Oriente Occidente Festival 2021: Travel and Community in Rovereto

The 41st edition of the Oriente Occidente festival in Rovereto, Italy, runs from September 3 to 12, 2021, with the theme of travel. The program includes 51 events: 37 performances, 14 conferences, and 3 exhibitions. Artistic director Lanfranco Cis emphasizes the necessity of travel after pandemic isolation, selecting nomadic artists who reject fixed identities. The festival spreads dance across the city—into suburbs, streets, squares, and parks—to bring live performance closer to the public. Highlights include Hofesh Shechter's 'Political Mother Unplugged' opening the festival, Maguy Marin's 'Umwelt' critiquing consumerism, and the Italian premiere of Peeping Tom's diptych 'The Missing Door' and 'The Lost Room'. Social themes are prominent: Chiara Bersani's 'Moby Dick' supports artists with disabilities (co-produced via Europe Beyond Access), Malpelo's 'The Fifth Winter' returns, Daniele Ninarello protests bullying at MART, and community works by Michela Lucenti (Balletto Civile) and Alessio Maria Romano (Chòros at dawn at Campana dei Caduti) involve local citizens. Cis expresses skepticism about a post-Covid aesthetic, advocating for live presence and community rebuilding through listening and openness.