About the piece

“Samia” begins with a true story, that of Samia Yusuf Omar, the young Somali athlete who died in the waters of Lampedusa while trying to reach Europe to qualify for the Olympic Games. A story told by Giuseppe Catozzella in the book “Don’t tell me you’re afraid”. My research started from this true story of a broken life and today it will be delivered to the audience through six bodies, all different from each other, because in our present, despite our fight for it, we are still not all the same. 

Yet we all continue to yearn. We run. 

With this work, I cannot rewrite a life I did not live. I can contribute to remembering Samia Yusuf Omar and those who, like her, fight every day for their dream, not only as victims, but as people who are committed to choosing who they want to become. During rehearsals I worked with the performers on our desires and the limits the world imposes on them to push the boundaries inside and outside our bodies, and try to pursue the freedom that self-determination grants.

An achievement that, despite our privilege of looking at the sea, remains a dream. It remains a utopia.

About the company

Adriano won the Danza&Danza Award 2022 as an Emerging Choreographer. He collaborated with stars Eleonora Abbagnato and Jacopo Tissi for the opening of the Laura Biagiotti Fashion Show 2023 in Milan. His new project “SAMIA” is the winner of the Rüm for dans co-production call and debuted in October 2023 in collaboration with Orsolina28, IIC Cologne, Staatstheater Darmstadt/Hessisches Staatsballett, Körper. For the 23/24 season he will create a new work for the Rome Opera Ballet and the Zfin National Company of Malta. In 2023 he created the work “Beija-Flor” for the young company Kayzer Ballet. In 2023 he was selected for the Crossing the Sea network. In 2022 he created “White Room” for Compagnia Opus Ballet in collaboration with Compagnia Virgilio Sieni, and also created for numerous dance programs such as: DAF DANCE FACULTY, and NEXT GENERATION CHOREOGRAPHERS in collaboration with Aterballetto and Agora Coaching Project. The duo “Behind you” was selected by the MAS DANZA Choreographic Competition and won the Audience Award and the Canary Islands Tour Award. In 2022 the Nitja Senter in Oslo commissioned a new work from her, “Come Neve”, in collaboration with Orsolina28, the Italian Embassy in Norway and the Italian Institute of Culture in Oslo; project also selected by KommTanz and selected for Danza Urbana/Anticorpi XL 2023. The new creation “Rua da Saudade” debuts in September 2022 at the Torino Danza Festival in collaboration with TorinoDanza Festival – Teatro Stabile di Torino, Fondazione i Teatri Reggio Emilia – Festival Aperto and Orsolina28. He created for MM Contemporary Dance Company with the support of Prove d’autore ANTICORPI XL the piece “SKRIK” (Premiere: August 2023). He also won the Città di Foligno Italian dance award as emerging choreographer 2022. In 2021, the creation “Gli Amanti” is selected by the European Dance Network Aerowaves and by the Italian Dance Showcase Anticorpi XL. During 2021 the piece “Tu cuerpo es un campo de batalla” was selected by Italia dei Visionari 2021 and by Campania Teatro Festival 2021, and the project “Rua da Saudade” was one of the winners of the Call for Creations 2021 by Orsolina28 and winner of the Cortoindanza 2021 award. Afterwards the creation was also selected for NID PLATFORM 21, DNA Appunti Coreografici 2021, Twain Direzioni Altre 2021 and Certamen Coreografico de Sabadell 2021. In 2020 the Venice Biennale commissioned a new work (“Tu cuerpo es un campo de batalla/version en solo”) for the festival. In 2019 he created for the company EGRIBIANCODANZA “Your body is a battleground (trio version)”, and was selected for the Venice Biennale College Choreographers during which he created “La più viva delle città morte”. He was also selected for Anghiari Dance Hub 2019 with the creation “Gli Amanti”. With “RM94978 from Paris to Tenerife”, a work selected by Anticorpi XL Platform, he won the Prospettiva Danza Padova Award in 2019. He has been a choreographer at international festivals and platforms, including: Interplay Festival, Danza in Rete, DanzaEstate Bergamo, DAP Festival, Cross Festival Verbania, LDIF Leicester, Opus 1 Slovenia, Fabbrica Europa, Gender Bender Festival, Dance Days Chania Greece, Kilowatt Festival, BMotion OperaEstate Festival, Ammutinamenti Festival, Moving Colors Festival Athens, Danzattack Tenerife, Artissima Festival, Existenr Festival, and many others.