NID Platform 2019: Southern Italy's Dance Scene Largely Excluded

The fifth edition of NID (New Italian Dance) Platform, held in Reggio Emilia, showcased selected Italian dance productions but faced criticism for its near-total exclusion of artists from southern Italy and the islands. Out of 49 submissions from the south, only two were selected: Luna Cenere from Naples and Zappalà Danza from Catania, the latter qualifying automatically as a Production Centre. The platform, founded in 2012 by RTO, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, and local authorities, aims to identify and support the best Italian dance. However, the selection revealed a stylistic bias towards American and Central European influences, favoring deconstruction and Tanztheater while sidelining dramaturgical and technical dance forms. Organizers included ATER, Fondazione Nazionale della Danza, and Fondazione I Teatri. A positive development: the next edition will take place in Salerno, announced by Reggio Emilia's mayor Luca Vecchi, Salerno's culture assessor Tonia Willburger, Donatella Ferrante of the Ministry, and Alfredo Balsamo of Teatro Pubblico Campano, offering hope for greater regional representation.