I PRODOTTI BODY THEATRE PERFORMED BY SIX ACROBATS FROM NAIROBI AND A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT DANCERS.
DEBUT: FESTIVAL DEI DUE MONDI IN SPOLETO, JULY 2009-10-12
PREVIEW: CAVALLERIZZA REALE, TORINO, FOR FONDAZIONE TORINO PIEMONTE EUROPA, FEBRUARY 2009
CONCEPTION AND PRODUCTION BY MICHELA LUCENTI AND LEONARDO PISCHEDDA
CHOREOGRAPHY: MICHELA LUCENTI AND BALLETTO CIVILE
PERFORMED BY: EMANUELE BRAGA, MAURIZIO CAMILLI, MICHELA LUCENTI, ASAMBA PETER WILLS KURIA, WERE STEPHINE ODHIAMBO, ONAACHA ERIK ODIDA, AGERO NICHOLAS ONYANGO, RAUDO KAMPHREY OMONDI, EMANUELA SERRA, MBOKA CHURCHILL WANDANDA
LIGHTING TECHNICIAN: TIZIANO SCALI
SOUND TECHNICIAN: TIZIANO SCALI, MICHELA LUCENTI, LEONARDO PISCHEDDA, MAURIZIO CAMILLI
VIDEO: LEONARDO PISCHEDDA, EMANUELE BRAGA
STAGE SET: MICHELA LUCENTI E LEONARDO PISCHEDDA
COSTUMES: FEDERICA GENOVESI
ASSISTANT CHOREOGRAPHER: EMANUELE SERRA
ASSISTANT PRODUCER: FRANCESCO TRAVERSO
PRODUCTION: BALLETTO CIVILE AND ARTIFICIO23 IN COOPERATION WITH: P.E.P.E PRODUZIONI, AFRO JUNGLE JEEGS
ARTISTS FROM DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS MEET, STUDY EACH OTHER AND START TO SWAP EXPERIENCES AND TECHNIQUES. THEY REALISE THAT THEY WANT TO WORK TOGETHER BECAUSE THEY HAVE COMMON GROUND AND SOMETHING TO SAY.
THE PROJECT INVOLVES A NUMBER OF PEOPLE, STARTING WITH A TROUPE OF YOUNG KENYAN ACROBATS, THE AFRO JUNGLE JEEGS. THEY CAME TO ITALY TO TOUR WITH THEIR HIGH ENERGY STREET SHOW WHICH FEATURES THEIR PHENOMENAL ACROBATIC SKILLS. ARTIFICIO23 E P.E.P.E. PRODUZIONI LENT THEM SUPPORT.
LEONARDO PISCHEDDA THEN SUGGESTED THAT THE AFRICAN GROUP INTERACT WITH OTHER ARTISTS FROM EUROPE, AN EXPERIENCE WHICH WAS TO DRAW THEM TOWARDS BODY LANGUAGES OTHER THAN THAT OF ACROBATICS.
THEY WORKED WITH BALLETTO CIVILE, AN ITALIAN COMPANY LED BY MICHELA LUCENTI AND SPECIALIZING IN BODY THEATRE, HAVING WORKED FOR YEARS ON BODY LANGUAGE, SONG AND DANCE. THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF A LONG AND CONTINUING WORKING RELATIONSHIP. FOR TWO YEARS THE ARTISTS HAVE WORKED TOWARDS EACH OTHER CREATING A ROUTE BETWEEN EUROPE AND AFRICA, THE RESULT OF WHICH IS THE SHOW I PRODOTTI, AN ARTISTIC COOPERATION BETWEEN MICHELA LUCENTI AND LEONARDO PISCHEDDA, WHO HAD ALREADY WORKED TOGETHER ON THE HORROR VACUI PROJECT.
THE RESULT IS A JOURNEY THROUGH DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES OF DANCE, ACROBATICS AND ACTING AND THROUGH DIFFERENT STORIES. THE MAIN OBJECTIVE IS TO GIVE THE ARTISTS BREATHING SPACE ON STAGE.
THE SHOWS EXAMINES THE IDEA OF THE BACKGROUND NOISE OF LIFE THAT PEOPLE HEAR WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE IS SILENT. THE NOISE OF FEAR AND OF LONELINESS, WHICH ONE OF THE CHARACTERS, ERIC FROM NAIROBI, SAYS DURING THE SHOW ARE NATURAL IN EVERYONE’S LIFE. IN THE SHOW THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT STORIES (A STORY FOR EACH OF THE BODIES ON STAGE), BUT ALL THE STORIES RELATE TO ONE SAME THING: KUINGUIZA BARIDII, A KISWAHILI WORD THAT CAN BE TRANSLATED AS ‘COLD INSIDE’.
THE SHOW TELLS ABOUT A PLACE ENLIGHTEN LIKE THE FULL MOON WHERE DISTANCES ARE BOTH ENORMOUS AND PELTING, AND YOU CAN HEAR CLEARLY THE BACKGROUND NOISE GO RIGHT TO YOU TILL BONES, IF YOU STILL HAVE IT. IN THESE PLACE BODIES, MOVEMENTS, WORDS CAN BE NOTHING BUT CONCRETE.