“CLASH! When classic and contemporary dance collides and new forms emerge” comes from a reflection that Balletto di Roma has been pursuing long the years about the production and transmission of systems so-called “classical” and “contemporary” in dance field.

CLASH! project aims at supporting dance companies of South and Eastern Europe, the more traditionally active in classical training and production, towards the production of contemporary dance, which nowadays requires new training tools, new internal management and new strategies for audience development. At the same time, since the project will also produce productions and co-productions, CLASH! also shares the challenge of promoting the exchange and circulation of works and artists at European level.

In the next years, 6 experienced project partners form 5 EU Countries – Balletto di Roma (IT), 420PEOPLE (CZ), Art Link Foundation representing Derida Dance Centre (BG), Companhia de Dança de Almada (PT), Polski Teatr Tanca (PL) and Sapienza University of Rome (IT) – will work together to investigate issues related to the production and teaching dynamics of classical and contemporary dance, sharing experiences, training methodologies, approaches at internal planning of activities as well as to the relationship with the audience.

Тhe project will be presented to press and stakeholders during the press conference that will take place on February 20th, 12am, at Sapienza University of Rome, Dipartimento di Storia Antropologia Religioni Arte Spettacolo – S.A.R.A.S. – Ex Vetrerie Sciarra, Aula Levi della Vida – Via dei Volsci, 122 – 00185 Rome).

During the press conference, the project program will be presented in detail, with the interventions of all the international partners.

A theoretic laboratory “TRANSITION FROM CLASSIC/NEO-CLASSIC TO CONTEMPORARY DANCE MODELS” will follow. Partners will address the main themes: Somatic practices and terminologies; Collective work and company hierarchy; Dramaturgy and post-dramaturgy; Digital technologies in dance performance and as tool to archive and publish choreographic works. Partners will share their work and perspective, discussing common points and methodologies to be inserted in the project and in the forthcoming activities. Prof. Letizia Gioia Monda (Sapienza University of Rome) will moderate the presentations of the guests: Jivko Jeliazkov (Art Link Foundation representing Derida Dance Centre), Francesca Magnini (Balletto di Roma), Ana Macara e Maria Franco (Companhia de Dansa de Almada), Ewelina Chatłas e Paweł Malicki (Polish Dance Theatre), Marta Lajnerová (420PEOPLE); Vito Di Bernardi and Luca Ruzza (Sapienza Università di Roma). Johanna Milz, Frankfurt-based freelance dance dramaturg, has been invited by La Sapienza to discuss the theme of dramaturgy and post-dramaturgy in dance.

The launch of CLASH!, together with the first laboratory of the project, TRANSITION FROM CLASSIC/NEO-CLASSIC TO CONTEMPORARY DANCE MODELS, organized on 20th and 21st February 2019, represents only the first of a series of events and initiatives that will be the core of the whole project.