essential, achieved through a series of outreach activities targeting specific audiences. Around thirty teen-agers, aged 10 to 16, including some from immigrant backgrounds, and as well as staff from the Savigno youth center, participated in a workshop led by all involved artists, both national and international. The artists shared aspects of their training and specific techniques (such as rhythmic steps from tribal and classical Indian dances, traditional Naga and Tunisian songs, and elements of contemporary dance) and presented short performances for the participants.
This intercultural approach encouraged the direct involvement of young people in the artistic research process. Through the practical workshop, discussions in English and French on the project’s themes, shared work-in-progress performances, and a final discussion, the participants were able to express their impressions and offer feedback.
The young Italian performers acted as facilitators in communicating with the youth center participants, enhancing their own skills in engaging a young audience and guiding them into the multidisciplinary and multicultural sharing and creation work that characterized the artistic residency. This phase involved collaboration with Valsamoggia’s Department of Culture and Tourism and local educational services.
Opening day – worshop with kids of the youth center – Savigno Community Theater
The second phase of work took place at the Oratorio San Filippo Neri in Bologna, where the performers refined the structure of their performance, which was then presented to the public on May 24th as part of the PerformAzioni Festival. This event was attended by national and international professionals and journalists. The Festival not only hosted the project’s international partners but also featured organizations and professionals from Mexico and Venezuela, interested in developing the project further and promoting the artistic work within their own countries.
The days spent in residency at the Oratorio provided the group with the opportunity to work in a site-specific manner within the spatial context of the former church, integrating choreographic actions, songs, and original multilingual texts—in Italian, French, Arabic, Angami, English, and Spanish.
Second phase of work at the Oratorio San Filippo Neri – Bologna
The performance brought to the stage both the individual and collective experiences of the participants, exploring issues relevant to each of their home countries: the panic attacks stemming from fear of expressing one’s gender identity, the disillusionment following the rollback of reforms after the Arab Spring, the intensifying religious divides in traditionally tolerant countries like India, and the harrowing journey migrants face crossing borders into Europe.
Director and lighting designer Anna Dora Dorno created a custom lighting design to highlight the venue’s architectural features. The performance concluded with an interactive moment, drawing the audience into a collective dance—a ritual celebrating a renewed unity of bodies in motion..
Confini – Final Performance – Oratorio San Filippo Neri – Bologna _ Ph. Stefano Scheda
Confini – Final Performance – Oratorio San Filippo Neri – Bologna _ Ph. Sonia Giudici
This phase concluded with an international symposium, both theoretical and practical, organized by young researcher Ilaria Stefani and moderated by Francesca Giuliani, Research Fellow at the Department of Communication Sciences, Humanities, and International Studies at the University of Urbino. Among the speakers were Ángel Hernández – Teatro Para el Fin del Mundo – Mexico, Ángel Pelay – Centro TET – Venezuela, Daniela Sacco – PhD and researcher in Performing Arts at the Department of Project Cultures – IUAV University of Venice, Moussa Ndiaye – organizer of Ker Théâtre – Senegal, Antonella Babbone – Artistic Director – Laura Betti Theater in Casalecchio, David Beronio – Artistic Director of Teatro Akropolis, and Micol Vighi, founder of Sblocco 5 – Italy.
The program featured a series of lectures, workshops, work demonstrations, and performance instalation. Artists, practitioners, researchers, and university professors from around the world attended the symposium, along with an audience of industry professionals, students, and spectators.
International symposium – PerformAzioni Festival – LabOratorio San Filippo Neri – BO _ Ph. Sonia Giudici
The final phase of the artistic residency took place at the Casalecchio di Reno Theater, bringing in three additional young Italian performers: Noemi Piva, a dancer and choreographer; Giuditta Re, a performer and circus artist; and Marko Jovanovic, an actor of Serbian origin. These artists joined the team, contributing their own artistic interpretations on the theme of “boundaries.”
During this session, the young actors and dancers were guided by Nicola Pianzola, who developed the dramaturgy of the performance, Elena Copelli, who oversaw group choreography, and Anna Dora Dorno, who directed, shaped the performance structure, and designed the lighting, collaborating with light designer Greg Fiorentini.
Rehersals – Teatro Laura Betti di Casalecchio di Reno – BO _Ph. Nicola Pianzola
The exchange between different traditions led to a final presentation consisting of individual micro-performances. These were created by sharing each performer’s unique material and were woven into a unified performance structure with collective moments emerging from shared choreographic actions.
A key aspect was the collaboration between contemporary dancers and those trained in traditional Indian tribal dance, which culminated in the performance’s final moments—a contemporary tribal dance aimed at reaching a trance-like state. This effect was achieved through repetitive musical rhythms, rhythmic jumps, and vocal elements inspired by the war cries of the tribes from Nagaland.
Final performance – Teatro Laura Betti di Casalecchio di Reno – BO _Ph. Stefano Scheda
Video interview at Nicola Pianzola and Arianna Terreno – Teatro Laura Betti di Casalecchio di Reno – BO
In this step the following artists and practitioners have been involved
Anna Dora Dorno, director and actor; Nicola Pianzola, performer; Elena Copelli, choreographer; Maria Stella Zangirolami, dancer and choreographer under 35; Ethel Wangha, traditional dancer; Menghu Suokhrie, traditional singer and performer; Ilaria Stefani, researcher and cultural operator; Federico Costanza, project manager; Noemi Piva, dancer and choreographer; Giuditta Re, performer and circus artist; Marko Jovanovic, actor; Camilla Paris, dancer; Arianna Terreno, dancer; Anurdha Venkataraman, classical Indian dancer; Greg Fiorentini, lighting technician and light designer; Antonella Babbone, artistic director of Laura Betti Theater/ ATER Fondazione; Angel Pelay, actor, playwright, and director of the National Theatre of Venezuela; and Angel Hernandez, playwright and director of the Festival Teatro Para el Fin del Mundo.
In this step the following theater companies have been involved
Teatro Akropolis, Sblocco 5, Ker Théâtre