Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 October, 12pm and 3pm
Chiara Bersani – Seeking Unicorns
ICI London supports the London premiere of the dance performance by Italian artist Chiara Bersani, part of Dance Umbrella, Moving London Festival 2022
At the National Gallery
The origins and appearance of the unicorn have been questioned and re-imagined through time. This creature without homeland or history has been abused and misinterpreted by each generation, deprived of its right to speak. Italian performer, director and choreographer Chiara Bersani now wants to give the unicorn its own voice, story, and choice.
“I Chiara Bersani, 98cm tall, I self-proclaim the flesh, muscles and bones of the unicorn. As I don’t know its heart, I’ll try to give it my breath and my eyes. I declare to give voice to the universal questions that have puzzled it: Why do I exist?, Where do I come from? And if tomorrow you find me in your garden, what would you do?”
Award-winning artist Bersani creates work that forms a dialogue with an eclectic variety of spaces. Her research as an interpreter and author is based on the concept of the ‘Political Body’, considering how the body performs a ‘societal function’ and those that meet it are ‘forced to give it meaning, to interpret it and create expectations around it.’
Sparking attention from the international dance scene, in August 2019 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Seeking Unicorns won the Total Theatre & The Place Award for dance.
Presented by Dance Umbrella in partnership with the National Gallery, with support from the Italian Cultural Institute
More information HERE
Seeking Unicorns – Dance Umbrella
Chiara Bersani is an Italian performer and author active in the fields of performing arts, research theatre and contemporary dance. As an interpreter and director / choreographer she moves through different languages and visions, touring her work internationally. Her research as an interpreter and author is based on the concept of the ‘Political Body’ and the creation of practices aimed at training its presence and action. Her piece Gentle Unicorn is the manifestation of this research which won Bersani the UBU Award (Italy) for best new actress / performer under 35. In August 2019 at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Gentle Unicorn also won first prize in the dance category of the Total Theatre Awards.