On 6 and 7 April 2019, the city of San Severo in Puglia and the Teatro Giuseppe Verdi, are preparing to welcome a great event dedicated to dance and to all lovers of this wonderful art form. But let’s get to know the founder of this initiative better. Following the interview with Rossella Damone
Before revealing the details of this wonderful project, I’d like to talk a little about you and your passion for dance. You yourself have studied dance for many years and you have been a professional dancer, but tell us how the meeting with this discipline happened…
The meeting with the dance I owe it to my mom. She was the one who, loving the ballet, took me to a school that was exactly in front of my house. Maybe a sign of destiny. It was love at first sight, the same I felt when, for the first time, I entered a theatre, our beautiful theatre. The red color and softness of the velvet of the armchairs, that huge chandelier that appeared to me mysterious and the stage with those large wooden boards that glisted under the effect of the lights. It was all so fascinating and magical that, already so small I was kidnapped… forever… And then I had the good fortune to meet a teacher who sent me for this sublime art an infinite passion. The dance encompasses everything: there is the music, there are the scenographies and the costumes, there is the inspiration of the choreographer, the interpretative and athletic ability of the dancer… and his heart. What more would you want? The love of Dance is for me a great companion of life. Those who know me know well.
But now tell us about this project: how long have you started thinking about it? What does IDA mean to you? What is your goal on this initiative?
The idea took shape last summer. My biggest wish is to return, at least in small part, to this theater the immense joy that it gave to me in the 30 years in which I danced. In These years has been done a lot to give light to the Teatro Verdi and I wanted to give my contribution. I began to hope that the first-magnitude stars in the international dance scene could discover on our stage the potential talents and, at the same time, that our children were not forced to face long journeys to have the opportunity to be noticed or simply to be able to bring these excellencies of the world of choreutics, just as it had happened to me as a little girl. I wanted to make it easier to live an experience so wonderful, motivating and exciting, the same that I wanted to live as a pupil in my city. Our beautiful theatre deserves a great competition and the names involved in this initiative are truly of absolute excellence. The presence of professionals of this level goes beyond my expectations. My admiration for them is immense and I will never thank them enough for adhering to my request. It is for me a dream that is realized together with that of many young promises.
The competition will be involved in several dance schools. What is the average age of the participants? What do you expect emerges from comparing competitors?
There are two categories: Juniors 12/17 years and seniors 18/25 years. I expect a healthy competition, but above all to realize for 2 days a great dance festival from which a beautiful positive energy emanating from dreams, ambitions and hopes of many young dancers and ballet dancers, coming from different contexts and experiences but in tune with each other, because united by a single great passion for art, that gathers and nourishes the souls.
What do you think about the condition of dance in Italy today? What would you like to improve and how?
Given that you can always do better, I think the dance unfortunately, despite being in many those who love it, has less space and less tools that help to express themselves in theaters and television in the way it deserves. I hope that things will change thanks to targeted interventions and that we act increasingly in the sign of quality and professionalism because only where there is quality and professionalism, there is art and beauty.
