Il Cielo, La Terra, Il Popolo
Second International Silk Road Festival, China
We have been invited to represent Italy at the Second International Silk Road Art Festival and we performed in Beijing, Xi'an and Hanzhong. We are grateful to our friends and supporters, especially the Embassy of Italy in Beijing that made this tour possible.
Creative ideas
The "nostalgia" of the dance poem not only reflects the feeling of homesickness in its subject, but also takes the special status of a foreign land as its starting point in order to portray the process of cultural integration. The initial lack of social awareness, cultural differences in the new environment, unwittingly use familiar experiences to examine, followed by the self-identification in the new environment, the building of confusion. To explore, touch, be familiar with and become more aware of reality in the new environment - every human being carry with themselves a piece of their homeland, and each distinct individual's cognitive understanding of a foreign land is essentially another kind of regression. Only away from home can one perceive the characteristics of its root culture more sensitively, perceive the differences among different cultures, and finally integrate the different pieces and revealing in amalgam each color common to every culture.
Dance structure
The entire dance poem is presented in different ways. Each segment starts from a different perspective and expounds the linear process that reflects the integration of foreign element into the environment. From the dislocation of cognition to confusion of production and, finally reaching four different stages of integration. Due to the individuality of the performers, each of them has spontaneously invested in the subjective consciousness during the rehearsal so that the performance itself is the cognitive process of himself and the surrounding environment. At the same time, an open structure allows the audience to interpret the dance in a self-paced manner.
The first stanza
A stranger arrives into a new environment, mingling in the crowd, feelings mixed with excitement of new things and fear of unfamiliar surroundings. He twiddles around trying to find his place. The constant affixation of various labels around him may be a vague impression on China by politics. However, all kinds of vision and labels have put pressure on them and made themselves more confused.
The second stanza
In order to make the audience truly experience the cognitive process of the emergence of "confusion", in the elements of dance and music, Chinese traditional music with modern editing methods is employed; people face interpretation of Chinese-style love. The inner world of a stranger still cannot find a place for himself. In the sound of modern Western acumen, he seems to see the innocence of a stranger, not only Chinese but also foreigners, each looking for an exit in life. In order to render emotions, various stage lighting techniques are used to create a fantasy world with umbrellas and lights.
The third stanza
The use of two men's double-double dance mirror the use of the way to express their self-identity "confusion and reflection" through the stream of consciousness flow method, to build the staggering reality space stage. Then, a solo dance presents a strange town again - this time, the actor covered with dust on the ground, as a symbol of each and every one of us born by the birthplace of our own country and as a result is a message is sent that no matter where you are you are one with the "homeland".
The fourth stanza
Finally, the use of Chinese dance elements and modern editing method presents ‘integration’. In the Chinese dance, each dancer changes from the grey costumes into ‘different costumes’ as each individual is trying to develop a sense of identity in a strange and foreign land. It is also a reflection of the individual and the overall social environment. After experiencing the individual and the environment, the collision of cultures, acceptance of differences and integration reaches the realm of ‘sky, land and people’.
