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Mauro Astolfi: Diving into the Ocean of Dance written by Philip Szporer
Many people attend dance performance to see beauty, and dancers in turn perform to give it to them. It’s a passionate profession. For Mauro Astolfi, artistic director and founder of the Romebased Spellbound Contemporary Ballet, dance is an “ocean”, a welcoming place in which he imagines himself “diving” to uncharted depths to find the inspiration and motivation to express himself. In his youth, Astolfi was an avid gymnast, a sport that demanded extreme commitment and dedication. Then his interests turned to dance. It was over thirty years ago when he travelled to New York to study and live a life in dance. During that formative time, his teachers included the great American masters Merce Cunningham and Paul Taylor. Cunningham is often cited for his insights into clarity and speed, while Taylor grasped a style that was muscular and fluid. The formidable Martha Graham, for whom heroic technique and theatrical clarity were imperatives, trained both men, though each was propelled towards fundamentally different methods of creation. Cunningham and Taylor became important role models, each in turn sparking Astolfi’s urge to start creating his own work, embrace his own voice, and expand his artistic pursuits. He returned to Italy in 1994, where he established the Spellbound Dance Company. Two years ago, Astolfi renamed the troupe the Spellbound Contemporary
Mauro Astolfi
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Spellbound Contemporary Ballet April 2, 2013 at 8pm
www.spellboundance.com
IRVINE
BARCLAY THEATRE www.thebarclay.org
all dance photos from a series by Marco Bravi
Ballet. The company is one of the established leaders of new Italian choreography, and is perhaps best known for its unique vocabulary of expression – the dances he creates are poetic, yet dynamic, combining athleticism with grace. The company name change marks a significant philosophical shift. “We’ve had the feeling in the past five years that ‘contemporary’ could express a much more mature meaning of our work, because when we started out I had many neo-classical productions,” Astolfi says.
And, as the Spellbound website indicates, “Being contemporary is the heart of our focus and research in its broadest sense, which transcends stylistic motives and merges with a line of thought which recognizes the contemporary, today.” In the evolving world of dance, categorization is a familiar and often-necessary convention. Contemporary ballet, for example, is a form of dance influenced by both classical ballet and modern dance. Its training technique and use of pointe work stem from classical ballet, although it permits a greater range of movement that may not adhere to the strict body lines set forth by various ballet schools. At the same time, many of its concepts come from the ideas and innovations of 20th century modern dance, including floor work and turn-in of the legs. The ‘contemporary’ in Contemporary Ballet links to an exploration of the total movement potential of the body. There are no set standards or defined styles. Innovation often seeks to express a personal vision, and ideas are often developed through the use of collaborative methods and a cross-pollination of approaches. Astolfi feels passionately about dance. In his working method, he builds a unique and personal signature that spans the broad spectrum of movement possibilities, giving the group the opportunity to create a repertoire based on a wide variety of techniques. As a choreographer, he seems to communicate with the dancers in a simple and direct mancontinued...
IRVINEBARCLAYPRESENTS the 2012-13 International Contemporary Dance Series