In the Company of Bosch
Simona Bucci has approached the work of Hieronymus Bosch to seek, as she herself admits, "the elsewhere that inhabits me." These are weighty words, laden with resonances that are even psychoanalytic, given that the disturbing characters populating the great Flemish artist's canvases stem more from the obscure reasons of the unconscious than from real experiences, and can still encapsulate the myriad anxieties that man carries within himself regarding evil. Naturally, the creation that the Italian choreographer dedicates to Oriente Occidente 2006, after a residency in Rovereto where she and her dancers explored the very modalities of creation, remains an absolute unknown. What is certain, however, is the preparation and diligent activity carried out by this artist, who has gladly assisted Carolyn Carlson in her educational paths in Venice, and who holds teaching in high regard, on par with her creative work.
Trained in New York, primarily with Alwin Nikolais (hence her pass to Carlson!), Murray Louis, and Hania Holm, Simona joined the Claudia Gitelman Dance Company in 1982: a sign that she could have successfully embarked on a career as a performer in the then-essential Big Apple for any modern-contemporary dancer and choreographer. Instead, a year later, she chose to return to Italy, and in Florence, the city where she graduated, she founded Imago, her company, and a contemporary dance center: the Imago Lab. It is well known how much Italian choreographers must battle to stay afloat, so it is no surprise that Simona did not hesitate to rejoin Nikolais when, in 1991, the genial and amiable master of Motion called her back to New York to dance as a soloist in his group, also giving her the opportunity to create a choreography, "Au Contraire," which debuted in New York under the aegis of the Alwin Nikolais Dance Company. This success, and the many elective affinities, further solidified the Nikolais/Bucci partnership: the elderly master asked the young pupil to assist him (which happened during an advanced course in Reggio Emilia) and then insisted on keeping her with him as a dancer. However, in 1995, Bucci left Nikolais' company and flew to Rotterdam, where she returned to teaching and training. Back in Florence, she held a pedagogy course for training Nikolais technique teachers, which she knows best, and in 2000 she became Carlson's assistant (and teacher) at the Isola Danza Academy of the Venice Biennale. Meanwhile, her creative work progressed.
Simona Bucci, in truth, does not have a rich repertoire of titles, but those few, extremely refined ones, such as "Di Ombre Cerchiati gli Occhi" (2002) with original music by Paki Zennaro, "Indissolubile Eco" (2004), and especially "I Rimasti" (2005), have received unanimous acclaim. The latter choreography, in particular, won the Choreographer of Europe competition and the Danza&Danza award as the best production of the year. A piece for five male performers (Luca Campanella, Roberto Lori, Carlo Mauro Maggiore, Paolo Mereu, Milo Scarcella), the same who participate in the Rovereto creation with Frida Vannini, "I Rimasti" also boasts a pictorial inspiration source, chosen from the paintings of the divisionist Angelo Morbelli.
"I Rimasti" brings to the stage five solitudes, "photographed" on Christmas Day at the Pio Trivulzio (or Baggina) nursing home in Milan. Solitude, despair, the dark side of existence in the gestures of the outcasts, are still themes revolving in the poetic universe of the choreographer – who also questions what passes from one creation to another, what remains of a creative act, and what instead dissipates.
