“Piccione” (“Pigeon”) 

A choreographic writing project to share a message during the pandemic time (2021)

“IO OSO…Oso guardare il cielo che viaggia sopra di me” (“I DARE…I dare to look at the sky traveling above me)

This project has its roots in the pandemic, when it was launched by the choreographer Silvia Bugno’s the CSDT (Experimental Dance Theatre Centre, Italy) as an online workshop; it then developed into a performative project - “Piccioni” (“Pigeons”) - as a relay of messages to pass on the group. Each pigeon-dancer worked on their own, following the choreographic writing process to create a piece with a message to bring to the group. This kind of work took suggestions and input by images, words, actions, colours and feelings that were present at that time using the contemporary dance tools. During this creative process, tracing with the body the material I collected, my “Pigeon” took off, inspired by ten words, the feeling on that moment, and the group.

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This work, “Piccioni”, began with a question: how do we prepare to leave? What makes us move? What actions awaken us? Trying to answer the question, our own research started to deepen movements/actions into choreographic writing pieces.

 

“I am not interested in how people move but in what makes them move” (Pina Bausch)

My starting point for composing my ten movements was driven by the desire to jump and the prelude anticipating it. Stretched towards the sky to feel my whole body, starting from the contact with the floor, swinging my arms to push myself for energy and the electrifying decision to jump: “this made me move”. 

My piece, “Piccione”, also took shape from some ingredients I collected in my “basket” during the creative process: the image of clouds, whose continuous movement inspired me to keep connected to the earth; a child jumping off a sand hill; the movements and colours of crows; the song “My body is my home”; wellington boots. Following my movements, during the composition, feelings gave me the key words interpreted by my body in that moment and new things emerged, opening other possibilities. I started to connect with the environment around me, performing my piece in different places indoor and outdoor to find other connections. I realized that the perfect space for my Piccione to fly off was a metal rain drain from which I could jump, taking the “risk” of feeling free. 

All this conveyed my message to bring: “I DARE…I dare to look at the sky traveling above me”, and I filmed the piece to share with the group.

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Poem:

“E’ un salto per riempire il vuoto di me

Uno slancio che unisce la terra al cielo

E’ l’urlo del vento che spalanca le braccia

In un affondo guardo dentro e ritorno

Io non parlo la vostra lingua...ma vi ascolto

Tra i rami gracchianti

E OSO

Oso guardare il cielo che viaggia 

Sopra di me”