Revival Rhapsody is much more than just a dance workshop; it is an intergenerational experience aimed at expanding the concept of inclusivity and participation through the sharing of stories, times, and different ways of inhabiting a place, all through the language of dance. Revival Rhapsody is a dancing procession that on May 18th at 6:00 PM starts from the Centro Sociale del Gattaglio, crosses the neighborhood, and arrives at Parco del Legno.
The project, promoted and realized by the Centro Coreografico Nazionale / Aterballetto in collaboration with the Comune di Reggio Emilia, Cooperativa Rigenera, and Centro Sociale Gattaglio, financed by European funds from the Emilia-Romagna Region, stems from the natural evolution of Dal liscio al Rave, the workshop that last season involved citizens over 55 and under 25, but for the new edition has opened up to an even wider audience, from 16 years old and up.
Dance becomes the vehicle through which people can express their stories and experiences, transforming the neighborhood into a living stage where generations mix and identities are built and revealed through the movement of the body. This process of revelation and sharing leads to the creation of a nonlinear rhapsodic narrative, gathering pieces of history and personal testimonies.
The creator of this narrative is Lara Guidetti, performer, choreographer, and artistic director of the Sanpapié Company, who led the workshop and brought to life a dancing community starting from folk dancing. The choreographer explains:
“Folk dancing, as a true social ritual, breaks through the boundaries of the ballrooms of Emilia-Romagna and the Temporary Autonomous Zones (TAZ) of raves to include practices typical of different historical moments, regions, and places deposited in collective memory and a tool for mutual knowledge and storytelling. Revival means ‘reviving, rebirth, awakening’: a material deposited within bodies, memories, and imaginaries that, depending on the stage of life one finds themselves in, can be very different, but which is always present in each of us and constitutes a source of comparison, creativity, and intergenerational dialogue. The rhapsody evokes a free and varied composition, built from the set of melodic ideas that focus on a popular and transmissible story. This is the underlying structure of the project, which aims to bring together and give voice to ‘multiple uniquenesses’ within a collective discourse, reflecting inclusion and listening.”
