- What led to the formation of the EurAsia programme?
I founded EurAsia Dance Project International Network in 2016, in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute of Mumbai, on the occasion of my first tour to India. I hadn’t planned anything, I was in Bangalore to teach and to create a show, but from the first day of work, coming into contact with the great mass of the Indian dancing community and therefore its talents, I said to myself “I have to do something”. It was love at first sight, combined with a strong need to lend a hand, to be able to help young people achieve their dreams as students and as professionals in the world of dance.
In 2016, I didn’t know what would happen. I did not even imagine that EurAsia would become the largest dance network in the world and that it would involve some of the biggest names in the international scene. Over a short period of time, EurAsia has expanded to all five continents, immediately receiving support from the Europe Union Delegation, the Italian Embassy, the Italian Consulate and the Italian Cultural Institute. Today, we have more than 25 EurAsia Partners and therefore, important dance institutes that make all the events that I organize in the world possible. I still find it hard to believe that there is a waiting list to join the network because of the large number of new countries around the world that want to be a part of this programme!
After understanding the importance of what I was doing, I wanted to do more. Therefore, I did not hesitate to take this opportunity to the countries that needed it the most. Which then led me to helping poor communities & communities going through war. Sometimes it even meant risking my life (in countries where dance is unfortunately considered illegal and punished with imprisonment or death) in the most serious cases.
- What are the goals that you expect to achieve through the programme?
EurAsia Dance Project International Network is a nonprofit association legalized by the Italian Government. It enables young dancers and choreographers to study abroad and spread out their culture, share their experiences, giving them access to artistic residencies, meetings, shows and dance opportunities at the highest level of the global dance scene.
EurAsia is the first network to take care of dance education at a professional level and take it to talents coming from all over the world. It is also the first one to combine art, human rights & education, safeguarding the cultural heritage in one huge project involving hundreds of different people and many cultures, countries, continents and more.
The network is creating the first generation of contemporary professional dancers in many countries of the world, changing the dance history of these countries while also helping them to spread out their cultures abroad, breaking the borders between the continents. Thanks to these new cultural meetings and fusions, EurAsia also gave birth to a new taste in contemporary dance, where different bodies, different ways of moving and traditional dances meet in one single place: Europe.
The events carried out with EurAsia are important and successful, but what I think will be remembered the most in the future, is the fact that this project has created – through dance – the basis for new mergers. Helping our community through professional and personal change is the lifeblood of EurAsia, as are removing barriers to career progression, enabling career sustainability and creating long term dance opportunities. We support all students or professional dance artists regardless of geographical location, age or genre. We aim to foster a culture of commitment to self-development, learning and growth. I am sure that freedom, passion and love, sooner or later, will conquer all.
The next future step for me and EurAsia is still a secret but I assure you that it will be something with a huge impact that will totally change many dynamics, opening new horizons for everyone. However, it’s a work in progress and will take some time before it can be launched.
- What are the projects that are currently in progress?
EurAsia has a hundred events every year including auditions, shows, workshops, festivals, open calls and much more. All the opportunities can be found on the website www.eurasiadanceproject.com, where it is also possible to subscribe to the free newsletter.
At the moment, the open call for the new EurAsia Photo Contest is open, a wonderful opportunity for dancers, photographers and artists with the aim of exhibiting the most beautiful works but also helping those in need within the EurAsia Community. In a few weeks, the new open call of the EurAsia VideoDance Contest will be available, which was very successful and brought out extremely interesting work that had been on tour through the network last year.
And, of course, in July the new EurAsia Auditions world tour finally begins, which starts from Africa and then goes to India, Indonesia, Mexico, Iran, Armenia, Kuwait, Lebanon, Papua New Guinea, Nepal, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and many other countries. Unfortunately this year, the tour got delayed due to Covid, but just like last year, this year we didn’t stop and did everything in our control to not miss our promised appointments. These auditions allow students to be selected for the biggest academies of Europe without flying abroad. The students selected during the EurAsia Auditions win a 50% to 80% EurAsia Scholarship for all the 3 or 4 years of a professional programme. All the EurAsia initiatives in Europe are free of charge for the EurAsia Students.
In August, there will be the new EurAsia World Flashmob – which this year, is in defense of democracy in all its forms. I thought of an original format inspired by the great Indian poet Tagore. I invite everyone to participate in the free event and therefore to help us support human rights.
