Bodies emerge from protective capsules to play out the passage of life, crawling from brimming reefs onto the land as homo sapiens, accelerating the entropic process and laying all to waste. In a bunker, the dancers perform the memory of a life that was, from the luminosity of coral reefs to forests and cities swarming with activity. On Reefs And Eroded Lands We Danced is a dance work that contains the memory of evolution and destruction. Like the seedbank of Svalbard, from which it takes its inspiration, this interdisciplinary performance also preserves the seeds of regeneration, a function typically performed in ancient rituals. We are invited to enter its vault, to witness its movements, which are at once evocative of our fears and hopeful for our planet.
On Reefs And Eroded Lands We Danced
CHOREOGRAPHY: Paolo Mangiola
DRAMATURGY:VictorJacono
VISUAL ARTIST / SET DESIGN: Matthew Attard
ORIGINAL SCORE: Goya
LIGHT DESIGN: Moritz Zavan Stoeckle
COSTUME DESIGN: Louie Noir & Emma Walker
DURATION: 70 minutes
TRAILER HERE
Commissioned by ŻfinMalta
In 1977, American astronomer and astrophysicist Carl Sagan was invited by NASA to curate a time capsule to be sent into outer space on the Voyager spacecraft. This time capsule, the famous Golden Record, would give intelligent life a snapshot of Earth’s diversity, sounds, feelings and thoughts through 116 images encoded in analog form. Voyager is the result of ŻfinMalta Artistic Director and choreographer Paolo Mangiola’s fascination with this event. It is a collaboration with a team of local artists including set design by visual artist Austin Camilleri, costumes by Luke Azzopardi, and an original electro-acoustic score by Veronique Vella. Voyager propels its audience into a place of introspection and exploration of what it means to be human, reflecting on who we are as actors on a small stage in a vast cosmic arena; a fragile, pale blue dot in the enveloping darkness.
Voyager
CHOREOGRAPHY: Paolo Mangiola in collaboration with the dancers CAST: 9 dancers
ORIGINAL SCORE: Veronique Vella
VISUAL ARTIST: Austin Camilleri
LIGHT DESIGN: Ismael Portelli
COSTUMES: Luke Azzopardi
DRAMATURGY: Sergiu Matis
DURATION: 1 hour
TRAILER HERE
Commissioned by ŻfinMalta
We/Part explores the connection among elements of collectivity and the potential for recognition in the dynamics of encountering others. The title of the creation is a linguistic and philosophical play where the terms "we" and "part" semantically combine until they dissolve into a singular meaning. If the unfolding of the clash with the other influences the individual's identity, we may find common aspects and fragments of the self in this collision. And perhaps, we will discover ourselves to be "part of the other," and the other to be "part of us."
Influenced by neorealistic cinema, Mangiola's study pursues the authenticity of the moment and the essential nature of representation. In exposing reality, the immediate beauty of detail is rediscovered.
We/Part
CHOREOGRAPHY: Paolo Mangiola
CAST: 10 dancers
ORIGINAL SCORE: Donal Sarsfield
ADDITIONAL MUSIC: Ryan Teague, Joby Talbot, Bon Iver
LIGHT DESIGN: Fabiana Piccioli
COSTUME DESIGN: Concetta Assennato
DURATION: 60 min
TRAILER HERE
Commissioned by Balletto di Roma
21Dances for the 21st Century
21 Dances for the 21st Century is ŻfinMalta’s second full-length performance choreographed by Artistic Director, Paolo Mangiola, in collaboration with visual artist Kane Cali.
Through the mediums of choreography, video and 3D printing, this visual feast of technology and movement investigates 21 topics, pertinent to our time.
Borrowing its structure from the highly acclaimed book 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, by Yuval Noah Harari, 21 Dances for the 21st Century offers reflections, and possible solutions, on pressing issues in our global contemporary culture and the digital age, such as machine learning, AI and the extinction crisis.
As this multi-layered dance piece unfolds, chapter by chapter, it traces the spirit of what it means to live now, and the challenges we face.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Paolo Mangiola, in collaboration with the dancers
CAST: 10 dancers
VISUAL ARTIST & SET DESIGN: Kane Cali
ORIGINAL SCORE: Veronique Vella
LIGHT DESIGN: Moritz Zavan Stoeckle
COSTUMES: Luke Azzopardi
PROJECTION FILM EDITOR: Jacob Saliba
DURATION: 70 min
TRAILER HERE
Commissioned by ŻfinMalta
Qalbna, created for the Valletta 2018 Capital of Culture opening ceremony, is a large scale work, choreographed and directed by Paolo Mangiola. It takes inspiration from the natural evolution that happened over the centuries in Malta, a land where historically, populations, languages and customs crossed paths. “Qalbna is a word in the Maltese language which, literally translated, means our heart. The work explores, metaphorically, how Malta and Valletta became our ‘cultural heart’ in this contemporary interconnected Europe. Observing the natural elements present on the island, the composition created evolves continuously, communicating, through choreography, the heart of our European values.
Qalbna
CHOREOGRAPHY & DIRECTION: Paolo Mangiola
MUSIC: Cyprian Costas
LIGHTS: Ismael Portelli
VISUALS & PROJECTIONS: Blaze
COSTUMES: Ritienne Zammit
DURATION: 18 min
Commissioned by Valletta 2018 Capital of Culture
Stage 1 is a duet that embraces silence and transcends traditional choreography, creating a unique and fluent rhythm that flows through every movement. In this new work, the absence of sound is a canvas for the exploration of fresh ideas and imaginative concepts. This choreographic miniature forms part of a greater research endeavour that delves into the mysteries of sleep cycles and the depths of the oneiric state. Stage 1 unfolds elegantly to reveal the secrets of our enigmatic dream world and the intricate choreographic elements that bring it to life.
Stage 1
CHOREOGRAPHY: Paolo Mangiola
DANCERS: Tara Dali, Keith Micallef
COSTUMES: Paolo Mangiola
LIGHTS: Dali Agreb
DURATION: 15 min
Commissioned by Malta Dance Festival, Festivals Malta
Alpha Episodes delves into the portrayal of the so-called "alpha male" within contemporary society, scrutinizing the constructs of traditional masculine ideology. By examining historical and contemporary depictions of manhood, and employing the expressive languages of ballet, the work unfolds through episodic portrayals that sketch a nuanced selection of stereotypes, qualities, and distinctive features associated with masculinity. The work explores divergent forms of masculinity, observing and representing their various facets, all while contemplating the evolving nature of the very idea of masculinity itself.
Alpha Episodes
CHOREOGRAPHY: Paolo Mangiola
DANCERS: Paul Kay, Eric Underwood & Edward Watson
ORIGINAL SCORE: Dag Rosenqvist
COSTUME: Ivan Curia Nunes
LIGHTS: Lucy Carter
Commissioned by the Royal Opera House and Studio Wayne McGregor
Aerial
A collaboration between choreographer Paolo Mangiola and pianist Tricia Dawn Williams exploring the notion of a ‘bird’s eye view’ and what it means to experience dance from above. Through the music of three renowned contemporary composers, John Cage, John Adams and Ezio Bosso, intricate piano compositions intertwine with delicate choreographies on a miniature scale. Taking inspiration from the point of view used in cinema, this work explores a different dialogue between dance and music, seen from an aerial perspective.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Paolo Mangiola
CAST: 12 dancers
MUSIC: John Cage: In a Landscape; John Adams: China Gates; Ezio Bosso: Following a Bird
LIVE PIANO: Tricia Dawn Williams
COSTUME DESIGN: Paolo Mangiola
LIGHT DESIGN: Dali Aguerbi
DURATION: 20 minutes
TRAILER HERE
Commissioned by Notte Bianca, Festivals Malta
Capturing Bela begins a series of studies investigating the compositional patterns found in music, by analysing the works of modern composers. This first short work, commissioned by Malta International Arts festival, is an homage to the unique compositional abilities of Béla Bartók, performed in a series of dances that adapt to his famous String Quartet Number Four, played live by the Boho String Quartet. Using unexpected change of rhythm in the body and an unusual and asymmetrical spatial pattern, these choreographic compositions are an exercise in capturing and expressing the beauty and complexity of Bartók’s music.
Capturing Bela
CHOREOGRAPHY: Paolo Mangiola
CAST: 10 dancers
ORIGINAL SCORE: Béla Bartók, String Quartet Number Four, performed live by the Boho4 string quartet
COSTUMES: Louie Noir
DURATION: 26 minutes
Commissioned by the Malta International Arts Festival
Nuova Figura charts the choreographic journey of Paolo Mangiola and the dancers, exploring the human gaze and images we create of our world. The work takes as its starting point the world map of the cosmos drawn in 1582 by Gozitan cartographer, astronomer, and astrologer, Antonino Saliba. In this extraordinary document Saliba combined ancient pagan and medieval Christian cosmology with Renaissance beliefs and experiences. He imagined a world that appears at once orderly and chaotic, spiritual and temporal, familiar and fantastic; filled with decorative hemispheres, rings of fire, demons, salamanders, and people digging into the earth. Nuova Figura transposes these images into a contemporary context. A multi-layered canon of words and movement emerges, mapping our present-day image of the world. The demons of our time unfold in the densely atmospheric space – the over-forming of our nature, the consequences of the pandemic and the effects of war – as circular, explorative movements simultaneously reveal our capacity to move forward with hope and a desire for something better to come.
Nuova Figura
CHOREOGRAPHY: Paolo Mangiola
CAST: 10 dancers
SET DESIGN: Jacob Saliba
ORIGINAL SCORE: INSYNK Collective
LIGHT DESIGN: Moritz Zavan Stoeckle
COSTUMES: Jeandor Farrugia
DRAMATURG: Thomas Schaupp
DURATION: 30 minutes
TRAILER HERE
Commissioned by the Ministry for Gozo
In a first-time collaboration, ŻfinMalta, KorMalta, and Heritage Malta come together to create a site-specific work at the Mnajdra Temples in Malta. The work centers around Ola Gjeilo’s renowned ‘Sunrise Mass’, written for a chorus and string orchestra. Choreographic sketches accompany and bring to life this exceptionally light and moving piece of music. Based on the premise that the rising sun is not merely an evocative and romantic image, Sunrise Mass is a deeper reference to the origins of light, and the origins of movement; a kind of archaeology of the senses. Light and sound manifest in the dance in a metaphorical journey, from starry heaven to earth, and from undifferentiated darkness to solid, warm life, evolving spiritually into human form.
Sunrise Mass
CHOREOGRAPHY: Paolo Mangiola
CHOIR ENSEMBLE: KorMalta, Malta National Choir
ORIGINAL SCORE: sunrise mass by Ola Gjeilo
COSTUMES: Paolo Mangiola
DURATION: 30 min
Commissioned by ŻfinMalta & KorMalta
Commissioned by Szeszicn Ballet, to create reinterpret Palester's masterfully orchestrated and extremely energetic score, Song of the Earth, this work explores movement as a spectrum of individual colors akin to a rainbow, drawing inspiration from the erratic patterns of white noise and the pixelated imagery found in photographs. The creation aspires to carve a space for contemplation, inviting the audience to reflect on the tension between control and unpredictability just as the score unfolds. Within this artistic realm, the piece delves into the deconstruction and subsequent realignment of the systems that encircle us, juxtaposing technological chaos with the delicate equilibrium of the human experience.
Song of the Earth
CHOREOGRAPHY: Paolo Mangiola
MUSIC: Roman Palester Song of the Earth
MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Jerzy Wołosiuk
COSTUMES AND SET DESIGN: Martyna Kander, Julia Skrzynecka
LIGHTING DIRECTOR: Maciej Igielski
Commissioned by Opera Na Zamku
Intimate Żfin is where music meets dance in unexpected spaces. It is an opportunity to see the company’s extraordinary dancers up close in a series of choreographic miniatures created by ŻfinMalta’s Artistic Director Paolo Mangiola. Intimate Żfin unfolds through a series of dance sketches, creating a dialogue between the choreography, music, and architecture. Performing live in the space, Alexandra Alden and her band focus on the themes of belonging and home. Songs are from the album ‘Leads to Love’ which was released in autumn 2021. The band is made up of both Maltese and Dutch members, with whom Alden has collaborated closely on the album. True to its title, Intimate Żfin is an experience to be performed in unconventional spaces to small audiences of 100-120 people per night. Such spaces can include palazzos, libraries, and museums.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Paolo Mangiola in collaboration with the dancers
CAST: 10 dancers
MUSIC: Alexandra Alden - vocals and acoustic guitar; Daniel Van Der Duim - keyboards, backing vocals and samples; Jurriaan De Kok - acoustic and electric bass; Luke Briffa – Drums; Jimmy Bartolo - electric guitar and effects
COSTUMES: Julia Boikova
LIGHT DESIGN: Moritz Zavan Stoeckle DURATION: 60 minutes
Duration: 1 hour
Commissioned by ŻfinMalta
"FEM" overturns the codes and rituals of academic ballet, taking the four dancers of the company to the boundaries of induced femininity. Freed from the habits of traditional choreographic dialogue and unbound by stereotypical dramaturgical frameworks, Mangiola's woman occupies the stage space, transcending the confines of the stage and speaking candidly to the audience. In a directorial composition where choreographic guidance aligns with the creativity and awareness of each individual performer, she becomes an active and complementary part of the score. The result is a democratic dialogue between bodies and memories, along an anthropological itinerary that rediscovers, within the folds of the narrative, the philosophical traces of gender performance observer and scholar Judith Butler.
FEM
CHOREOGRAPHY: Paolo Mangiola in collaboration with the dancers
MUSIC: Eric Satie, Anna Meredith
LIGHT DESIGN: Emanuele De Maria
COSTUMES: Concetta Assennato
DURATION: 20 min
Commissioned by Balletto di Roma
String Quartet No. 3 by Philip Glass was originally composed for Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, a 1985 American biopic about the legendary Japanese writer Yukio Mishima, who famously attempted a coup and then committed suicide by seppuku. The choreography investigates the notion of removal. Using the visual metaphor of a narrowing stream, the dancers find their way out of a repeating structure while the audience’s gaze is guided through the choices of the ones remaining. Tension is created through the juxtaposition of dance and score.
Mishima
CHOREOGRAPHY: Paolo Mangiola
CAST: 11 dancers
MUSIC: Philip Glass String Quartet No. 3 “Mishima” (I)1957 – Award Montage (V) Blood Oath (Vi) Mishima/Closing
LIGHT DESIGN: Paolo Mangiola
Duration: 18 min
Commissioned by the Malta International Arts Festival
Twisting Landscapes is a chamber work for clarinet, violin, and piano written by Japanese Composer Makiko Kinoshita in 2004. Taking around 16 minutes to complete, the composition has three movements, which follow a rhythmic- atmospheric-rhythmic structure. As a starting point for this piece, Mangiola looked at fractal behaviour and activity in nature. The landscapes of the score are explored through the composition of trios, duets, and ensemble resulting in an unpredictable dialogue with the music score.
Twisting Landscapes
CHOREOGRAPHY: Paolo Mangiola
CAST: 11 dancers
MUSIC: Makiko Kinoshita Twisting Landscapes for clarinet, violin and piano
LIGHT DESIGN: Paolo Mangiola
Commissioned by the Malta International Arts Festival
Funk is a composition for clarinet, violin, and piano written by Scott McAllister in 2005. It was the second piece the American composer created for the Strata Trio. In Funk, choreographer Paolo Mangiola in collaboration with the dancers, investigates tensegrity and the ability of a structure to mutate according to the application and release of different forces.
Funk
CHOREOGRAPHY: Paolo Mangiola
CAST: 11 dancers
MUSIC: Music by Scott Mcallister funk for clarinet, violin and piano
LIGHT DESIGN: Paolo Mangiola
Commissioned by the Malta International Arts Festival
Nuclear Romances unfolds as a poignant dance composition, featuring a woman embarking on a transformative journey in reverse, seeking rediscovery within herself. Her body serves as a reflection of the potential of both Japan and the planet, moving through a post-atomic landscape initially, and later embodying the image of a purified land. The narrative delves into the repercussions of nuclear energy, intertwining with the relentless pursuit of a better life.
Structured in two distinct sections, the first and second romances, the piece navigates through the complexities of this emotional journey. The choreography, accompanied by spoken text and a dynamic sound scape, harmoniously intertwines to evoke the profound spectrum of emotions that accompany the dancer's exploration. "Nuclear Romances" transcends traditional boundaries, offering a multisensory experience that captures the essence of the struggle and resilience inherent in the pursuit of a transformed existence.
Nuclear Romances
CHOREOGRAPHY: Paolo Mangiola
DANCER: Fukiko Takase
MUSIC: Delia gonzales & Gavin Ruson
LIGHT DESIGN: Lucy Carter
COSTUMES: Stage Factory
Created for the Stuttgart Solo Competition
AĦNA
Aħna is a dance film, choreographed by Paolo Mangiola, Artistic Director of ŻfinMalta, directed by award-winning director and filmmaker, James Vernon, and performed by the company dancers of ŻfinMalta, Malta’s national dance company. The work has been created especially for the camera and is inspired by Malta’s limestone and its function. As suggested by the name, Aħna sets out to evoke a feeling of togetherness, through a material which defines this country’s rich landscape and its culture. From the oldest free-standing temples in the world to fortifications, the rubble walls outlining the countryside, churches, palazzos and townhouses, Malta’s history is constructed of limestone.
CHOREOGRAPHY: Paolo Mangiola in collaboration with the dancers
DIRECTOR AND FILMMAKER: James Vernon
MUSIC: ‘Adams : harmonielehre 1 first movement’ orchestre symphonique de Montréal
CONDUCTOR: Kent Nagano Harmonielehere (j. c. adams) © assoc. music publishers inc.
COSTUMES: Julia Boikova
DURATION: 18 minutes
Commissioned by ŻfinMalta