BELLA CIAO
At the highest artistic level, the IMRC collective creates performances with professional artists and performers with and without disabilities and through the form of dance represents equality, diversity, togetherness and equal opportunities, without thematizing one group, but speaks in various ways about equality, togetherness and importance of expression. Each person in his own way, in all his strength, but also vulnerability.
Thus, the dance performance Bella Ciao was born from the research of various forms of performance community and support. Bella Ciao, an Italian revolutionary song, stands in the title as a symbol of struggle and resistance to any oppressive ideologies over the freedom of the body: oppression of the “right” over those who do not fit into the canon, “strong” over the weak, “perfect” over the fragile.
“Bodies that explore their differences and play with them, honestly and without hesitation, have been at the center of our artistic interest. Within a group of seven dancers / performers, we looked for places where we could open up to our own imperfections, fragility and vulnerability. Through them they produce the power of performance. Performance thus becomes a place of intense mediation of emotions, and performers become the bearers of the idea of a free individual dedicated to community. The main weave of performance is a common sense of space and time, in the play of dancers / performers and musicians, as well as the audience. Inspiring and motivating each other, the most exciting and valuable always happens in the space between us. Bella Ciao is a show that turns human relationships into a space of freedom,” says choreographer Silvia Marchig, for whom this is not her first collaboration with the IMRC collective.
IMRC Dance Collective (Inclusive Movement Research Collective – IMRC) is a professional educational and performance dance project, specific in that it includes dancers with and without physical disabilities. It has been operating since 2012, and was established in cooperation with the Croatian Institute for Movement and Dance and the Zagreb Dance Center. With their short and full-length performances, they are guests at numerous dance and theater festivals (Dioniz Festival Osijek, Contemporary Dance Week, Improspections, Bjelovar Echoes of Theater, Dance Network of Croatia – HNK Osijek, Showcase of the Croatian ITI Center, Inclusive Stages – Rijeka, Antisezona 19, MSU Zagreb, Pula – PUF, EU project Unlimited Access – Onasis Center Athens, Night of Inclusion – Dubrovnik, Media Diversty – Skopje, EU project LLB – Uferstudios Berlin).
“In addition to plays, frequent presence in the media and continuity of the educational program, we have a significant impact on the Croatian cultural and social scene, pushing the boundaries of artistic expression and promoting the principles of inclusion. Critics call us “the most suggestive ensemble on the domestic scene”, and awards (Croatian Theater Award to Sladjan Livnjak 2016, Pula Festival Award PUF play Lemia 2019) and in cooperation with the Dance Department of the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Zagreb, we confirm the highest level of our programs” says the artistic director of the collective Iva Nerina Sibila.
The Bella Ciao collective will accompany the performance with a workshop. “We invite everyone who wants to dance, regardless of age, dance experience, movement limitations or physical fitness, and who wants to share their imagination, explore and expand their movement through dance, to join us!” – said the IMRC. The workshop will be held in Zadar on September 20th from 11 am to 1 pm, while in Knin on September 22nd from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm.
For reservations and questions, the team invites you to feel free to contact the e-mail address inclusive.imrc.kolektiv@gmail.com
About the show:
Author: Silvia Marchig
Co-authors and performers: Josipa Lukinović, Helvecia Tomić, Irma Unušić, Leon Goličnik, Marijan Pajvot, Nikola Orešković, Ognjen Vučinić
Music: Hrvoje Klemenčić
Photo, promo material design, technical support: Jason Mulhausen
Photo: Marko Gutić Mižimakov
Artistic direction: Iva Nerina Sibila
The song Bella Ciao is performed by Giovanne Daffini
Production: HIPP / IMRC 2018.
Achieved in the residence and with the support of the TALA Dance Center.
IMRC works in cooperation with the Zagreb Dance Center.
Financial support for the visit: Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Croatia.