Choreographed by Mattia Russo and Antonio de Rosa Inspired by the work by Umberto Ciceri

Since the dawn of time, art has shown its love for humanity and freedom. So in its latest work, KOR’SIA is working with the artist Umberto Ciceri to reflect on the growing loss of rights that our society is experiencing.
H U M A N came into being as a scenic research project attempting to represent the demand and need to revise this epic moment in contemporary art. Through the creation of images of movement with an enormous evocative power, KOR’SIA attempts to stimulate the involvement of the spectator in the creative process.

“All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” An off-screen voice enunciates, one by one, the articles from the universal declaration of human rights. It is an arbitrating voice, both in Spanish and German. The stage is four- sided. The two dancers are pugilists. In the background we hear the sound of Bach.

 

ABOUT H U M A N

HUMAN (FIGHTS – RIGHTS - LIGHTS) is a play conceived in three acts by the Italian artist Umberto Ciceri. It could be defined as a polyphonic opera, whose profound text evokes the thirty articles from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The three stages of the play are mentioned in the title: Experience, Knowledge, and Conscience. Each of the stages is formed into an epic cycle that constantly tries to transform and renew itself.

The narrative technique is not limited to relating society’s development from a western point of view. From the mists of time we rediscover the Sumerian, Persian, Hindu and African civilizations. Our trajectory takes us through different manifestations such as the Code of Ur- Nammu, The Cyrus Cylinder, The Edicts of Ashoka, and the Kurukan Fuga until the present Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the most recent attempt of regulation, the most famous and the least respected.

In H U M A N the thirty articles of the declaration are sung to Bach’s choral music and choreographed by KOR’SIA’s unmistakable dance language in search of what these rights attempt to achieve: respect, equilibrium and a state of grace.

In the words of Mattia Russo: “To dance is to get involved, it is expressing what we want to reveal. Hence the dance does not necessarily have to be beautiful.”

This need for denunciation using the body translates into an innovative vehicle for telling: even if conceived as a dance performance, this work fits perfectly into a theatre or opera programme. In this sense, KOR ́SIA seeks its own form of expression, it seems to flee pure art forms while searching for the integration of diverse artistic languages.

Due to its attractive mix of registers and languages, such as the drama ́s hidden messages, closely resembling theatrical language, HUMAN is the ideal piece to bring dance closer to the general public. Moreover, the nature of the central theme benefits the involvement of secondary students, conservatories and dance or music schools. There is also potential for collaboration with charity organizations of a local or international scope such as the United Nations, Amnesty International or Red Cross.