with
Omar Rajeh, choreographer and artistic director Festival BIPOD – Beirut International Platform of Dance
Mia Habis, director Moultaqa Leymoun – Arab dance Platform
Donatella Ferrante, MiBACT (Ministry of Heritage and Culture)
Ilaria Fabbri, Assessorato alla Cultura Regione Toscana (Culture Department Region Tuscany)
Tommaso Sacchi, Assessorato alla Cultura Comune di Firenze (Culture Department Municipality of Florence)
Gerarda Ventura, Anghiari Dance Hub
Natalia Casorati, Interplay / RTO – NID Platform
Gemma Di Tullio, Teatro Pubblico Pugliese / RTO – NID Platform

The art of dance is creating bridges between between the young Italian and the young Arabic choreography, in a time when the messages that come from the two shores of the Mediterranean seem to be only about violence and war.
Some of the artistic directors of the creative residencies supported by MiBACT and the respective regions participated in the Platform of the Arab contemporary dance in Beirut, from April 14 to 17. The Platform, directed by Mia Habis and Omar Rajeh, presented 20 shows in the form of study by choreographers from Morocco, Tunisia, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Iran. The Italian directors had thus the opportunity to know these works and dialogue with the authors and then decide to invite them for periods of residence in Italy in 2017.
During the meeting they will tell their experience in Lebanon and Mia Habis and Omar Rajeh will make available video and dossier of the young Arab artists.
The visit of the Italian artistic directors was supported by MiBACT, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Italian Institute of Culture in Beirut.

Other participants:

Stefania D’Onofrio, Teatro Pubblico Pugliese
Raimondo Arcolai, ADEP President
Luisa Cuttini, C.L.A.P.Spettacolodalvivo
Angela Fumarola, Armunia
Alessandra Simeoni, Marche Teatro 
Paolo Pannaccio, LaMama Umbria
Angela Torriani, Versiliadanza
Giulia Poli, Versiliadanza
Enrica Palmieri, School of choreography of AND 
Cristina Caponera, School of choreography of AND  
Serge Aimé Coulibaly, choreographer
François Bergoin, Théâtre Alibi, Bastia, France
Catherine Graziani, Théâtre Alibi, Bastia, France
Jong-Ho Lee, Sidance, Seoul, Korea
Jayachandran Palazhy, Attakkalari Centre for Movement Arts, Bangalore, India
Elina Pellegrini, Progetto C.R.E.SCO
Andrés Morte, Fondazione Fabbrica Europa
Sivano Panichi, AttoDue
Daniela Giuliano, CANGO Centro di Produzione sui Linguaggi del Corpo e della Danza
Luca Bruni, OPLAS Centro Regionale della danza Umbria
Mario Ferrari, OPLAS Centro Regionale della danza Umbria
Isabelle Mallez, Institut français Florence
Massimo Carosi, TIR Danza / Danza Urbana
Sara Pastorcich, a.ArtistiAssociati, NID Platform 2017 Gorizia