Where did the artistic dialogue behind NATION begin?

The design for the costumes actually started from a conversation that I had with Matthew (William Robinson) about my publication, ‘Għonella, Deconstructing the Garment,’ which explores the folk realities surrounding the għonnella –  now regarded as Malta’s national costume. It’s also about reconstructing the past and inserting new creations and new visual proposals into the black holes and the lacunae that there are surrounding the garment; there’s a lot of data which has been lost. I think everything started from there, and we ended up with a set of costumes which are almost ghost-like. Is their presence really there or is it not? They’re see-through and work in a sort of deconstructionist manner. Pieces are missing, embroideries are missing, but then they’re layered onto each other, so there’s this superimposition of textiles and materials which generally aren’t used in dance costumes.

What makes designing for dance distinct from your couture practice?

Working with ŻfinMalta is always a really lovely thing for me to go through because unlike most other design projects, and unlike the usual work we produce here at the studio, it’s a collaborative effort. It ties in with my methodology of how the future of design is really within collaboration. I think as designers and as artists, we’ve managed to say everything that there is to say, but through collaboration and multidimensional, multidisciplinary collaboration, we actually start coming up with ideas that perhaps have not been hinted at yet.

There’s a novelty in working in working synergistically, with both Matthew as a choreographer and the artistic director, but also having the input of the dancers themselves. With my usual couture work, I don’t get much feedback from the models, whereas with dancers, just because there is a technical aspect that we need to fulfil, there needs to be that dialogue which is ongoing until  performance night. I think it’s a wonderful experience.

I also love getting to know each and every group of dancers.  It’s also always really wonderful to work with an exciting group of professionals, within a professional setting.

What has it been like collaborating with Matthew William Robinson?

It’s my first time working with Matthew Robinson, and it’s been great. Matthew gives a lot of creative freedom to the people he’s working with, and there’s a lot of trust, which I think is important, especially as ultimately, we have also started looking at contemporary dance pieces as aesthetic pieces.

The flexibility that he has surrounding a piece and how he approaches making work—his method is so innovative. I find to be extremely inspiring to me; for the first time in my career, I’m working with somebody like Matthew, who is looking at the Maltese folk identity and the folk costume from an outsider’s point of view.

What does it mean to look at Maltese culture through someone else’s eyes?

Writing Għonella, Deconstructing the Garment, and being exposed to post-colonial and colonialist realities of having the outsider’s gaze interpreting and assigning meaning to what it is to be Maltese — especially from a sartorial point of view — is really interesting because I’m now getting to experience it with Matthew from an artistic point of view. I’m looking at the folk costume, this idea of identity, identity-making, and Maltese-ness, through his eyes. Sometimes we learn more about ourselves as Maltese people by trying to understand how we’re looked at, as opposed to trying to look at ourselves.

Since independence in the sixties, I believe we’ve been trying to build an aesthetic of sorts surrounding this idea of Maltese-ness. What does it mean to be Maltese? What does it look like to be Maltese? And sometimes having an outsider, very respectfully, interpreting what that might mean is a totally different ball game. It propels us forward to really start understanding the beauty and the intricacies of our culture, our identity, and most of all our folk costume.

At a time when questions of identity, belonging, and human connection feel more urgent than ever, ŻfinMalta National Dance Company’s latest double bill, UNFOLD, arrives at Teatru Manoel this May with striking relevance. Bringing together two distinct choreographic voices, the evening offers not just a showcase of contemporary dance, but a layered reflection on who we are, individually and collectively.

Tickets selling fast: Experience ŻfinMalta National Dance Company for three evenings only in UNFOLD, on May 22nd, 23rd, 24th May, at Teatru Manoel. Book tickets now via teatrumanoel.mt/event/unfold/  

This was your first time choreographing with the dancers in your role as Artistic Director. How did you approach the process?

I think what’s beautiful about the choreographic process is that every process is completely different. For me, I always start with an idea, with a way of being and of working, and then that shifts and changes depending on who I’m working with.

This was our first collaboration, so in a way it was a first creative meeting. That made the process quite special for me, because it set the tone for our artistic collaboration. Naturally, dancers who work with a range of different choreographers carry a lot of different information in their bodies. That information meets what I bring into the room, and something new is created. BORDER is unique within my repertoire. It’s very specific to this location, and it sets the foundation of my artistic work here in Malta. It’s the beginning of that.

BORDER is the first part of a diptych: BORDER/NATION. What are the ideas behind these two works, and why make them now?  

BORDER/NATION, a two part project,  grew out of a feeling, an observation of how things feel globally right now. In recent years, it felt like we had made a lot of progress. Big issues were coming to the forefront and being taken seriously. It felt like things could change. But now it feels like we’ve hit a moment where things are rolling backwards, or where there’s the potential for that to happen. There’s a fear of the future, a fear of change.

That got me thinking about change, how we respond to it in the world and in our personal lives. It also got me thinking about grief: how we relate to the death of people, of things, of things that are important to us. Grief is often shaped by nostalgia, by memory, by what we loved and treasured. It makes us look back. I started thinking about my own relationship to grief, and how that mirrors what’s happening in society. In moments of change, are we grieving what was, and therefore looking backwards for answers in the past?

For me, the future feels so uncertain, and the changes we’re facing are so profound, that the answers are probably not in the past. The past shaped the present. The answers might be in the future, in looking beyond where we are and where we’ve been. BORDER/NATION abstracts those ideas and feelings. It places them into movement, and into imagery that, for me, evokes and speaks to those themes.

Collaboration is central to your practice. Who did you work with on BORDER beyond the dancers?

I love collaborating, and that always starts with the dancers. But beyond that, I like to bring in a range of different artists. It’s about bringing something unknown into the space, something that can shift and change my process, help me learn something new, and bring something exciting and different to the final work for an audience.

For BORDER, we worked with local artists. Holly Knowles designed the costumes, beautifully tailored costumes. We also worked with Jon Banthorp, who works a lot in film. For the first iteration of the work, he developed a rope sculpture that we installed at the Chamber of Commerce in Valletta. That sculpture won’t be on stage at ŻfinDays, but he also contributed to the development of the flag used in the work. The rope and the concept behind it still really live on in the dancers’ physicality. It’s very important to the language of the work.

We also worked closely with Dali, our Technical Manager, who will be lighting the production for ŻfinDays, who has some very specific and exciting ideas about how we can create barriers in space using light.

Mario Manara and Simon Riccardi-Zani in rehearsal for BORDER | Photograph by Elisa Von Brockdorff

What was your experience of working with the artists of ŻfinMalta in the studio?

The thing about our dancers at ŻfinMalta is that they’re so much fun. As a choreographer, part of my job is to notice what’s present, notice who’s present, and then unleash them, to see what’s possible when they just… go. There are so many moments in the process where something surprises you, where you laugh, or you notice something happening in the corner that you never imagined. Then you can pull it in. For me, the joy of this process was that it was really formed by all of us in the moment, by being present and conscious of what’s possible if you let it happen.

The work itself is very structured and very formed, but within that there has to be life, breath, and personality. That’s what makes the work special. It can hold form, specificity, and structure, while also holding personality. That’s part of my mission here with the company: that the dancers are at the centre of our organisation, our thinking, our practice, and how we meet an audience.

This February…

This February, ŻfinMalta presents three works at ŻfinDays, a vibrant showcase of the breadth of the company’s repertoire, featuring creations by three outstanding European choreographers. Matthew William Robinson’s BORDER is presented in the first week of ŻfinDays, as part of a dynamic double bill alongside NÁCAR, a new work by award-winning choreographer Paloma Muñoz.

Join us at ŻfinDays on 20, 21, 22, 27 and 28 February, and 1 March, and experience Matthew William Robinson’s striking BORDER ahead of the premiere of its counterpart work, NATION, in May at the Manoel Theatre.

A Shared Vision for European Collaboration

“Matthew and I had this really great idea to bring our companies together, ŻfinMalta, and my company in Bremen, (Of Curious Nature.) We realised that we shared similar visions, and wanted to explore what we have to learn from each other, what we have to exchange, and how we can bring the word out about the great quality which is deeply rooted in both companies, and the artistic vision which is there. We have this wonderful collaboration, and wanted to bring this out on a European scale.”

Harbour Cities, Shared Currents

“Both cities are harbour cities; Malta obviously is an island surrounded by a beautiful ocean. Bremen—the harbour of Bremen—is actually a harbour of a river which goes out into the ocean. There’s a lot of trade, a lot of movement near the water. I found this interesting as a first aspect. Really and truly, it’s an artistic friendship; it’s not about our differences, but what unites us as two companies in our two cities. We have the same curiosities.”

Pearl Calleja and Andrea Biagioni in rehearsal for White Echo | Photograph by Lindsey Bahia

The First Steps of a Long-Term Relationship

“We are really planning an ongoing and continuous relationship, which makes me very happy. Malta is going to come and present a beautiful work in Bremen (Sita Ostheimer’s Mortal Heroes) and Of Curious Nature will be here in Malta to present Samir Calixto’s Fulgence, alongside White Echo for the upcoming double bill, XitwaŻfin | Winter Dance… and I’m sure this is just the beginning of a long-term, continuous, fruitful collaboration.”

This December…

This December, that “artistic friendship” steps into the lights of Valletta Campus Theatre. ŻfinMalta and Of Curious Nature come together for a compelling double bill: Samir Calixto’s Fulgence and Helge Letonja’s White Echo: Experience all eighteen dancers on stage in one spectacular evening of dance.

Join us for XitwaŻfin | Winter Dance, and witness the beginning of a beautiful and ongoing cultural exchange between our two countries: Join us for XitwaŻfin | Winter Dance, on the 19th, 20th, and 21st December

As part of its commitment to nurturing Malta’s dance ecology, ŻfinMalta is proud to announce two new appointments for the 2025/26 season under its Artist Development Programme: Zoe Camilleri as Associate Artist and Luke Bugeja Gauci as Propel Artist.

ŻfinMalta’s Artist Development Programme is designed to create space for artists to sustain and evolve their practice and develop new work with the support of Malta’s national dance company. Through tailored support, studio access, creative opportunities, and professional mentorship, the programme champions local talent and fosters meaningful collaboration with Malta’s independent dance community.

Zoe Camilleri

Associate Artist

Appointed as ŻfinMalta’s Associate Artist, Zoe Camilleri is a familiar face within the local dance scene and a long time collaborator with the company. This role recognises Zoe’s ongoing contribution as an independent artist and deepens the relationship between her and ŻfinMalta over the coming season.

Zoe Camilleri, ŻfinMalta Associate Artist for Season 25/26

A versatile freelancer, Zoe’s work spans performance, choreography, movement direction, and teaching. She regularly leads company classes and open sessions as part of ŻfinMalta’s Iżfen programme. Alongside her artistic work, Zoe is also the founder of Zowij.Makes, a slow fashion brand through which she designs and creates bespoke garments. Most recently, she coordinated and crafted costumes for Simon Riccardi-Zani’s ‘And the others,’ which premiered at as part of ŻfinDays.

As Associate Artist, Zoe will continue to bring her unique creative voice to the company, engaging in collaborative projects and shaping the season’s artistic dialogue.

Luke Bugeja Gauci

Propel Artist

ŻfinMalta is also excited to announce Luke Bugeja Gauci as its Propel Artist for the 2025/26 season. This new strand of the Artist Development Programme supports independent artists in Malta at a pivotal stage in their career, offering resources and mentorship to propel their professional growth.

Luke Bugeja, ŻfinMalta Propel Artist for Season 25/26

Photograph Camille Fenech

Luke began his dance journey at The Dance Workshop under the guidance of Theresa Lungaro Mifsud and later continued his studies abroad. His experience spans a range of choreographic collaborations and performances both in Malta and internationally. In 2024, he joined ŻfinMalta as an apprentice, and his appointment as Propel Artist marks the next chapter in his development as an exciting talent in the Maltese dance community.

This new role will provide Luke with the space to explore his choreographic identity and build on his experience as a performer, with ŻfinMalta’s full support as he takes the next step in his artistic journey.

Through its Artist Development Programme, ŻfinMalta remains committed to investing in the future of dance in Malta, empowering independent artists to explore, create, and thrive.

Stay tuned throughout the season as we share more about Zoe’s and Luke’s work within ŻfinMalta National Dance Company, and the impact of their work within the ŻfinMalta community.

How do you approach creating movement, especially with a new group of dancers who may not be familiar with your process or movement vocabulary?

Sita Ostheimer in rehearsal with Pearl Calleja | Photograph by Camille Fenech

“Everything happens in the moment. The piece unfolds right in front of me, and honestly, I don’t know where it will end or what’s coming next. It’s shaped by the atmosphere in the room, by how this particular group works together, by the feeling of the music, the specific place we’re in, and the theme of Mortal Heroes. So yes, there’s a structure we’re working from—but how it actually turns out, I never know at the start.”

“When I enter a new space, my priority is to bring everyone in—to ensure full involvement with joy, curiosity, and genuine engagement. That’s essential for this specific physical process. Without full hearted participation, the work cannot truly speak its own language.”

Sita Ostheimer is joined by an incredible group of regular artistic collaborators for the creation of Mortal Heroes, including lighting designer Barnaby Booth and composer Adrien Casalis, both of whom have an in-depth understanding of her process.

At what points in the creative process do you usually engage with these collaborators?

“For me, the process usually begins with the composer. Most of the time, the music is already finished before I enter the studio, and it becomes the base for the next step, working with the bodies. Then, at the end, comes the light. So it starts from the ground with the music, moves into the body, and finally, the bodies move into the light.”

Lidia Caricasole in rehearsal for Mortal Heroes | Photograph by Camille Fenech

Mortal Heroes is the first creation process for a full length work this season. Our audience was curious about how the dancers have been embodying the physicality of Sita’s work, and how they are keeping up with the intensity of rehearsals…

It’s very physical and demanding. It requires a lot of strength in the body to keep pushing, but at the same time, there’s another side of the coin, another quality that Sita is asking us to explore: If you sit down on a sofa, you would just collapse into it, you wouldn’t hold yourself. It’s a weird mix of letting the natural weight of the body, the pelvis, and the spine respond naturally, but at the same time having that strength behind it that keeps it going. It’s really interesting and I think so far we haven’t generally done anything like that. It takes a while to get into it, and we’re still in the process of understanding.

Mario Manara, Company Dancer

Amber Van Veen and Lotte La Haye in rehearsal for Mortal Heroes | Photograph by Camille Fenech

Mortal Heroes promises to be a powerful and moving addition to ŻfinMalta’s repertoire and 2024–25 season. We invite you to experience Mortal Heroes at Teatru Manoel on the 23rd, 24th, and 25th of May. Don’t miss this opportunity to witness Sita Ostheimer’s compelling new creation performed by ŻfinMalta’s exceptional company of dancers.

IGNIS

Liliana Barros

21st, 22nd, 23rd, 28th February

In IGNIS (Latin for fire) we are plunged into a world of deep arousal. Portuguese choreographer Liliana Barros uses the relationship of cause and response to ignite deep energies and channel profound emotions.

What is the drive behind your work? 

Experiencing through physicality has actually been the basic motor and drive behind ‘IGNIS,’ because I really wanted to resort to those energies, those engines where we start creating and generating movement from.

This is a component that I use each time I’m creating work. I like to resort from an energetic state in order to express, deconstruct, push to extremes, forming and moulding the body into multiple directions. Of course, with a bigger company, with a a bigger group of dancers, you can start building all these layers so that it becomes a puzzle of explosions, and very much so in IGNIS.

What can audiences expect from IGNIS?

IGNIS will be energetic, highly physical, explosive. Actually, the importance would be, for me, that the audience comes without expectations, but just come and experience this ephemeral time, and experience dance. Hopefully you’ll connect to the work, and the feelings will transport you. That’s my wish. I wish to take the audience on that journey together, so if they can experience something new, or the work touches something, or they  identify with some aspect of it I would be very happy. 

Somiglianza

(Prélude à l’Après-midi d’un faune)

Antonio De Rosa and Mattia Russo – Kor’sia

21st, 22nd, 23rd February & 1st, 2nd March

Somiglianza takes reference from Nijinsky’s 1912 work, ‘L’après-midi d’un faune,’ and by reinterpreting these references with an ironic and sensual approach, Kor’sia have succeeded in  ‘reinventing the narrative, to bring it closer to a contemporary audience.’ 

Tell us about ‘Somiglianza’

The work is based on Nijinsky’s ‘The afternoon of a faun,’ and heavily references that, using Debussy’s score for the work, the libretto, and even the imagery that Nijinsky himself originally took from Greek paintings. Our version is more relevant to a contemporary audience, and we wanted to comment on our freedom to love within today’s society. It’s ironic, animalistic, and sensual.

How did you approach restaging ‘Somiglianza’ for Żfinmalta?

We originally made this work with Kor’sia in Madrid, but wanted to readapt and extend it slightly with the company here in Malta, giving it a new life. We worked very closely in collaboration with the dancers of the company to achieve this, inviting them to enter into our movement style. It was great to work with them; they are curious, and hungry to learn.

We also let this place inspire us and influence the creation, as we are making this work in a city where the sea is right there. In the previous production of Somiglianza we had introduced the idea of swimming, but in this version we were far more direct, so the dancers are very obviously inside a ‘swimming world,’ with costumes, caps, and goggles.

In Nijinsky’s original work, he used a poem by Mallarmé, who actually writes about the coast of Sicily, so really, this faun is very close to Malta, and I like to think that it relates a lot to where we are now to create this work.

And the others, one day we played outside for the last time

Simon Riccardi-Zani

28th February & 1st, 2nd March

The third and final instalment in a collection of works, which began with ŻfinMalta in 2022, Simon Riccardi-Zani’s new work for ŻfinDays invites the full company on stage into his cinematic vision.

Why ‘and the others’? 

Why ‘and the others?’ because we are meeting our previous protagonists once again, but this time, including more people; it’s a larger work for the full company. The idea behind the work is games, played by a group of people that don’t seem to understand that they are in the adult world. These ideas of childhood memories feature again, but these are more adult games, golf and green fields, places that are reminiscent of some kind of adult playground. 

How do you approach choreography?

My way of seeing dance at the moment, as a young choreographer, is always through the lens of a camera, with a cinematic approach. I always compose scenes whilst trying to imagine them as a movie, so obviously transferring that to the stage brought different challenges. What I propose to the dancers is a very specific way of choreographing actions. It’s a very set way of interacting with other people. I like to choreograph all these small pedestrian gestures, and figure out how the pedestrian becomes the dance itself, as well as how the poetry can enter the dance.

I create my work as a puzzle, where information can be collected somewhere, and then it’s found somewhere else, and slowly, bit by bit, a sort of puzzle emerges. There is an atmosphere of ‘Cluedo;’ these characters are completely detached from their environment. They aren’t sure if they are playing, performing, acting, what day it is…and they would love to think they are each special and unique, but in reality they are all the same character.

Florinda Camilleri

‘Wandermust 2.’

Dancers: Lidia Caricasole & Lotte La Haye

For quite a while now, I’ve been researching post-human perspectives, thinking of the body not as one fixed entity, but as a continuum of different entities working together. Within that, there is the part of us that is living, those that are not living, and there’s also the technological. As I’m making this work, I’m constantly thinking: How can I move into these different perspectives to develop a dance? Can I learn to think about dance and performance differently when I’m more in touch with the technological material? And what can these dances look like? – Quite a big question. 

I’m really enjoying the process. It’s such a gift to work with Lidia and Lotte, as well as Pearl and Amber. I’ve known them for some time now but never worked with them as a choreographer. It’s exciting for me to be here and to have the time to invest in this process. It’s a challenge juggling another full time job, but thankfully the team is very generous, and doing everything to make that possible. What I’m learning, is that sometimes it’s less about fixing the end, and instead about having fun experimenting. 

Tara Dalli

‘Fiat Ferrari’

Dancers: Andrea Biagioni & Luke Bugeja Gauci

My piece is called Fiat Ferrari. It took me a while to think about how I wanted to relate to ‘my body in a digital world,’ and it got me thinking about my childhood. I  grew up with technology advancing around me, and now it’s become such a part of our everyday lives. I was experimenting a lot with creative tasks, leaving it very open to interpretation. I wanted to see how the dancers would react to the tasks I was giving them. I had no expectations, but just came with very broad ideas relating to these themes of childhood and technology. It’s very whacky and kooky, and I love it…I wish I had more time for more fun though.

Pamela Kerr

‘I am Linked, Therefore I am’

Dancer: Hugo Olagnon

I’m working on a solo with Hugo, and the piece is called ‘I am Linked, Therefore I am.’ We’ve decided to look into the idea of living a dual life due to social media-Who are we? The person who we portray online, or the person we live outside of that? The music I chose conditioned very much the movement quality that we explored together. I’ve chosen a piece of music that everybody knows, and the reason I’ve done this is because I feel that this behaviour is something experienced inter-generationally. Within the music there is also some text which influences the way (Hugo) moves. 

Hugo has been absolutely fantastic to work with. The first day I walked into rehearsal, I said that I feel a solo is very much 50/50 in terms of what I give, and what he gives. He has been absolutely amazing, and I truly believe this is our work and truly a collaborative process, where he has taken every task to the next level. It’s a real pleasure actually, to be here, and to work with someone with such an excellent work ethic.

Florinda Camilleri

Sarah Vella

‘Extension’

Dancers: Simon-Riccardi-Zani, Amber Van Veen, & Nicole Chetcuti

The piece I’m creating for ŻfinMade is called ‘Extension,’ and is actually an extension of a piece I created for The Arts Awards with Candoco Dance Company, which was a lot about finding the authenticity in the self, and how we bring authenticity on stage. We connected that theme with the idea of how we portray ourselves in the digital world, and how we create and reveal different parts of ourself in that digital world. It deals with the idea of the extension from our core to our extremities: how does the self extend and change for others, and how does that change depending on the environment that we are in. 

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I’m working with three dancers, and I love working with numbers. Odd numbers specifically. It’s been a really lovely process. I’m really interested in getting to know them as people, so it’s been also an intimate process and they really give so much of themselves into the work.

Pamela Kerr

Valentina Cauchi

‘AI I AM’

Dancers: Keith Micallef & Martí Romeu Blanco

 I’ve been fascinated with how AI has progressed in recent years, particularly in the idea of AI companions, and how people all over the world are getting hooked on the idea of building relationships with AI beings. I’ve tried therefore, to build a work which examines the relationship between humans and AI bodies, and how those two might relate to each other in the very near future. I’m really enjoying working with the ŻfinMalta dancers. Keith and Martí have been fabulous at really bringing my ideas to life. I’m currently in the process of structuring the piece, and I feel like we’re somewhere in the middle between figuring out the muscle of the general performance and the detail.

Sandra Mifsud

‘Illusio’

Dancer: Pearl Calleja

The piece I’m working on is called ‘Illusio.’ I chose to look a little bit at perhaps the negative side of technology, and how we as human beings are constantly looking for happiness outside of us, in the material world- and I’ve extended that into the digital world. We are dealing with the question of what makes us happy, constantly searching for that happiness in our digital spheres, and realising how illusory that is. What attracts us to the outside digital world, and why is it so addictive. How do we handle that in our everyday lives. 

A lot of the decision making is made in collaboration with the dancer, with Pearl. She is extremely generous with experimenting, exploring ideas, and exploring the themes of this piece. I obviously guide and lead a little bit, of course, but we very much work hand in hand. The movement material is very much hers. I’m not imposing any movement material on her, but rather just offering themes to work with. 

Thursday 5th (20:00) & Saturday 7th December (20:00)

Extension | Sarah Vella

Illusio | Sandra Mifsud

Ai I Am | Valentina Cauchi

Friday 6th (20:00) & Sunday 8th December (19:00)

Fiat Ferrari | Tara Dalli

I am Linked, Therefore I am | Pamela Kerr

Wandermust 2.0 | Florinda Camilleri

Watch James Vernon’s trailer for ‘ŻfinMade: Corporeality’

ŻfinMalta National Dance Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew William Robinson as its next Artistic Director. Current Artistic Director Paolo Mangiola leaves the role in July 2024, following a term of seven years. 

Mangiola joined a young ŻfinMalta at the end of its third season and has since led Malta’s national dance company through a period of extraordinary growth, bringing recognition at a local and international level. As a result, contemporary dance now has a place at the forefront of Malta’s performing arts scene, with an ever-expanding and dedicated local audience, and Malta has a national dance company with a strong international presence.

Mangiola reflects, “After seven fulfilling years, I have made the decision to step down from my role as Artistic Director at ŻfinMalta. Leadership is also the ability to understand when a cycle is ending and allowing the institution you served to keep developing through new voices and expertise. It has been an incredible journey, and I am immensely proud of the accomplishments we’ve achieved together. My heartfelt thanks goes to all of the choreographers, artists, and variety of experts who have contributed immensely to the growth of the company, making ŻfinMalta a hub where we cherish, protect and push our art form. I’m forever grateful to all the dancers who have worked with me, sharing their knowledge, and contributing to the development of our company. Ultimately, a massive thank you goes to ŻfinMalta’s loyal audiences, who embarked on this journey with us from day one and continue taking risks with us, moving with us, and being moved. I am confident in the talented team we’ve built, in everyone working behind the scenes, with their tireless commitment, and I look forward to seeing the company continue to thrive under the new leadership. My best wishes go to Matthew as he embarks on this exciting chapter.”

During his tenure, Mangiola has attracted some of the most important established and pioneering choreographers working on the international stage, including Tânia Carvalho, Emanuel Gat, Roy Assaf, Rosemary Lee, Sergiu Matis, Riccardo Buscarini, Francesca Pennini, Marco D’Agostin, Mauro Bigonzetti, Ambra Senatore, and Lesley Telford. Mangiola has also assembled a cast of dancers of the highest calibre and leaves a company of ten full time dancers and two apprentices.  

Alongside ŻfinMalta’s extensive repertoire, Mangiola has overseen an inclusive and participatory education and outreach programme for people from all backgrounds, with any relationship to movement. His pedagogical background has held his focus on the establishment of an open and expansive dance ecology with opportunities for aspiring, emerging and established dance artists to realise their potential and connect with ŻfinMalta audiences and communities.

Matthew William Robinson leaves his post as Artistic Director of National Dance Company Wales to join ŻfinMalta for its 10th season. 

Robinson brings to the role a wealth of experience following a distinguished career as dancer, choreographer, facilitator, rehearsal director and artistic director. His choreographic work has moved extensively across the United Kingdom and internationally to venues and festivals in Europe and beyond. Built from the body, the work seeks to translate contradictions and complex emotions, through highly physical choreographic construction. Collaborating across forms, Robinson is engaged in ongoing and emerging collaborative partnerships in the fields of sound, fashion, theatre, and technology. With a passion for the potential of dance to enable us to see ourselves, each other, and our world differently, he is an advocate for movement as a fundamental part of everyone’s lives.

Robinson has previously held roles as dancer and rehearsal director for Scottish Dance Theatre, performing work by international choreographers including Sharon Eyal, Damien Jalet, Hofesh Shechter, and Victor Quijada, and he was Artistic Director of VERVE from 2016-2021. Collaborating with world renowned and fresh choreographic voices, the company created distinct, engaging programmes of dance work for international touring programmes, developing a reputation for bold commissioning and offering quality of artistic training to emerging dance artists. In 2021 Robinson was appointed Artistic Director of National Dance Company Wales where he has been developing the interweaving possibilities of the company’s artistic and engagement programmes and interrogating the role of repertory companies now, through works for theatre, public space, festivals, and immersive contexts. He is a graduate of London Contemporary Dance School.

Robinson says, “I am thrilled to begin this new chapter with ŻfinMalta, building on the exceptional work of Paolo Mangiola and the team. I am inspired by the ambition of the company, and excited to step into what is next together. I am committed to ŻfinMalta as a home for groundbreaking artistic collaborations that centre movement as a transformative force in our world. We will collaborate with a breadth of artistic voices from near and far to create visually striking, physically distinctive dance work, that captivates the imagination of audiences nationally and internationally. I look forward to collaborating with the artistic ecology of the nation over the coming years, working together to highlight Malta as a vibrant cultural centre within the European landscape of artistic practice.”

ŻfinMalta National Dance Company approaches this milestone 10-year anniversary in a period of great strength and growth, with an increasing international profile and an extensive touring schedule. The company is excited to welcome Matthew William Robinson as its new Artistic Director, in full confidence that he brings the requisite knowledge, networks, passion and vision to continue leading the company on its current trajectory.

For further information contact:

Suzanna Nikolic, Marketing Executive

ŻfinMalta National Dance Company is part of the National Agency for the Performing Arts (NAPA), a public agency providing a joint legal, administrative, and organisational framework for KorMalta, Teatru Malta and ŻfinMalta.

We caught up with Alessandro Vigilante, for some insight into his stunning work for this ŻfinMalta co-production with Ballet d’Jèrri, and how this was a collaboration that was meant to be. 

Tell us briefly about yourself and your current work/career.  

After working for 15 in the creative teams of major brands such as Dolce&Gabbana, Gucci, Philosophy and The Attico, I decided to create my own eponymous brand, Alessandro Vigilante, to express my personal vision. For the past year, I have been the creative director of a prestigious French brand, Rochas, which next year will celebrate its 100th anniversary.

Can you share your initial inspiration behind the costume designs?

The first step in designing the costumes for ‘Geographer for Solitude’ was to meet choreographer Paolo Mangiola, who was very familiar with the work I was doing with my brand. Paolo explained the project to me and the ideas for the costumes came to me spontaneously. I worked thinking of the dancers’ bodies as if they were birds, and loved the idea of dressing them in second-skin costumes, all individual and unique by means of the varying shaped graphic cut-outs, yet all united by a special shade somewhere between red and blue.

“I’ve known Alessandro Vigilante’s work for many years now, I’ve been following him since the very beginning since he started designing. He was actually a dancer, he studied dance, in fact you can see in his work in the way he creates dresses, the way he thinks about fabric and movement.”

Paolo Mangiola

Were there any specific challenges you faced in designing costumes for a dance production, compared to other projects?

Designing costumes for dancers is really easy for me as I was a professional dancer until the age of 23. Dance continues to be my greatest source of inspiration.  At the same time, the final goal of my brand is to create a perfect blend of fashion and dance.

The most important thing when designing costumes for a dance performance is to serve the story that the choreographer and director wants to tell. Costumes have the task of helping to convey that message, and provide further clarity. When designing costumes for dancers, you cannot help but think about the fact that they must be extremely comfortable to allow all types of movement.

The most important design elements of the costumes are:

–  The special red and blue shaded print that becomes a second skin on the dancers’ bodies

–  The graphic cut-outs (the hallmark of the Alessandro Vigilante brand)

–  The fit, which is a hymn to freedom, and to freedom of movement

Watch James Vernon’s trailer for ‘Geographers of Solitude’

ŻfinMalta National Dance Company is pleased to announce the appointment of Matthew William Robinson as its next Artistic Director. Current Artistic Director Paolo Mangiola leaves the role in July 2024, following a term of seven years. 

Mangiola joined a young ŻfinMalta at the end of its third season and has since led Malta’s national dance company through a period of extraordinary growth, bringing recognition at a local and international level. As a result, contemporary dance now has a place at the forefront of Malta’s performing arts scene, with an ever-expanding and dedicated local audience, and Malta has a national dance company with a strong international presence.

Mangiola reflects, “After seven fulfilling years, I have made the decision to step down from my role as Artistic Director at ŻfinMalta. Leadership is also the ability to understand when a cycle is ending and allowing the institution you served to keep developing through new voices and expertise. It has been an incredible journey, and I am immensely proud of the accomplishments we’ve achieved together. My heartfelt thanks goes to all of the choreographers, artists, and variety of experts who have contributed immensely to the growth of the company, making ŻfinMalta a hub where we cherish, protect and push our art form. I’m forever grateful to all the dancers who have worked with me, sharing their knowledge, and contributing to the development of our company. Ultimately, a massive thank you goes to ŻfinMalta’s loyal audiences, who embarked on this journey with us from day one and continue taking risks with us, moving with us, and being moved. I am confident in the talented team we’ve built, in everyone working behind the scenes, with their tireless commitment, and I look forward to seeing the company continue to thrive under the new leadership. My best wishes go to Matthew as he embarks on this exciting chapter.”

During his tenure, Mangiola has attracted some of the most important established and pioneering choreographers working on the international stage, including Tânia Carvalho, Emanuel Gat, Roy Assaf, Rosemary Lee, Sergiu Matis, Riccardo Buscarini, Francesca Pennini, Marco D’Agostin, Mauro Bigonzetti, Ambra Senatore, and Lesley Telford. Mangiola has also assembled a cast of dancers of the highest calibre and leaves a company of ten full time dancers and two apprentices.  

Alongside ŻfinMalta’s extensive repertoire, Mangiola has overseen an inclusive and participatory education and outreach programme for people from all backgrounds, with any relationship to movement. His pedagogical background has held his focus on the establishment of an open and expansive dance ecology with opportunities for aspiring, emerging and established dance artists to realise their potential and connect with ŻfinMalta audiences and communities.

Matthew William Robinson leaves his post as Artistic Director of National Dance Company Wales to join ŻfinMalta for its 10th season. 

Robinson brings to the role a wealth of experience following a distinguished career as dancer, choreographer, facilitator, rehearsal director and artistic director. His choreographic work has moved extensively across the United Kingdom and internationally to venues and festivals in Europe and beyond. Built from the body, the work seeks to translate contradictions and complex emotions, through highly physical choreographic construction. Collaborating across forms, Robinson is engaged in ongoing and emerging collaborative partnerships in the fields of sound, fashion, theatre, and technology. With a passion for the potential of dance to enable us to see ourselves, each other, and our world differently, he is an advocate for movement as a fundamental part of everyone’s lives.

Robinson has previously held roles as dancer and rehearsal director for Scottish Dance Theatre, performing work by international choreographers including Sharon Eyal, Damien Jalet, Hofesh Shechter, and Victor Quijada, and he was Artistic Director of VERVE from 2016-2021. Collaborating with world renowned and fresh choreographic voices, the company created distinct, engaging programmes of dance work for international touring programmes, developing a reputation for bold commissioning and offering quality of artistic training to emerging dance artists. In 2021 Robinson was appointed Artistic Director of National Dance Company Wales where he has been developing the interweaving possibilities of the company’s artistic and engagement programmes and interrogating the role of repertory companies now, through works for theatre, public space, festivals, and immersive contexts. He is a graduate of London Contemporary Dance School.

Robinson says, “I am thrilled to begin this new chapter with ŻfinMalta, building on the exceptional work of Paolo Mangiola and the team. I am inspired by the ambition of the company, and excited to step into what is next together. I am committed to ŻfinMalta as a home for groundbreaking artistic collaborations that centre movement as a transformative force in our world. We will collaborate with a breadth of artistic voices from near and far to create visually striking, physically distinctive dance work, that captivates the imagination of audiences nationally and internationally. I look forward to collaborating with the artistic ecology of the nation over the coming years, working together to highlight Malta as a vibrant cultural centre within the European landscape of artistic practice.”

ŻfinMalta National Dance Company approaches this milestone 10-year anniversary in a period of great strength and growth, with an increasing international profile and an extensive touring schedule. The company is excited to welcome Matthew William Robinson as its new Artistic Director, in full confidence that he brings the requisite knowledge, networks, passion and vision to continue leading the company on its current trajectory.

For further information contact:

Suzanna Nikolic, Marketing Executive

ŻfinMalta National Dance Company is part of the National Agency for the Performing Arts (NAPA), a public agency providing a joint legal, administrative, and organisational framework for KorMalta, Teatru Malta and ŻfinMalta.