A true pleasure to sit down with company dancer Arianna Di Francesco from Francavilla al Mare, Italy and learn of her background and personal experience dancing in Kibbutz Contemporary Company and living at our company’s home at The International Dance Village in Kibbutz Ga’aton, Israel.
Tell us a bit about your dance background and where you’re from.
My name is Arianna Di Francesco, I’m 23 years old and I come from Francavilla al Mare, Italy. I began my dance studies in my parents’ dance school “Scuola d’arte New Step” where I attended classes of all types of dance and art forms including acting and singing. While studying there I’ve continuously traveled to be able to meet and learn from dancers, choreographers, and artists of different countries or backgrounds.
Arianna Di Francesco
Where did you study and where did you dance prior to joining Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company?
I moved to Florence when I was 18 and there I’ve been part of the dance program Dancer at Work directed by Eugenio Buratti. In 2016, I moved to Tel Aviv where I attended the Maslool Professional Dance Program directed by Naomi Perlov. The following year I auditioned for Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company and I’ve been working here since.
What attracted you to the movement language of Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company and Rami Be’er’s work?
I’ve always been attracted by strong bodies and transparent souls. When I first saw the company on stage, I immediately felt connected to the language and the power of all those dancers. I felt the need to embrace that kind of strength and the will to discover what would it mean for me to be a part of such a great ensemble.
What is it like living among professional dancers, international dance students, and dance professionals at The International Dance Village in Kibbutz Ga’aton, Israel?
Living in this kibbutz has completely changed my perspective of life, love, dance, communication, freedom and connection. It is a place that makes you connect with yourself and everything that surrounds you… if you let it happen naturally and if you’re able to release. This doesn’t mean that it’s easy. It’s a process of discovery that never ends, and this is the reason why I fell in love with this place. There’s a constant relation here between your life as a dancer and your life as a human. It is hard, but it is also worth it.
Can you share with us how/what you feel dancing with the company on stage?
I think that every time we’re on stage we feel different than the time before. I believe in letting all of my outside and inside world take over me during a performance. I believe in giving myself the chance to feel something new every time. At times those feelings are positive, some other times they’re negative. It doesn’t matter how big or small those sensations are, if we’re honest about how we feel with ourselves and with the audience, nothing can go wrong.
What’s your most memorable international experience with the company?
I was never able to define my “something favorite”, as I don’t have an experience with the company that made the other ones less special. Every place we’ve been to, every stage we danced on, every movement we approached in the studio gave me something memorable.
Have you taught dance students at the Kibbutz Summer Intensive and/or the 5-month Dance Journey Program? If so, can you share what it means to you?
I’ve been teaching the students of our 5-months Dance Journey Program for a few months and I can say I had a very interesting process with them. This is a chance for us to work with people with so many different backgrounds and it is an everyday challenge to learn how to create a good balance between every soul and body. We are meant to share, give and take from other human beings in order to make ourselves develop and feel fulfilled. I am grateful to have this opportunity and constant research.
Closing thoughts? Anything else you’d like to add?
Be respectful, be honest. A simple motto that drives me through my everyday life. And love, love madly.
Come dance with us at our home at the International Dance Village in Kibbutz Ga’aton, Israel and take part in the:
