Crediti
created by Stefano Fardelli
original music Francesco Ziello
production PinDoc
with the contribution ofi MiC e Regione Siciliana
The creative process was complex and articulated. The dancer had to work blindfolded, his movements were limited. This deliberate constriction gave birth to a unique quality of movement, inspired by the experience of local people in those days.
Then the dancer was asked to learn the most interesting movement sequences by studying the
material filmed during rehearsals.
The result is a piece where the dancer is not blindfolded, but is able to achieve the same quality
of movement that has been created in the dark - with all the limits, the hesitations and the outbursts of those who seek for the light.
Likewise, all the documentary material, photos and videos were shot by placing a semi-covering
bandage over the camera lens, in order to hide the performer's identity, but also to recreate the
conditions in which the protagonist lived. His movements reflect his daily mood, the alienation
which, year after year, has become "normal".
The audience enters the hall, where all spectators are given a semi-opaque black blindfold to
wear.
Everyone knows that the dancer-performer is among them. The dance begins.
The audience becomes part of the performance, moving and reacting to the movements of the
protagonist, creating new spaces for the dance.
Every now and then spectators catch a glimpse of the boy. It’s nothing more than shadows -
sometimes clearer, sometimes darker. But they can all feel his breath in the dark. Sometimes
they are touched by the performer, or accidentally bump into him.
In the end, everyone goes out of the room, leaving the echo of what has been and will keep on
happening in the every day life of these lands, that are not so far from us.
An artistic residency in a foreign land, not so far away, whose name we cannot tell in order to protect the safety of the choreographer and of the dancer, who was born there. In 2019, despite the government tensions and the strong political-religious regime of the country, Stefano Fardelli travelled there to meet the local community of dancers, who are forced to live like wanted criminals. He was taken to one of the few secret dance studios in the country. All the people involved had to be very careful not to be seen: they entered a few at a time in the garage of a building, where Stefano was introduced to a world full of dreams and hopes and had the pleasure to meet 35 young dancers from all over the nation. They were there to meet him, to listen to him and to receive what he had to share with them.
After selecting one of the participants to work on this solo-performance, Stefano worked for a week and then finally presented the piece to a few "trusted" ones. He obviously couldn't advertise the project, and let anybody know what was happening.
People "know" and "see" what is happening, in fact: they simply pretend not to see unless they get personally involved, or decide to defy the "fear" in which they constantly live.
This is what happens to us, as well. We "see" things every day, in our daily life or on TV. We know what is happening in the world, but we pretend not to see - out of laziness, or out of fear.