© Photo : Raoul Gilibert (Passages Transfestival – Metz 2023)
In “Save the Last Dance for Me”, Alessandro Sciarroni collaborates with the dancers Gianmaria Borzillo and Giovanfrancesco Giannini to explore the steps of a Bolognese dance called Polka Chinata. Originating in the early 1900s, it is a courtship dance that was initially exclusive to men; physically demanding, almost acrobatic, it requires that the dancers embrace each other, whirl as they bend to their knees almost to the ground.
The project was developed in partnership with Giancarlo Stagni, a Filuzziani dance master who revived this ancient tradition, thanks to the rediscovery and study of some documentation videos dating back to the 1960s. Sciarroni discovered this dance in 2018 when it was practiced by only five individuals in Italy. Consequently, the project comprises a performance by the two dancers and a series of workshops aimed at disseminating and revitalizing this endangered popular tradition.
In collaboration with Domaine Forget, Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Montreal and Couvent of Sainte-Anne-des-Monts.
Alessandro Sciarroni, an Italian artist active in the field of performing arts with several years of experience in visual arts and theater research, was awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Dance by the Venice Biennale. His works are featured in various contexts, including festivals, museums, art galleries and unconventional spaces, and have been performed worldwide: ImPulsTanz in Vienna, Séquence Danse in Paris, Abu Dhabi Art Fair, Hong Kong Arts Festival, and much more. He starts from a conceptual Duchamp-like matrix and makes use of techniques and experiences drawn from theater, dance, circus as well as sports.
Alessandro Sciarroni goes beyond the traditional definitions of gender, and tries to uncover obsessions, fears and fragilities of the act of performing, through the repetition of a practice to the limits of the physical interpreters’ endurance. His works consistently foster an empathic relationship between the audience and the performers. (© Photo : Alessandro Cecchi)
Concept by
Alessandro Sciarroni
With
Gianmaria Borzillo and Giovanfrancesco
Giannini
Artistic collaboration
Giancarlo Stagni
Music
Aurora Bauzà e Pere Jou (Telemann Rec.)
Styling
Ettore Lombardi
Technical direction
Valeria Foti
Tour technician
Cosimo Maggini
Curator, promotion, consulting
Lisa Gilardino
Administration, executive production
Chiara Fava
Communication
Pierpaolo Ferlaino
