Abbondanza/Bertoni's 'Hyenas' premieres at Festival Opera Prima in Rovigo

The new choreography 'Hyenas' by Michele Abbondanza and Antonella Bertoni debuted at the Festival Opera Prima in Rovigo, Italy, organized by Teatro del Lemming. The festival, now in its 16th edition, explores new theatrical languages with a focus on youth creativity. 'Hyenas' was created during lockdown with social distancing rules, featuring staggered entrances and repeated sequences. Five dancers (Marco Bissoli, Sara Cavalieri, Cristian Cucco, Ludovica Messina, Francesco Pacelli) wear sheep, goat, and ram masks by Bulgarian artist Nadezhda Simeonova, evoking the Minotaur as a symbol of the human psyche's rational and instinctual sides. The work is the second part of the 'Hybrid' trilogy, examining human-animal relationships. The hyenas' grin hides beneath expressionless masks, revealed during a rave with techno music, colored lights, and smoke, leading to loss of control and grotesque revelations. The choreography references David Lynch's 'Rabbits' series. The festival also featured 'Terzo Tempo' by MOMEC (concept by Mario Previato), an intimate installation for one spectator at a time in Palazzo La Gran Guardia, and 'Sarajevo, mon amour' by Farmacia Zoo:È, telling the true love story of Boško Brkic and Admira Ismic, killed by a sniper on the Vrbanja bridge during the Siege of Sarajevo (1992-1996).