The ninth edition of the Rovereto Festival pays tribute to the choreographer Alwin Nikolais, a legendary figure and pioneer in 20th-century dance history. Creator of an abstract multimedia theater of intense allure, the "magician" of American formalism is linked to the avant-garde movements revolving around Bauhaus experiments and the figure of Oskar Schlemmer. Notably, Alwin Nikolais trained under the German Hanya Holm, a collaborator of Mary Wigman.
Alwin Nikolais' presence at the Rovereto Festival, which this year partly focuses on the avant-gardes of the early 20th century, marks a fundamental moment in the event and provides an intriguing examination of the cultural exchange between modern European dance and American choreography post-World War II. A total artist who signs not only his choreographies but also the music, sets, lights, and costumes of his performances, Alwin Nikolais has asserted since the 1950s his original theater of movement with a profoundly visionary potential.
Immersed in optical illusions and explosive kaleidoscopic games, his dance embodies pure "motion" and the "dehumanization" of the body, where the aim is not the alienation of the self but the transcendence of subjectivity through projection into a science-fictional spatio-temporal dimension. Among the works to be presented in two evenings at Oriente Occidente, selected from over 160 creations by the choreographer, will be historical masterpieces of Nikolais alongside an Italian premiere.
Nikolais will engage with the Oriente Occidente audience in a conference about his work and will conduct a workshop on technique and composition alongside his collaborator since the 1950s, choreographer Murray Louis. This marks Nikolais' first time teaching in Italy, underscoring his role as an extraordinary educator.
