International Dance in Santa Maria Novella

During the second week of July, the Florence Dance Performing Arts Festival headlines Italian and Argentine artists, and even a world-famous American-based company that has been an influential component in the history of dance itself.  The Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, Danielle Cipriani Entertainment, The Ballet Theater of Turin, Company Blu, plus the Yanina Bassi & Lucas Ameijeiras and Company with Tango Florido, are set to grace the stage in the cloister of Santa Maria Novella.

In 2011, Marga Nativo and Keith Ferrone established the “Mercurio Volante” award in collaboration with the Polo Museale of Florence.  The Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company has been awarded this prestigious prize, and will be celebrated at the special July 9 Gran Gala, which is an evening dedicated to celebrating the art and culture of dance, opening with aperitivo and dinner catered by La Loggia (7 pm, reservations required)

Always on Monday (9:30 pm), the Bill T. Jones/ Arnie Zane Company will present two of their critically acclaimed works:  Story / (2013) and D-Man in the Waters (1989), both with live music accompanists. Story / is the final portion of research on Indeterminacy, which is an approach to musical composition pioneered by John Cage. Essentially, it is not a set score, opening up numerous possibilities, a game of chance that challenges the dancers with every performance.  The choreography is truly unique, incorporating short stories narrated through movement.

 D-Man in the Waters is dedicated to the life and memory of Demian Acquavella, who died during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.  The work commemorates the lives of the many who lost theirs to the disease, including Bill T. Jones’s partner, Arnie Zane. It is a classic modern movement, one that celebrates the elasticity and empathy of the human spirit. This muscle tensing, emotionally alluring work is accompanied by the Armel Opera Octet. D-Man in the Waters is an award-winning choreography that has even had a PBS documentary dedicated to it to teach the public the mortality and grief associated with AIDS.

Daniele Cipriani Entertainment is going 25 years in the past to revive Mediterranea, one of the most significant works originally choreographed by Mauro Bigonzetti. On Tuesday, July 10 (9:30 pm), this sensually powerful performance will bring sculptural-like dancers and an Odyssey inspired plot to the Santa Maria Novella stage. The work, however, is not a narrative, but a reminiscence that mirrors the many cultures of the Mediterranean area. The choreography will be led by mythological protagonists, the Man of the Earth and the Man of the Sea, displaying how the sea and the earth unifies diverse cultures, despite some differences.

The Ballet Theatre of Torino will present a two part of work titled, “The Body Whispering,” on July 12 at 9:30 pm.   Part one, With Division choreographed by Yin Yie, director of the renowned YY Dance Company based in New York, seeks to create a dialogue about the things that unite and separate us, precisely through a lens of attraction: what attracts us is the pendulum of what divides us. Mongolian technique is fused with contemporary dance to highly original music by Giovanni Sollima.

Part two includes an improvisational score by the dancers, and also a choreography by Israeli native Itzik Galili. With the title of Concept #1 For Six Dancers and One Harp, the dancers will quickly compose while listening to the body language of others, all to electronic harp music by Federica Magliano.  Following is an enchanting solo by Spanish dancer Wilma Puentes Linares, which aims to pierce through layers of feminism, revealing women archetypes.

Company Blu of Tuscany will interpret Angel on July 13 on 9:30 pm, a performance encompassing the Fair Youth, a pivotal figure in William Shakespeare’s Sonnets.  The female dominated trio of Angel will demonstrate how values, norms, identities, and the fluidities of gender have evolved over the years. The piece’s ethical and cultural principles explore Elizabethan era controversies, but also the ones that exist in contemporary culture.

“Time passes by when I embrace you in a tango,” is the motto of Yanina Bassi, Lucas Ameijeiras and company. Partnered with Tango Florido, fire will cross the stage with their presentation of Novella Tango-The Atypical Mocata.  The vigor and excitement of a tango group ensemble is perfect for a Saturday night out, July 14 at 9:30 pm, to be specific.  The artists will be fueled by the live accompaniment of the L’Atipica Mocata Tango Wine Orchestra.  (jennifer klammer)