As slipping out of the cloth of constantly fluttering flags, heraldic symbols take form and weight. Chimerical beings and oneiric figures appear, like leafing through an armorial or medieval bestiary. They seem to tell us stories of conflicts which took place in the well delimited perimeter of an emblematic battlefield. In ancient times, graphic marks and color combinations showed up on the armors in response to the military need to identify opposite factions during fights. Thus arose coats of arms, systems of signs, shapes and colors organized in a form, often that of a shield. They were used to reveal, according to a precise sign alphabet, the identity of a person, a family, a whole community. In the form of vivid colors and fantastic beasts, those emblems hint at political tensions, expressions of belonging, dominance and power.
Ara! Ara! is the designation of a symbol. The symbol of a rising power that chooses a bird to represent itself. Not a majestic and fearsome raptor like the eagle, an animal often used as a heraldic symbol of power. On the contrary, a bird that communicates fun and quietness by becoming, according to a popular western look, an exotic icon: the parrot Ara. It was introduced to the circus for its acrobatic abilities which, together with the bright colours of its plumage and the ability to repeat sounds and words by imitation, made it a perfect animal for entertainment in captivity. Ara! Ara! represents a seductive power for its friendly and festive appearance that, like the bird, imitates and repeats, bringing back patterns from the past, ignoring contents and effects.
Second part of a diptych started with AeReA, Ara! Ara! continues to investigate the symbolic power of the flag, drawing on the folkloristic tradition of flag waving. Present in both titles, the word Ara reveals a second meaning that alludes to the ancient place of sacrifice, here meant as a mechanism generating death, inflicted as a gift to those who were recognized the highest power.
choreography, performance, visual conception: Ginevra Panzetti / Enrico Ticconi; sound design, composition: Demetrio Castellucci; snare, percussions, recording: Michele Scotti; light design: Annegret Schalke; set design realization: Laila Rosato; flag design: Ginevra Panzetti; costume realization: Julia Didier; flag-waving coach: Carlo Lobina / Flag-wavers of Arezzo; technical care: Paolo Tizianel; touring/distribution: Aurélie Martin; italian production management: VAN (Federica Giuliano, Eleonora Cavallo); german production management: Monica Ferrari; production: Ginevra Panzetti / Enrico Ticconi; Associazione Culturale VAN; funded by: Hauptstadtkulturfonds (German Cultural Capital Fund); supported by: the Fondation d’entreprise Hermès within the framework of the New Settings Program; co-produced by: PACT Zollverein, La Briqueterie CDCN du Val-de-Marne; within the framework of accueil-studio funded by: Ministry of culture / DRAC IDF, KLAP Maison pour la Danse (Residency 2021), Théâtre de Vanves / Scène conventionnée d’intérêt national «Art et création» pour la danse et les écritures contemporaines à travers les arts, Triennale Milano Teatro; supported through: Programme Etape Danse; sustained by: Institut français d’Allemagne–Bureau du Théâtre et de la Danse; in partnership with: Maison CDCN Uzès Gard Occitanie, théâtre de Nîmes-scène conventionnée d’intérêt national–Art et Création–danse contemporaine, Fabrik Potsdam; with the help of: DGCA–ministère de la Culture et de la Communication, and the city of Potsdam, Mosaico Danza / Interplay Festival of Turin; in partnership with: Lavanderia a Vapore of Collegno, Radialstiftung; artistic residency program: NAOcrea–Ariella Vidach AiEP, Teatro Félix Guattari–Masque Teatro, CSC Bassano del Grappa, PACT Zollverein, Armunia, Schaubühne Lindenfels, Sosta Palmizi; thanks to: Teatro Comandini–Societas, Anghiari Dance Hub; Ginevra Panzetti / Enrico Ticconi are supported by: DIEHL+RITTER/TANZPAKT RECONNECT; which is funded by: Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media as part of the NEUSTART KULTUR initiative