© Zani-Casadio
Socìetas – Claudia Castellucci
La nuova Abitudine
Dance of the Mòra company to Znamenny chants of the Russian Orthodox Church
choreography Claudia Castellucci
male voices of the In Sacris Choir of Sofia
choirmaster Borjana Naydenova
production Socìetas, in coproduction with Teatro Piemonte Europa/Festival delle Colline Torinesi
The Znamenny chant (знамёна, signs) unites Bulgaria with Ukraine and Russia in a vast supranational area stretching from the Black Sea to the Baltic. With its essential, seemingly modest balance, this chant has nothing to do with the lavish pomp of the Orthodox liturgy. So deeply intertwined with the history of all Slavic peoples, this chant now echoes over the cries of war. And the dance based on it is now being staged in Ravenna, the ancient Byzantine capital: the Basilica of San Vitale becomes a kind of rhythmic and historical paradigm where dance and architecture, East and West, past and present will be judged by the eurythmic arches of a human artefact made to stand the test of time. Dance will enter it with discretion and respect, affirming its own relevance in the face of the violent chronicle of our time.
