«Performing Gender»

Sixteen choreographers from four European countries brought together in a project on dance. From 12 to 14 May a meeting in Bologna, and then in Spain, Holland, Croatia
Sixteen choreographers from four European countries—Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Croatia—are joining forces for a two-year research project on gender and sexual orientation differences. This will take place within Performing Gender, a brand-new project conceived and promoted by Arcigay Il Cassero and the Gender Bender Festival of Bologna, in partnership with the Dutch Dance Festival, the Spanish Paso a 2 Plataforma Coreografica, and the Croatian Domino/Queer Zagreb Festival. The project was selected by the European Union as part of the Culture Programme and will receive financial support equal to 50% of its total cost. That is, €200,000 out of a total of €400,000. The idea stems from a desire to reflect on the multiple forms of identity in an increasingly complex society, like Europe's, with the aim of overcoming prejudices and embracing new differences. And dance, with its universal language, is the art form best suited to address this issue. The recognition is significant: Performing Gender, one of the 12 Italian winners, is the only one from Emilia Romagna and came sixth out of 114 selected (approximately 500 projects came from across Europe). The satisfaction of local administrators is palpable. Massimo Mezzetti, regional councilor for culture, emphasizes the importance of a project "that provides space for reflection on the theme through the language of contemporary art," while for city councilor Alberto Ronchi, this represents an opportunity to "raise Bologna's profile in Europe and bring dance to cities." The four key cities are Bologna, Maastricht, Madrid, and Zagreb. The first year, the activities will be educational and focused on choreographic research; the second will be dedicated to presenting the results of the research in the form of performances and shows. In Bologna, the partner (and therefore host of performances) of Performing Gender is Mambo. Daniele Del Pozzo, director of Gender Bender, explains the project's structure: "We will invite choreographers to meet with the cities. Thus, four of them – one for each country – will work in Bologna, four in Madrid, and so on. They will engage with different realities. One of these will be women's soccer, but we are thinking of other figures that somehow disrupt the idea of a uniform society. One of these could be, for example, the figure of the male obstetrician. The selected Italian choreographers are Riccardo Buscarini, an artist from Piacenza who now works in London (he is already a star across the Channel), Alessandro Sciarroni from the Marche region, Giorgia Nardin, from Venice, and another Venetian, Silvia Gribaudi. The latter, by the way, presented an interesting work with dancers over 60 at Gender Bender two years ago. The calendar includes a first step in Bologna, which will host a kick-off meeting from May 12th to 14th. Other European cities will follow later in the year. The first performances will be seen at the next Gender Bender, from October 22nd to 29th. The journey will conclude with a final symposium in Bologna, scheduled for March 2015. Paola Gabrielli