A major new work, called Morso D’Amore upends the classic tarantella— a dance rooted in the traditions of Southern Italy during the 15th to 17th centuries— and is destined to become a significant contemporary work premiering in the USA in 2020. To cure the body of the poisonous bite of the tarantula, it was said that three or four days of dancing in a trance-like state would relieve the body of physical and psychological trauma. In MorsoD’Amore(Bite of Love), the dance is imagined as a state of ecstasy or rebellion, recalling a strange imprisonment. A cycle of capture and release is at hand in this complex work that crosses global cultures and examines both personal and political crisis.
