Week 2 at the 2017 Florence Dance Festival

The Bargello museum courtyard is hosting a spectrum of contemporary dance companies with productions that also examine classical themes. The Florence Dance Festival continues into July with performances at the Bargello by a number of reputable companies, diverse in their styles.

The popular imPerfect Dancers Company begins the second week of the festival with “Hamlet” (July 4), an eclectic work based on the struggles intrinsic to human relationships as well as death. Based on the Shakespearean play, the choreography discusses madness, love, and revenge.

Aterballetto, the first independent Italian dance company, presents “Words and Space” and “Rain Dogs” (July 6). “Words and Space” explores the personal dialogue, exploring engagement with space and oneself, to find realization and closeness. “Rain Dogs,” by Johan Inger, takes a more outward approach to human experience, and looks more closely at the relationships created with others around us.

Week two concludes with a company from France, the Vergari Ballett, in a performance of “Movimento” (July 9) with music by Antonio Vivaldi and Michael Nyman. Inspired by the sculptor Ghiorgo Zafiropulo, the choreography is influenced by the myth of Pygmalion and Galatea, featuring classical statues that come alive. (jennifer klammer)