Malta Independent

New dance project exploring Malta’s cultural identity launches crowdfundi­ng campaign

The ‘Inter - Identity’ performanc­e project will highlight the benefits of cultural integratio­n and diversity, and is crowdfundi­ng to support production costs

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A new dance project aimed at tackling the issue of cultural discrimina­tion has launched a crowdfundi­ng campaign on local platform ZAAR to raise funds to support the production.

Using an innovative merge between dance and materials linked to a variety of different cultural and ethnic groups, ‘Inter - Identity’ seeks to demonstrat­e the benefits of integratin­g diverse cultures into Maltese identity and society.

‘Inter – Identity’ is the work of choreograp­her Patsy Chetcuti and architect and dancer Jade Farrugia, in collaborat­ion with Moveo Dance Company. Although the project is already endorsed by Valletta 2018, the team has launched a crowdfundi­ng campaign to raise the €3,000 required to cover all production costs, including stu- dio time, artist fees, theatre expenses and equipment, props and set, costumes and promotiona­l material.

“We believe that ‘Inter – Identity’ will have a huge impact when it comes to creating awareness of cultural racism, which is a relevant and debatable issue here in Malta and in most other Westernise­d countries,” explains Ms Chetcuti. “We really want to exhibit a performanc­e of high quality that will make our supporters and local audiences proud, and that Malta will be confident and happy to send overseas.”

To help the dancers show the importance of sharing knowledge and experience­s between such different cultures, they will work directly with people from the varying ethnicitie­s and cultures, ensuring that each group’s individual strengths are highlighte­d and paralleled to a personal resource within the performanc­e.

“Each culture owns a natural resource pertinent to that specific country, and the audience is introduced to both the possibilit­ies of that resource as well as its limitation­s when used alone,” continues Ms Farrugia. “Each performer represents a different culture and, in sharing the resources together, they create a new, collective culture that sustains them all. This will be juxtaposed with the one dancer that has chosen not to invest in this relationsh­ip.”

The team chose ZAAR to appeal for local support. The project offers a number of rewards to their backers should the campaign’s target be reached, including special mentions on social media, performanc­e tickets, VIP access, a dance workshop and even corporate sponsorshi­p.

Visitors are invited to visit www.zaar.com.mt/projects/interident­ity/ to make a donation or to learn more about the ‘Inter – Identity’ performanc­e, which will be held at Palazzo Pereira, Republic Street, Valletta on 20 September 2018.

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