The Malta Independent on Sunday
Blooming wonderful
During the Malta Arts Awards organised by the Malta Arts Council, the Moveo Dance Company was awarded the coveted title of Artist of the Year. Coryse Borg speaks to artistic director/choreographer DORIAN MICALLEF about his reaction to the award and about
When the winner for Artist of the Year was announced, Dorian admits that he felt a lot of different emotions at once. He felt proud that dance is finally being recognised in Malta and he felt grateful that the award was being “shared” with director, dancer and choreographer Diane Portelli.
“I felt happy that I won it with my best friend and business partner,” he smiles, “I felt responsible that now we need to continue improving and maturing to higher levels. I felt angry that I couldn’t walk properly because I had just injured my knee. But mostly I felt thankful that we have support from close relatives and friends. This moment was important because it means that Moveo has been recognised as an established private dance company on a tiny island which strives for excellence.”
Dorian’s latest venture, Blooming Creatures, started off as a commission by Ziguzajg Festival in 2013 and has been growing and developing ever since. The aim, he says, is to present a dance piece portraying nature… making it a visually-stimulating activity for children.
“The complex movements and costumes help in transforming the dancers into mysterious creatures that develop and change as the piece progresses. Through the piece we give an interpretation of the life cycle of a flower and invite the children to participate in an interactive workshop after the performance,” he explains.
The production, which is aimed for children aged three and over, as well as their families, is mainly about the costumes and the choreography. However, along the way Dorian says that they also had dramaturgs and rehearsal directors helping to de- velop the piece. The costumes were designed by Dorian himself and made by his mother Doris Mallia and the choreography of the flower was based on the use of the costume.
The dancers performing in Blooming Creatures are Diane Portelli, Davide Cannata and Silvia Scalici.
“The uniqueness of this piece is that the children have the possibility to create their own journey,” Dorian says, “We are not giving a literal interpretation of nature’s cycle but the visuals and structure to free children from their everyday life and explore, imagine and create their own world.”
Dorian says that children should definitely be exposed to the arts at a young age as the more they get the chance to experience different art forms, the more they have the chance to grow with an open mind:
“We want the next generation to be inquisitive and question various things. Attending performances like Blooming Creatures allows children to start delving into this form of questioning and start exploring and discussing their views and ideas. It also gives them the opportunity to ‘lose’ themselves and get lost in their imagination. Theatre and dance give children the skills to face the world, to understand it and, perhaps, to change it too.”