Danza!    2001-2004

DANZA! was born out of an intense longing for the dances of my childhood: on our trips to Eastern Europe I joined many festivals always regretting they didn't exist back home. In 1996, with the foundation of the Compagnia Vitale I was finally able to change this: I wanted to create a dancing-piece that I could tour through the Alps with. From village to village, from festival to festival. Nevertheless I did not want to just copy the dances of my childhood memories, but much more did I want to bring them to a new life of their own. Traditional dances should perpetuously renew themselves, without ever loosing their roots; thus I wanted to blend traditional elements with the modern. On this serpentinuous way, we succedingly invented Piccole Danze, Piccole Danze continua and now Danza! - and we go on dreaming of many more festivals on many more dancefloors of this world.

Corinna Vitale

Danza!
A wooden stage, a dance floor. Four couples that dance to the music of a four member orchestra. The dance caller Walter Vespucci and his wife Dolores who guide through the evening. And an audience that enjoys and responds to it.

The first part
The dance caller Walter Vespucci is happy. Finally he is on the road again with his dance show and his wife, his dancers and his orchestra.
Again he presents the most beautiful dances of the Alps. The "Landlers", the Scottishes, the Waltzes. The "Suite pour cuillères", this masterpiece for so many spoons and a "Furztrommel". The "Aviators' waltz" which is adapted from the magnificent air-choreographies of the "Patrouille Suisse". Founded or invented? Left Turn? Right Turn? It doesn't matter!
Vespucci is happy and his motto "Fun and Merry-making for big and small" shines brighter than ever!

The second part
After the show the audience wants to dance. The band strikes up. Instantly the floor is packed. For the quickly out of breath the landlord has set out water and wine and cheese and bread. And perhaps the butcher of the town, after having been notified by Dolores, has grilled thoses sausages again, those divine, long since last tasted sausages. Vepuccis' dancers have changed clothes and join in the dancing. And the music plays.
And when the musicians are tired may be a new band arrives, this time from the neighbourhood. These musicians are still fresh and they play melodies and dances that the people know. That gives everyone an enourmous boost again.

Choreography & artistic director: Corinna Vitale

Composition: Ben Jeger
Author: Stefan Bütschi
Director: Agnes Caduff

Dance:
Marisa Cococcia, Andrea Herdeg, Colette Roy, Corinna Vitale / Lucinda Weaver,
Stefan Bütschi, Simon Gisler, Nathan Prentice, Adrian Schulthess

Music:
Ben Jeger: accordeon, glass harp
Fredi Flükiger: drums, percussion, guitar, mandoline
Shirley Anne Hofmann / Chtistoph Gantert: tuba
Peter Schärli / Christoph Gantert: trumpet

Light: Christoph Siegenthaler

Costumes: Mona Piliod, Barbara Vitale, Ines Gfeller

Video/Foto: Christian Iseli

Administration: Myrtha Lanz