Last Spring, Franklin students, staff and faculty benefited from the choreographic direction of Maria Bonzanigo. Over three days, Frankliners danced together and worked to interpret the theme of balance, or equilibrium, as a metaphor for emotional, physical and psychological wellbeing.
This fall, it has been an exciting semester full of dance events for Franklin students to experience firsthand. In September, The Finzi Pasca Company celebrated its 40th anniversary with “Luna Park,” an immersive theatrical journey. In October, Franklin students and faculty were privileged to experience a talk by Canadian choreographer Rodnie Désir at the Lugano Arte e Cultura (LAC) in downtown Lugano. The discussion of international artistry there was inspiring to Division of Arts and Cultures students in particular. Dance maker Cristina Kristal Rizzo’s workshop during the 32nd FIT International Festival melded dance and identity and provided an in-depth exploration of somatic practices. A fusion of dance and theory, the event challenged attendees to explore dance as an autonomous medium while deconstructing aesthetic, political, and economic imaginations. Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen, a reinterpretation of A Midsummer Night's Dream with Mourad Merzouki's choreography, was yet another dance occasion that Franklin students attended at the LAC in late October. William Christie led Les Arts Florissants and Le Jardin des Voix, presenting a Baroque masterpiece. In November, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo returned to Lugano with their interpretation of Romeo and Juliet, choreographed by Jean-Christophe Maillot. Told through the perspective of Friar Laurence, Maillot’s choreography seamlessly blended classical dance with modern narratives, integrating cinematic techniques for a contemporary experience. This diverse program of visual and performing arts exposed Franklin students to art, history, and literature in an immersive, experiential way that served as a welcome supplement to classroom-based studies.
A workshop entitled Unity was planned for late November but will be rescheduled for Spring 2024. A continuation of Spring 2023’s Equilibrium workshops, this new experiential dance event will feature Maria Bonzanigo’s direction and artistic vision, which can be envisioned in her work with Compagnia Finzi Pasca. In times of conflict, dance carries a potential therapeutic value. The choreographer strives to “unite” her dancers, harmonizing their movements, empowering them to embody meaning in a collective gesture, often accompanied by music. Professors Fabio Ferrari and Hrisanta Trebici-Marin have coordinated and supported dance events throughout the 2023 academic year, and they are the co-designers behind the FUS-LAC collaboration. With the continued support of the McNeely Family, the Lugano Dance Project has proved to be a valuable addition to the Franklin educational experience. As part of the Division of Arts and Cultures curriculum, Professor Trebici-Marin's The Sound of Movement—Ballet/Dance course and Professor Yount’s Exploring Dance and Movement course will offer students the opportunity to engage with academic and multimedia texts that use dance as an impetus. We look forward to continuing the Franklin artistic immersion with dance in Spring 2024!
Hear from Hrisanta Trebici Marin, Adjunct Professor of Music History, Professor Fabio Ferrari, Chair of the Academic Division of Arts and Cultures and Associate Professor of Italian and Comparative Literary & Cultural Studies, and Maria Bonzanigo, a renowned composer and choreographer, as they recount their unique experiences and visions for the transformative FUS-LAC Dance Project in Lugano.