within the project Focus Young Mediterranean and Middle East Choreographers 2018
project supported by La Francia in Scena, artistic season of Institut français Italy / French Embassy in Italy

Lebanese choreographer Bassam Abou Diab and Italian Jacopo Jenna meet in a residency in Florence after a first work session held in April in Beirut within BIPOD-Beirut International Platform of Dance.

The dialogue between their different choreographic practices wants to generate an open debate on cultural diversity as a trace of possibilities and an element of definition of the body through movement.

Bassam Abou Diab is a young Lebanese choreographer. He has been dancing with Omar Rajeh|Maqamat for several years. He was also part of the intensive dance training program Takween in 2010 and 2011, where he worked with choreographers such as Marcel Leemann, Emilyn Claid, Thierry Smith, Luc Dunberry, Marco Cantalupo, Anani Dodji Sanouvi, Radhouane El Meddeb, Jens Bjerregard, Kristina De Chatelle, Damien Jalet and Franceso Scavetta. Bassam has also performed in theater plays in Lebanon with directors such as Ossama Halal, Rouaida al Ghali, Badih Abou Chakra and Malek Andary.

Jacopo Jenna is a choreographer, performer and filmmaker creating stage works, video pieces, and installations. The works are oriented towards research concerning the perception of dance or choreography as an extended practice generating a variety of performative context to reframe the body in relationship with movements.  As a graduate of Sociology, he also studied dance in Codarts (Rotterdam Dance Academy). In Europe he has worked with dance companies, various choreographic research projects, visual artists and musicians. His projects are produced an supported by spazioK/Kinkaleri. His work partecipated to festivals and venues including Centrale Fies, Cango, MART Museum, Contemporanea Festival, Pépinières européennes pour jeans artistes / Young Video Creation, Palazzo Strozzi, Centro per l’arte contemporanea Luigi Pecci, Fabbrica Europa, Le Murate. Progetti Arte Contemporanea, CROSS International performance award, Festival Natura Dèi Teatri.