FRANCESCA RUGGERINI – UNI VERS ELLE
“It takes an act of trust. To believe the voice. To believe the true essence. To believe that we are called to, called to, called through, called despite. It takes an act of faith to be faithful.”
Starting from the analysis of the figure of Joan of Arc, we investigated the fusion of three fundamental points: vision/listening/transformation.
Francesca Ruggerini approached the study of contemporary dance during her adolescence, intensively attending courses under the guidance of several teachers, immediately beginning to integrate the research by participating in seminars with many Italian and international masters. She also approaches and deepens her knowledge of different techniques such as floorwork, contact improvisation, Release Technique, dance theatre, Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais (currently enrolled in the professional training course at Self Wise Feldenkrais in Paris), Pilates, GYROKINESIS® (of which she becomes certified trainer in 2011). She began working in 2004 as a mime dancer for numerous opera productions in Italy and abroad, the latest of which, since 2013, under the direction of Romeo Castellucci with whom she is engaged every year in new productions. She dances as freelance for several companies with various choreographers including Monica Casadei (Artemis danza), Jean Guillaume Weis (Dance Theatre Luxembourg), Cindy Van Acker (Cie Greffe). Theatre of Objects actress since 2017, active in the international tour with the show “Pop Up” of the company I Sacchi di Sandbags, production Teatro delle Briciole (PR). In 2018 starts the first research project “Uni Vers Elle”, produced by Lenz Foundation, with the support of C&C Company and Le Facteur. Another project started in 2018 sees her collaborating with the dancer/author Giovanna Rovedo in the research “Playing the Landscape”, a path of dance/exploration/division in mountain places. She is currently engaged in Alessandro Carboni’s new production “Context” which will debut at Kilowatt Festival in July 2020.
“Joan, are you in the grace of God?”
“If there is no God put me there. If there is God, keep me there.”
Why Giovanna?
Because she hears a voice and listens to it. She doesn’t listen to what her mother and father say. She doesn’t listen to what religious figures who question her non-stop. She doesn’t even listen to her king.
She hears a voice. She knows two things about this voice: It comes from within and makes a sound.
Whose is it? God’s.
That is what she believes. This is what moves her steps.
From a teenager, little woman, child, to a warrior leading an army.
A warrior in male form, because that’s how war is made. With sword and shield.
You, your armor, two shoulders that must bear all the responsibility of this world.
Joan who saves herself, Joan who saves everyone.
As if you could. As if you could take on the burden of it all.
Joan who burned, they burned her.
She became the burden at some point.
Why Joan?
Because translating her story, looking for a parallel, there is, there is a voice that speaks to all the Joan of this world.
And it is not that of the mother, father, priest, friend, lover, society as a whole.
The voice that speaks, when it speaks, is perhaps the divine that is in each of us.
It is perhaps the creative that manifests itself.
It is the wild “I” that reveals the real essence, the dough one is made of.
This voice must be chosen.
This voice is either heard or silenced.
This voice burns.
This voice pushes, presses, screams.
It takes an act of trust. To believe the voice. To believe the true essence. To believe that we are called to, called to, called through, called despite.
It takes an act of faith to be faithful.
You, Joan, have not, by any means, silenced that voice.
She would have died rather.
She died there, in fact.
To be faithful.
Not a bit, sometimes, if it happens.
Give yourself credit.
Recognize each other.
To be in grace.
Like Joan.
from The New Consciousness of Mary Magdalene by Adele Venneri
By and with | Francesca Ruggerini
Music | Mauro Casappa
Video project | Oscar Accorsi
Choreography assistant | Xavier Perez
Dramaturgy assistant | Xavier Perez, Patrizia Dall’Argine
Support | C&C Company and Le Facteur
Residences | La Ménagerie de Verre, L’Impasse Studio, UOT/Teatro alla Corte
Production | Lenz Foundation
Duration | 30 minutes
rehearsal first part
password: FilageImpasse
