Momi Falchi on Autunno Danza: Vulnerability, Networks, and Insularity in Sardinian Contemporary Dance

Momi Falchi, artistic director of the Autunno Danza festival in Sardinia, discusses the 2018 edition's focus on vulnerability, fragility, and precariousness as central themes tied to the body. The festival features works by young authors like Jacopo Jenna and established Italian companies such as Martone and Abbondanza/Bertoni, whose piece 'La morte e la fanciulla' is a finalist for the Premio Ubu. Falchi emphasizes the importance of transmission and audience development through school projects, including Jenna's laboratorial work with a third-grade class on the concept of 'copy.' Autunno Danza is part of the 10 Nodi network, a collaboration of Sardinian festivals founded in 2015 during Cagliari's bid for Italian Capital of Culture. The network includes TconZero, SardegnaTeatro, Tutte storie, and Carovana, enabling cross-disciplinary dialogue and shared audiences. Falchi notes that insularity poses logistical challenges and higher costs for bringing companies to Sardinia, but the festival has achieved stability and increased audiences through networking. The next goal is to facilitate international distribution of Sardinian-born proposals. School involvement remains crucial for audience engagement, though contemporary dance is often absent from young people's imagination. Falchi calls for stronger theoretical and cultural references for dance history and philosophy in the region.