M U G A

choreography and concept Francesco Paolino
performed by Francesco Paolino, Tom Blanc
choreographic assistant Rebecca Fabbri
music by Cristóbal Tapia de Veer
winner of Premio Prospettiva Danza Teatro, SoloDuo Festival
12 minutes

M U G A stems from a personal need to rediscover the inner essence of the human being and is inspired by a concept from Japanese philosophy that refers to the state of no-self: a condition of emptiness in which the ego dissolves, freeing itself from attachments, expectations, and desires.
The work explores the condition of contemporary humanity, immersed in a society driven by speed, consumerism, and the constant pursuit of novelty. Within this context, the individual becomes an automaton, perfectly synchronized yet progressively stripped of their inner self and absorbed into an oppressive social mechanism.

In a suspended, almost post-apocalyptic landscape, two bodies move through space, bound to predetermined structures like cogs in an apparently perfect system, driven by a mechanical, repetitive, and cyclical dynamic.
When one of the two bodies falls into error, the system begins to crack and a fracture emerges. A space opens up in which fragility, doubt, and awareness arise, initiating a slow process of awakening towards presence, listening, and individuality. Stripped of automatisms, the two individuals find themselves alone, yet finally alive, engaged in a journey of self-discovery and the redefinition of a tangible human identity. Dance thus becomes a space of encounter and mutual listening, where relationship does not fill the void but inhabits it.

M U G A is a choreographic meditation on identity and the emptiness that inhabits the human condition: an invitation to recognize that fertile void from which a more conscious, fragile, and authentic form of existence may emerge in a society that tends to erase us.

ph. Ander Van Der Wurff

*Vetrina della giovane danza d’autore evening with:
Francesco Paolino / M U G A
Glenda Gheller / LOVE PARADE