"The creative act is an act of courage"
Roberta Ferrara is a creative and passionate artist who, since 2011, is the artistic director of Equilibrio Dinamico Dance Company and the international training programme ED ENSEMBLE, in Italy, and her works have been performed all around the world. From 2020 she is associate artistic director of Odyssey Dance Theatre, Singapore. She has been a guest of several national and international realities, devoting herself to choreography and training in Italy and abroad.
- How were you able to develop your artistry as a choreographer?
“I left space for inspiration! Books, films, and music were and are my travelling companions, they fertilised my artistic “soil”, so I was able to “plant my seeds” while letting myself be inspired and influenced by the everyday world that surrounded me. Interpersonal relationships and human experiences have a crucial role in my creations. In my journey, I have met many artists as well as many common people from different cultures and these meetings and people have enriched me; I have given and received with my heart.”
- How did you develop your own company?
“My company, Equilibrio Dinamico, has always been based on teamwork which was essential to achieve our goals and objectives. I have never stopped believing that together we can overcome obstacles and reach goals! Climbing a mountain as a group makes the journey less tiring. We were born in 2011 in southern Italy as a training organization, with the intention to make a qualitative study possible even in a small place but filled with a creed that has always animated all the people who have come into contact with our reality. After ten years of care and devotion, we are a production company whose works have been performed in Italy, America, Spain, Greece, Croatia, Singapore, Brazil, Belgium, Germany, Albania, Kosovo, Japan, India, Turkey and Mexico City. But at the same time, we continue to promote training courses, hosting in the city of Bari - where the company is located - artists from all over the world, dancers who train with us sharing the same principles, and guest choreographers for Italian premieres. Equilibrio Dinamico is a company with a versatile repertoire that works with eclectic dancers from diverse formation backgrounds. Discussion and respect are the foundations of our artistic community.
- What are the difficulties?
“A few years ago, we were with the company in Virginia (USA) for the Experimental Film Virginia and the festival's slogan was: Small Town, Big Art! Well, it has become Equilibrio Dinamico's leitmotif! That's because among the difficulties there is the credibility of doing great things even in a city in the south of Italy that is not exactly "caput mundi", and on top of that in a company directed by a woman! I find it fun… I like to constantly challenge myself and show what we stubbornly achieve every year. Equilibrio Dinamico is a machine comprising a team of ten people, each one with their respective roles, who work daily for the present and future of this reality. Then there are the hundred or more dancers, students and artists who come into contact with us every year. Another everyday difficulty is being able to always be a good leader in every situation so that human relations and economic administration can be managed in the most appropriate and just way possible. Our sector is complex, it takes tenacity, patience and determination.”
- What is “Equilibrio Dinamico Ensemble”? What is its importance?
“Equilibrio Dinamico Ensemble was born in 2014 as a training project that over the years has welcomed young dancers, choreographers and artists to share their art through different backgrounds. Every year we launch an international call that always has a great response; this year 2020/21 we have selected 30 dancers from Italy, Holland, England, Belgium, Spain, America, and Estonia. The path is both practical and theoretical; besides the classes, there are three artistic residencies, where the dancers are involved in three very different performances. The latest addition to the path is a dance film, the young dancers of Ensemble are the protagonists of a film set! Along the way, there is also a program called "OUTDOOR" where the dancers have the opportunity to see guest artists on stage with internationally acclaimed performances. Our goal is to try to give the dancers all the tools they might need to know themselves and understand what artistic pathway to follow. We try to advise and steer them with care, firmly believing in the people who entrust us. In this way, Equilibrio Dinamico Ensemble creates work opportunities and a bridge between training and work, a delicate and essential transition for young dancers who often find themselves lost and don't have a clear idea of where to land. We like to describe ourselves as a "harbour" because this is what we want to be, a safe place to stop and rediscover yourself and then be ready to soar!”
- As a choreographer, what fascinates you about creating a piece?
“I am fascinated by the human journey of the dancers. What does they carry around with them? What were their losses? And their achievements? It is very important for me to first relate to the people and their identities, and only then, once I have explored their worlds, I am ready to give myself and let the dancers be free to soar. For me, the creative act is an act of courage!”
- When you create a piece, what catches your attention in another dancer?
“I am captured by the honesty with which he/she moves, how his/her eyes explore inside and outside the space. It’s important that he/she is present, aware and authentic. He/she must shine with his own personality!”
- When can you actually define if you are satisfied with your work?
“When the dancers manage to enter the choreography feeling at home. They are not doing the job, they are the job itself. It's amazing for me when the choreography becomes part of the dancers and they feel represented in its being. It makes me feel useful, like a necessary tool of expression for other human beings.”
- What is the importance of the process of improvisation and researching?
“It is important to have your own tools. Study a lot and everything. Be aware of theory and practice. Be a thinking mind in a smart body. In the process of improvisation and research, we can reveal who we are, it's a great opportunity! For me, it is the basis to start any creative process and to understand the energetic value of that person, his poetics and his instincts.”
- What is the importance of technique and what is it?
“Take for example a beautiful house and try to build it without a foundation… would you manage? No! It would fall! Technique is the basis for building anything you want. Nowadays we like to deconstruct the body, explore it to its limits... but how could you do it without knowing the structure of your body and its limited and unlimited spaces. Besides, technique moulds you with discipline and perseverance, two fundamental concepts for a professional dancer who must deal with commitment and responsibility.”
- What is the biggest challenge you had so far?
“Every day I fight to make this reality an inclusive community made of people and artists who can discover, explore and share their own being. Therefore, I believe that the biggest challenge is the daily one: never give up! Even when you have to face complex industry dynamics or people who try to demoralise you. Never give up, never! You are the pilot of your life; you decide how to live it fully.”
- Why do you think art is so important in today's society?
“Because art is charged with positive energy, it heals, regenerates, allows you to meditate, to know yourself and to always remain open and connected with the world. Art for me has without doubt a therapeutic value!”
- Can you give some advice to young dancers and choreographers?
“My advice is to know yourself deeply, we must be the masters of our choices and to make this happen we need to study and explore ourselves every day. I encourage to cultivate one's soul constantly, to have skilled bodies and minds, ready for anything. I encourage you to dive into life without the fear of making mistakes, to believe in yourself and to love yourself. Never stop being stubborn, determined and resolute; do not follow the trends, create new ones; always be promoters of poetics and beauty. I leave you my mantra, maybe it will come in handy: fixed goal, flexible purpose, variable means! Everything is possible!”
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