ŻfinMade: Corporeality
Six Choreographers and two programmes of double bills
ŻfinMalta proudly presents ŻfinMade, a biennial programme that invites six Maltese choreographers to create a series of new works with the ŻfinMalta company dancers. For its third edition, under the title ŻfinMade Corporeality, this year’s participating artists were invited to interrogate the theme of ‘our bodies in a digital world’, exploring how our physical forms interact with the world and shape our existence.
ŻfinMade exemplifies ŻfinMalta’s ongoing commitment to cultivating contemporary dance practice in Malta and has established a reputation as a vital space for Malta’s choreographers and dance artists to develop their oeuvre and work with ŻfinMalta’s professional dancers. For many past and present participants, it is also an extension of their involvement in ZfinMalta’s Artist in Residence (AiR) programme. All three editions of ŻfinMade have been produced in collaboration with, and presented at, Spazju Kreattiv, bringing the choreographers into contact with the country’s leading institutions and providing the essential resources to develop and create a new work, including mentorship by the ZfinMalta’s artistic staff and access to a full creative team including a dramaturg, costume designer, lighting designer, and technical experts. The result is four evenings of dance performances – this year incorporating solos, duets and a trio – showcasing the works and introducing the choreographers to new audiences.
Presented in collaboration with Spazju Kreattiv
WANDERMUST 2.
choreography by Florinda Camilleri
The wanderMust research series is Florinda’s ongoing attempt to discover new, more responsive and ‘response-able’ ways of engaging with environments, based on solidarity, care, and compassion. wanderMust 1. (2022) explored how its performers develop a sense of belonging in landscapes where they feel they do not quite belong. In wanderMust 2. Anthropocentric norms and practices are brought into question in a traditional theatre space. Together with the dancers, Florinda asks: is it possible to experience the theatre in a different way, such that the human is not the (only) protagonist of the performance? As in the previous iteration of this series, the camera is applied as a mediator of attention, to reflect the present intrinsic entanglement of human bodies with digital technologies.
Dancers: Lidia Caricasole and Lotte La Haye
Music: Joon, Yasmin Kuymizakis
AI I AM
Choreography by Valentina Cauchi
Valentina explores the human condition in a rapidly changing, sometimes nonsensical world, through reflective expression. Using text as a starting point the work delves into the complexities of being human, seeking to illuminate our shared experiences and emotional landscapes in an uncertain reality.
AI I AM explores the evolving relationship between the human body and artificial intelligence, reflecting on AI’s ability to alter our perception of our own physical identity, as well as our relationship to artificial identities. The work ultimately questions how technology reshapes our understanding of embodiment in a digital age.
Dancers: Marti Blanco Romeu and Keith Micallef
Music: Intergalactic, Beastie Boys; Jump /around, House of Pain; Roads, Portishead; Man next door, Massive Attack; Dissolved girl, Massive Attack
FIAT FERRARI
Choreography by Tara Dalli
Fight for the spotlight? Why so fast? Do I know you? Are we there yet? Will something happen? Is there a goal? If you say so. Have you been waiting? Where are we going? You could say so. Like, ok? Did you find it? Are we happy? Does it ever end? What do you mean?
Dancers: Andrea Biagioni and Luke Bugeja Gauci
Music: My Way, Frank Sinatra
I AM LINKED, THEREFORE I AM
Choreography by Pamela Kerr
I am linked, therefore I am delves into the complexities of living in the duality created by social media. We seem to live in a constant state of tension between the digital persona and the authentic self. We seek validation while trying to create a unique identity, we want to remain connected while struggling with a sense of isolation. The pressure to present a curated version of life online remains constant.
Can we ever truly escape the duality of our online and offline lives, or are we forever caught in a dance between the two?
Dancer: Hugo Olagnon
EXTENSION
Choreography by Sarah Vella
In Extension, Sarah Vella delves into the nuances of emotion, allowing the dancers to inhabit a space where their true selves emerge. Alive, connected and collective, the performance becomes a dialogue between the self, the extension of the self and the other, inviting the audience to witness a journey that is both personal and universal. Extension strives to connect the essence of what it means to be human in today’s modern world.
Dancers: Nicole Chetcuti, Simon Riccardi-Zani and Amber Van Veen
Original composition: Benji Cachia
LLUSIO
Choreography by Sandra Mifsud
From the moment of conception, humanity embarks on an endless quest for happiness and connection. As we grow, this journey unfolds as a bittersweet dance of fleeting satisfaction and persistent longing. We navigate waves of joy and discontent, continually searching for the next experience or possession to momentarily fulfil our desires. Illusio explores this dynamic interplay, revealing the complex rhythm of our quest for meaning and the transient nature of contentment in a digitally interconnected world.