CORPI URBANI/URBAN BODIES
International Festival of Dance in Urban Landscape

Finale Ligure, 13-14 September 2008
Genova, 19-21 September 2008

Who we are

The cultural association A.R.T.U. – Arti per la Rinascita e la Trasformazione Urbana (Arts for Urban Renaissance and Transformation) – has been founded to contribute to the cultural and artistic development of the town of Genoa.

A.R.T.U. focuse on the urban regeneration that Genoa is having and aim to create a relationship between these changes and its citizens.

The Association believe that the artistic production, and in particular the street arts, represent a significant means operating in parallel with urban interventions. In fact the arts rivitalise places, form a conscious attitude towards the changes, train and encourage cultural development at a local level.

Corpi Urbani/Urban Bodies

Corpi Urbani/Urban Bodies is an International Festival of Contemporary Dance in the historical center of Genova (North of Italy). It consists of several performances - some of which are site specific productions - taking place in different areas of town such as streets, squares, shop windows, natural areas, historical palaces and museums. Corpi Urbani is managed by the nonprofit cultural association ARTU (Arti per la Rinascita e la Trasformazione Urbana – Arts for Urban Regeneration), whose mission statement is to enrich the urban environment through the arts and give contribution to the cultural city development plan.

The dance scenery in Genova is pretty poor: theatres program a few dance performances per year and mostly are ballet orientated. Despite the large number of dance schools in town, the audience for dance is not developing. Therefore, theatres do not take the risk to propose something different and people do not attend dance shows and seem to prefer other art forms. However, it should be said that people can hardly be encouraged to appreciate dance and attend events if there is no continuity and enrichment in proposing. With lack of offer, dance remains an art form for few. On the contrary, creating more occasions to enjoy it, would generate more curiosity around it and give incentive to experience something different as well. In such a context and conscious of the lack of resources available, ARTU decided to take on a project as Corpi Urbani believing in its added values.

The main idea has been to allow people to experience dance shows for free, and locate them in a familiar environment. The basic concept of finding people (and not ask them to come to the shows), has necessarily produced attendance, eliminating that lack of confidence about unfamiliar genres, which constitutes one of the main barriers to attending contemporary dance events. In a daily environment, people are freer to enjoy performances, firstly because they can always decide to decline attendance and walk away whenever they wish and, secondly, they do not worry about disappointment of expectations or difficulty in understanding (which seem to occur when people attend traditional arts shows).

A second goal has been to explore the art form of contemporary dance, proposing it in a simple and direct way, and encourage people to discover its sense of spontaneity and immediate appeal in unusual settings. The “special occasion” value around the project has made dance more accessible and persuaded people to perceive their urban surroundings in a different way. Corpi Urbani is supposed to be a community experience, presented to the city and created for it. Considering the significant changes that Genova has been going through recently, aim of the project it has also been to monitor transformations and connect to them. In the last few years, in Genova new buildings have been erected, dull areas completely transformed, old palaces opened to innovative architectural improvements and new urban plans in transports and services have been accomplished. However, all these changes have been lacking of concrete ideas and projects. Corpi Urbani contributes to the development, bringing people to the new places, buildings and historical palaces or museums.

CONTACT

Eliana AMADIO
Associazione ARTU
Via Fratteli Coda, 61/7
16166 Genova 
Tel/ Fax.: +39 3477613118
e.mail :info@associazioneartu.it
www.associazioneartu.it