Festival Opening
Danse Dedicate

A dedicated dance is a dance offered to someone. The form is free because it is the intention that counts; anyone can do it, child or elder, dancer or not. The dedicated dance can be a physical presence or something very elaborate, be related to a particular style or aesthetic, it can be a quotation or an improvisation, in silence or accompanied by one’s own voice or played music. It can last a few seconds or a whole hour. It can be addressed to a person, present or absent, living or dead, or even to a thing, a notion, a spirit.
The idea of dedicating a dance came to me when I realized that while dancing in front of or for an audience can be very beautiful, when you dance by addressing your gesture to someone or something,we find a very powerful reason for the existence of dance: the cause and purpose of its movement.
The cause, because the offering is what motivates every gesture; the purpose, because the danced object is no longer an aesthetic demonstration, but a poetics of giving.
Dedicated Dance goes back, perhaps, to the very foundations of dance, to that gesture offered to gods, goddesses, ancestors, and honorees. One day, a dancer from Biarritz, Kepa Aguirre, offered me an ’aurresku,’ a Basque dance of honor, on behalf of a group of amateurs I had been working with. It was a moment of intense and unforgettable emotion.
I have always believed that giving through dance is one of the most intense acts of giving, which perhaps only self-giving or self-sacrifice can overcome.
On Tuesday, July 2, I would like us to discuss what a Dedicated Dance would be for each/all of us to think about it, experience it, put it into practice, invite others to do it, culminating in a moment when everyone can dedicate a dance in a specific ritual space-time.

LOCATION/PARTNERSHIP

La Filanda is a place to spend time in company or alone, to meet, chat, read, listen, play, and learn. Across its three floors, the flexible spaces are furnished with shelves, chairs, armchairs, and tables, creating informal corners for meeting and working, making you feel as comfortable as at home.
Children have a specially equipped area to explore the magical world of reading and play. The U20 space is reserved for young people who want to enjoy time together with comics, audiovisuals, books, and video games. For those seeking a quieter environment to read, study, or work, there is a reading room with a glass door.

Scrigni/Treasures

Scrigni/Treasures is a collective research that takes inspiration from the park of Casvegno. We will invite the participants to walk with us through the park, and through some physical, perceptive and graphic practices, to activate suggestions that can open new imaginaries of possible futures.

Approximate duration: 90 min.

LOCATION/PARTNERSHIP

SPAMM is a community meeting place in the Casvegno neighborhood, offering a wide range of services and activities, including writing workshops, art exhibitions, live music, creative reuse workshops, and much more. The sociotherapy service of the Cantonal Sociopsychiatric Organization (OSC) promotes the active participation of individuals with psychological and social issues in community life.

Ricorda dove il cuore è / Remember where the heart is

This performative community sharing develops from the cross-generation input from Stabio and the cross-cultural backgrounds of the artists. Ricorda dove il cuore è / Remember where the heart is investigates the fragmented time of memories, describes the map of a city’s affections, and weaves the knots where a common future dwelling can be found.

Approximate duration: 75 min.

Sul punto di luce e oscurità

In “Sul punto di luce e oscurità” we’ll embark on a night hike. As we journey through the meadows of the Castello di Stabio, we’ll stroll and delve into the depths of darkness, viewing it as an immersive sculpture rich with nuanced shades. Experiencing the dark, a practice as simple as eating or sleeping, allows us to explore an element that is often encountered only through the prism of light, in the veils of sleep or as a metaphor in life itself.

Approximate duration: max. 30 min.

LOCATION/PARTNERSHIP

Culture is at the heart of the La Lanterna association, which organizes a program for the community consisting of reading evenings with or without authors, conferences, guided tours of museums and cultural sites of interest, concerts, and themed reading evenings with dinner.

Dancing villages

A collective game to imagine an alternative space to the even physical architectures that condition our freedom. A stage where imagination can run free and where everyone can freely express who they are. A device for relating to ourselves and others to celebrate freedom and resist all oppression mechanisms.

Approximate duration: 45 min.

Discobalera Baldanza

The traveling disco open to everyone, from 0 to 99 years old!

At the turntables spinning vinyl records is DJ Gianni.
Discobalera Baldanza is a themed dance party open to everyone, from 0 to 99 years old. It’s a lively and colorful moment of "body to body" dance encounter, and more: the space comes alive with quirky characters and performance interludes while different musical genres take turns on the vinyl-only decks! Dance purely for the joy of it in a light and dreamy atmosphere where everyone is invited to immerse themselves.
Kings & Queens is the theme for the event in conjunction with the Ticino in Danza festival! An evening to feel like kings and queens of and for oneself. Embrace your power, your worth, and let’s discover together how to be protagonists on the dance floor, as in life. Let your imagination roam free and wear your royal spirit!
Choose your dress code: Select clothes and accessories that represent you or bring your own unique and personal scepter that best suits the kingdom you want to flourish!

LOCATION/PARTNERSHIP

Pro Senectute/Neighbourhood concierge at Al Cortiletto
Since October 28, 2023, hosts the Neighbourhood Concierge “Al Cortiletto” a place for meetings, sharing, and socialization managed by the City of Mendrisio and Pro Senectute.

Superficie Mobile

A performance listening to the works of Enrico Castellani, as a way of observing and perceiving the exhibition.This exploration connects to the space, the dynamics of the artworks and the observers, within intervals and repetition, full and empty spaces. Inspired by house music and house dance, it is an invitation to the playfulness of the body between abstraction and presence.

Approximate duration: 35 min.

LOCATION/PARTNERSHIP

The Art Museum is the result of the restoration and restructuring of the San Giovanni complex, which consists of the 13th-century hospice and convent of the Humiliated Friars (entrusted to the Servite Friars from the 16th to the 19th century). The inauguration dates back to the 1980s following a donation of about 150 works, which became the museum’s initial collection, later augmented by additional donations. It is a collection of significant local importance. The collections are complemented by thematic exhibitions of ancient art, contemporary trends, internationally renowned artists, as well as figures and themes from the artistic history of the region. This consistent choice of exhibition themes makes this museum an institution deeply rooted in the territory and active on local, inter-cantonal, and international fronts.

FESTIVAL CLOSURE (aperitif offered)
Balliamo sul mondo!

Isadora’s contribution to celebrate the significant anniversary of TiD, 10 years!, could only be a dance party. The gathering, sharing, and audience participation, crossing worlds and places, are common visions shared by both cultural entities, close in sentimental geographies. Leading the dance journey around the world is Giancarlo Nava (ethnic dance teacher), taking us from the Balkans to South and North America.

Any music is fine
we’ll fall dancing
around the world you know, we slide
[...]
down there someone will laugh
Let’s dance around the world!
Ligabue

LOCATION/PARTNERSHIP

Isadora - Piattaforma danza
Isadora - Dance Platform presents itself as a streamlined and effective structure that communicates, supports, and coordinates dance events in Ticino through a website with dedicated pages for dance protagonists, timely programming information, and an agenda. It offers targeted promotion of events, performances, workshops, meetings, and more, along with personalized consulting.
It is responsible for organizing the national event “Festa danzante” in the Canton of Ticino. As the promoter and developer of the Isadora - Dance Platform project, it is managed by the association Arturo Prod., based in the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland.