39th Oriente Occidente Festival in Rovereto Features Chinese and Eastern European Dance

The 39th edition of the Oriente Occidente festival in Rovereto, Italy, focused on themes of contemporary global issues including China's Silk Road exchanges, Eastern European creativity and freedom, climate change, and migration. The program featured the Guangdong Modern Dance Company, China's oldest modern dance company, performing 'Sumeru' under artistic director Liu Qi, inspired by Buddhist cosmology. Nineteen Shaolin Warrior Monks from Henan province performed in a work by Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui. South Korean choreographer Eun-me Ahn presented a colorful exploration of artistic similarities and differences between South and North Korea. The UK's Stopgap Dance Company, integrating disabled and non-disabled artists, showcased human strength and vulnerability. A focus on choreography from Hungary, Czech Republic, and Slovakia brought works by Pál Frenák, Martin Talaga, and Beatrix Simkó. Simkó collaborated with Finnish dancer Jenna Jalonen on 'Long Time No See!', exploring their shared Uralic linguistic roots through performance. Frenák's 'Birdie' featured a metal pyramid set and electroacoustic music by Norman Levy, incorporating circus and theater elements. The review critiques the dramaturgical weakness of Simkó and Jalonen's piece, noting its disjointed registers.