Company Open Classes

Lucia started her career as a dancer in L’Ensemble, a company directed by Micha Van Hoecke, whose major choreographies are inspired by her strong personality and together they created many roles that showcased and nurtured her stunning technique.  Performing and touring as a soloist with L’Ensemble, both in Italy and internationally, she also began teaching the company between 1994 – 1998 working closely with Micha Van Hoecke’s repertoire. 

From 1998 to 2004 she worked as Maître de Ballet and choreographers’ assistant  to Aterballetto, directed by Mauro Bigonzetti.  

23rd, 26th – 29th September 2022

10:00 – 11:30

Ballet with Lucia Geppi

During that time she collaborated with many successful choreographers such as Mauro Bigonzetti (all of his works), Michele Abbondanza & Antonella Bertoni (Figli d’Adamo), Christian Spuck (Morphin Games), Jiri Kilian (Heart’s Labyrinth), Itzik Galili (Chamelon) and William Forsythe (Steptext).  

Lucia works as Maître de Ballet for the Teatro Comunale in Florence, Teatro, S. Carlo in Naples, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, the Dominic Dance Theatre in Houston, the Grand Théâtre de Genève, the Scala in Milan, the Leipzig Opern, the Royal Swedish Ballet, the Stuttgart Ballet, the Béjart Ballet Lausanne and the Zurich Ballet, West Australian Ballet.

 Hervé’s unique approach is to develop exercises which connect the physical preparation and study of the ballet technique with its more organic side.  Musicality, upper body awareness and coordination, placement of body weight in space, relationship to the ground, and quality of movement, are the elements that make Hervé’s classes accessible to both classical and contemporary dancers. 

10th – 14th October 2022

10:00 – 11:30

Ballet with Hervé Palito

Hervé, who has worked at companies including LaLaLa Human Steps, Ballet de l’Opera de Paris, the Stuttgart Ballet, Tokyo Ballet, Baseler Ballett, Companhia Nacional de Bailado de Lisboa, Cullbert Ballet, Bejart Ballet Lausanne, Ballet Montecarlo, Staatstheater Nürnberg, Aalto Ballet Theater, LaLaLa Human Step, Staatstheater Augsburg, Lyon Opera Ballet, Finnish National Ballet, Ballet de Loraine, Hong Kong ballet, National Ballet of China, Ballet Nacional de Santo Domingo, Royal Swedish Ballet, Scapino Ballet, Architanz, Grupo Corpo, Ultima Vez, and many more…

Anna’s class is based on physical and technical training, including influences from classical, Cunningham and Graham techniques. Anna takes a stamina and strengthening approach to class, while building a grounded and technical foundation.

Choreographer, director and movement director Anna Watkins has toured her company work, ‘Watkins Dance Company’, for 11 years in the UK & internationally, supported by Arts Council England, East London Dance, Swindon Dance, The Garage, DanceEast, South East Dance, awarded Associate Artist (2017-2018) Swindon Dance.

from 5th – 9th September 2022

10:00 – 11:15

Contemporary with Anna Watkins

During her 17 year career she has worked with dance companies and choreographers including Shobana Jeyasingh, Phoenix Dance Theatre (CC Lab), Tavaziva Dance, Motionhouse, Oceanallover, Thea Barnes, Neville Campbell and more. She was selected for ‘Cohan Collective’ working under the mentorship of Sir Robert Cohan, Eleanor Alberta, Yolande Yorke-Edgell, Kim Brandstrup and Kenneth Hesketh, and nominated for the ‘The Jane Attenborough Award’, One Dance UK Awards 2021 and ‘WOMEN IN DANCE AWARD’ 2020, AWA Dance. Anna’s digital work has been awarded, nominated, screened and selected for numerous film festivals including Demetera International Film Festival (Paris), Film Oxford, Modern Art Oxford | Dancin’ Oxford, FLUX Online Festival 2020, Leeds Festival 2019, and Reading Festival 2019.

Julienne Schembri has extensive experience of performing in London, working with artists like Rosemary Lee, Amit Lahav, Anthony Van Laast, Sacha Miles Davis and featuring as an ensemble dancer in Wicked, in the West End. Now in Malta, Julienne is seeking alternate ways in which to share her passion for movement and dance while actively participating in the social domain. She believes that embodied knowledge can provide a rich and powerful source for self, social transformation, empathy, and connection. To satisfy this ongoing enquiry into the interconnection of dance and activism she is currently working towards gaining a diploma in Laban Bartenieff Movement System, through EMOVE institute in Rotterdam.

from 7th – 10th June 2022

10:00 – 11:15

Contemporary with Julienne Schembri

Julienne’s classes will be rooted in the Laban Bartenieff Movement System taking inspiration from concepts of the developmental movement patterns, experiential anatomy and space harmony.  The class will explore sequences as well as improvisational tasks taking dancers on a journey through simple and complex ideas to truly warm up the bodymind. This will invite dancers to discover new things or enrich what they already know.

ŻfinMalta’s Artistic Director, Paolo Mangiola, will be teaching Ballet for our company open classes this week.

Paolo Mangiola is a choreographer, dance educator and performer working within ballet and contemporary dance practices. Operating in the interstices between codified dance and ordinary movement, Paolo is interested in exploring this relationship in the context of our interconnected society, drawing inspiration from various artistic sources, the web, and emerging movements.

from 16th – 20th May 2022

10:00 – 11:15

Ballet with Paolo Mangiola

As a performer Paolo has collaborated with, and danced for, artists and choreographers including Wayne McGregor, Deborah Hay, Martin Creed, and Mauro Bigonzetti. Paolo has created works for the Royal Ballet, Tanztheater Nürnberg, Aterballetto, Szczecin Opera Ballet and Balletto di Roma. He attained a Masters in Choreography at The Place, London, and designed the programme for the Contemporary Dance Department, Scuola del Balletto di Roma. Paolo was appointed resident choreographer at Balletto di Roma in 2015, where he remained for three seasons. Since 2017 he has been Artistic Director of ŻfinMalta, Malta’s national dance company.

An award-winning choreographer, Riccardo Buscarini is an artist focused on constantly changing his creative approach to choreography and exploring its possible interactions with other art forms.

Riccardo trained at Accademia Domenichino da Piacenza/IT and London Contemporary Dance School where he graduated in 2009. Highlights of his career so far include winning The Place Prize 2013 with the piece Athletes, the participation in the international research projects danceWEB (Impulstanz, Vienna), Creatives in Residence at The Hospital Club (London), ArtsCross London 2013 (UK, Taiwan and China), Performing Gender (Italy, Croatia, Spain, the Netherlands), MAM-Maroc Artist Meeting in Marrakech. 

from 5th April – 9th April 2022

10:00 – 11:15

Contemporary with Riccardo Buscarini

http://www.riccardobuscarini.com

Florinda is a dance artist from and based in Malta. She was a member of  ŻfinMalta National Dance Company, from 2014 to 2018. From 2018, she has been initiating, leading, and supporting performing arts projects in Malta and internationally, with a keen interest in notions of home and belonging, and the spaces in which they are created, felt, lived, and performed. Her first solo creation was a short film, ‘Solastagia‘, which explores grief caused by environmental change. She is currently following the Master Performing Public Space program at Fontys University (NL). Her current artistic research investigates non-anthropocentric ways of being-with Maltese landscapes through feminist new materialist principles. 

from 28th Feb – 4th March 2022

10:00 – 11:15

Contemporary with Florinda Camilleri

“As the dancers return to intensive daily practice after a short break, this week’s classes will be built through and around the notion of a “fresh start”. 

A fresh start to practice,  

a fresh start to the week, to the day,  

a fresh start to each movement, each moment;  

a fresh start to our bodies,  a fresh start to our space,  

a fresh start to relations,  with-in-between.    

These fresh starts  will be explored with-in the same class framework each day: starting with a guided warm-up, moving on to short exercise sequences, and longer movement phrases which build throughout the week. They will also be facilitated by a specially-curated sound journey.” 

Florinda Camilleri, Guest Teacher, ŻfinMalta Company Open Classes

 

Nicola Monaco trained in Italy where he attended the professional course of Aterballetto under the direction of Mauro Bigonzetti. In 2003 he worked for the award-winning Dutch dance company Emio Greco/PC, where he stayed until 2008. In 2009, he worked with choreographers such as Akram Khan, Gregory Maquoma, Tom Dale, The Featherstonehaughs and Shobana Jeyasingh Dance Company. in 2012 he was appointed as rehearsal director for Zfin Malta Dance Ensemble. In 2013, Nicola joined Akram Khan Dance company as dancer and rehearsal director for productions Itmoi, Kaash and Xenos. In 2017, Nicola received the official qualification to teach the Double Skin/Double Mind methodology of ICK/Amsterdam (Emio Greco/PC). 

from 31st Jan – 4th Feb 2022

10:00 – 11:15

Contemporary with Nicola Monaco

“Through a series of exercises and guided improvisation, the aim of the class is to empty the body from all tensions and invest in discovering the infinite possibilities of articulation of it. A particular attention will be directed to relation between the feet work and the intuitive ability of the body to harmoniously organize itself in the space.”

Nicola Monaco, Guest Teacher, ZfinMalta Company Open Classes

from 15th – 19th November 2021

10:00 – 11:15

Contemporary with Zoe Camilleri

Maltese- based freelance artist and dancer, Zoe Camilleri will be leading ZfinMalta’s November Company Open Classes:

“The main aim of classes will be to get the dancers’ body and mind ready for the day’s work. The classes are based on release techniques, focusing on the mobility of the joints, with use of space and rhythm. A play between flow and accented movements through both the use of breath and musicality. The phrases will include floorwork and centre practice that are designed to progress in speed and intensity throughout the sessions.”   

Zoe Camilleri, Guest Teacher, ZfinMalta Company Open Classes