The outdoor performance at Freedom Square (Be The Storm) starts at 6:30pm. The indoor performances at Teatru Manoel start at 7:50pm.

Moveo Dance Company (Malta)

BE THE STORM

Date: 26th July | Location: Freedom Square, Valletta | Duration: 15mins

This event will occur at Freedom Square and attendance is free.

Synopsis:

Be The Storm is an exploration of the exhilarating freedom, self-discovery, and raw emotion that define life in your twenties. Through a fusion of contemporary and other dance styles, the performance captures the thrill of new beginnings, the rush of independence, and the constant push and pull between limitless possibilities and the weight of uncertainty. Each movement embodies the highs and lows of youth—wild abandon, fearless dreams, fleeting connections, and the search for identity. Be The Storm is a celebration of living unapologetically in the present, where everything feels possible. 

About the Company:

Founded in 2008 by Artistic Director and Choreographer Dorian Mallia and now co-directed by choreographer Diane Portelli, Moveo stands as one of Malta's foremost dance companies, boasting a distinguished legacy. Comprising a diverse ensemble of both local and international dancers, Moveo places a firm emphasis on the cultivation of strong technical foundations. Throughout its history, Moveo has consistently delivered compelling contemporary dance performances, earning recognition from esteemed venues and festivals. While contemporary dance remains at the core of their artistic pursuits, the company has seamlessly engaged in collaborative endeavours across interdisciplinary boundaries. An integral facet of Moveo's creative process involves active participation from its dancers, a practice that ensures each production remains vibrant and in a state of perpetual evolution, both in terms of dynamics and artistic form. Within the Moveo framework, a specialised offshoot known as Moveo Shine has been established. This distinct branch concentrates on utilising dance as a means of outreach, offering biannual workshops centred on partnering techniques. Additionally, Moveo Shine is deeply committed to community engagement and undertakes projects tailored for schools and other educational institutions. The ultimate goal of Moveo Shine is to develop projects that enhance accessibility for younger audiences and the broader public, aligning with the company's broader mission of making dance more inclusive and accessible. 

Diane Portelli - Choreographer

Diane began her dance journey at age three, training in ballet, modern, contemporary, and flamenco at the Tanya Bayona Princess Poutiatine Academy of Ballet. She continued her development at The Dance Workshop, where she is now a teacher and choreographer. Recognised with awards such as the Luisello Award for Spanish Dance and the Duke of Ellington Award for Modern Dance, Diane also trained in Italy and participated in international workshops. She earned two gold medals at the World Championships for Performing Arts in Hollywood and performed at global festivals. Diane choreographed for Malta’s National Dance Company, with her piece "Shades of Perception" premiering in 2020. She joined Moveo Dance Company in 2013, becoming director and choreographer in 2017, with works performed internationally. Together with Artistic Director Dorian Mallia, was named "Artist of the Year" in 2018, and her "Diversely Typical” received the 'Best Steam Project Award' in 2021 and is one of Perform Europe’s 2024 chosen projects. 

Performance Trailer:

Credits: Concept and Choreography: Diane Portelli | Dancers: Charlotte Carpentier, Cindelle Bouard, Irene Nocella, Giovanni Molendi, Flavia Mezza, Jonay Malvar Sierra, Diane Portelli 

Performances at Teatru Manoel start at 7:50pm

Douglas Comley (Malta/Wales)

DANCE ON PROJECT

Date: 26th July | Location: Teatru Manoel, Valletta | Duration: 15mins

Synopsis:

Led by distinguished dance artist and choreographer Douglas Comley (Wales/Malta), this initiative is dedicated to honouring the creativity, diversity, and life experience of mature dancers, culminating in a live theatre performance during Dance Festival Malta 2025. 

Douglas Comley - Choreographer

Creative Arts Wales award winner Douglas Comley completed his studies at Middlesex University London with a BA Honours Performance Arts.He began his professional dance career under the direction Nigel Charnock (DV8) for Nexus Dance. He then went onto work as a performer with companies Vincent Dance Theatre, Attik Dance, Daghdha Dance and also choreograph for various companies including Contact Dance Company in Malta. In Wales he lectured at Gower College of Further Education and directed Dynion Male Dance Theatre and The County Youth Dance Company. During that time led community projects for Diversions Dance Company (now the National Dance Company of Wales) Throughout this period he was involved in the design, choreography and implementation of several large-scale opening ceremony events including Rugby World Cup, Commonwealth Games and World Gymnaestrada. Douglas is currently working with Opening Doors Association, Jo Casabene Dance School, Malta Dementia Society and has recently done other numerous performance projects for Theatre Anon. 

Credits: Choreography: Douglas Comley

Supported by: St Michael's Foundation For Education & Teatru Manoel

Danae & Dionysios (Greece)

FÁRISA

Date: 26th July | Location: Teatru Manoel, Valletta | Duration: 15mins

Synopsis:

“Sitting on top the horse's back, sleep took me over and the mountains laughed. It has been forever since the first day yet we walk, carrying the weight of the memories our ancestors left. Kings and Queens, beggars and thieves, are masks that we wore to survive the dream. Is the sun burning my face? Or it’s just a cold breeze? That cleansing my fate from the unforgiving sin. Now the nightmares have gone hearing David's song and I can rest into peace.I swear to the bird and I swear to the tree, I will not stop walking until I find the sea”. “Fárisa” is a duet created for outdoor spaces in the context of the “Pilgrims” project. The work follows two characters’ need for genuine connection and contact as they remain in close proximity. It is inspired by the notion of pilgrimage as a simulation of the human journey through life, of our relationship with animals and the natural world. How can two separate trajectories meet and travel together? How do we build relationships on shared connection and mutual support? How can the established hierarchy of humans and animals be redefined?

Danae & Dionysios - Choreographer & Performer

Danae & Dionysios are choreographers and dancers from Greece, as well as artistic directors of “Small Axe” dance company. Their choreographic journey counts collaborations with companies, theatres and organisations such as Scapino Ballet Rotterdam, Staatstheater Braunschweig, Skånes Dansteater, Theater Rotterdam, Onassis Foundation, the Athens and Epidaurus Festival and more. Individually, they have danced for companies and choreographers such as Akram Khan Company, ZfinMalta Ensemble, the Hellenic Dance Company, Unterwegstheater, Cocoon Dance Company and others. Their work has been awarded 8 times from competitions around Europe, while their productions have been touring in Europe, Asia, Central and Latin America and Africa, aiming for an outreach of contemporary dance as a universal medium of connection and communication. 

Performance Trailer:

Credits: Choreography & Performers: Danae & Dionysios | Music Composition: Constantine Skourlis | Cello: Konstantinos Chinis

With the support of: Greek Ministry of Culture, The J.F. Costopoulos Foundation, Melina Merkouri Open Air Theatre, Big Story Productions 

Supported by: Teatru Manoel

Clémence Juglet (France)

I HAVE TO

Date: 26th July | Location: Teatru Manoel, Valletta | Duration: 10mins

Synopsis:

Time becomes a measure instrument of excellence. It obsesses us, terrifies us, makes us feel guilty and give us a sense of urgency. We put our heart and soul into our work. We constantly want to master time, to control it but it is an illusion. We must maintain an idealised self-image, until the point of ignoring its own value and wealth in the benefit of work. Only one objective remains: to make the most of this time again and again, until you get satisfaction, and then, eager for the best, we repeat this pattern indefinitely. You are trapped in a race against time, in which we exhaust ourselves providing more and more energy.

Clémence Juglet - Choreographer & Performer

Clémence Juglet, choreographer and dancer, trained at Espace Pléiade in Paris, at Sabrina Lonis classes and at STEPS on Broadway in New York. She developed her own style by nourishing through various workshops abroad, battles and by working for other dance companies or projects: dancer for the movie “ The Dancer “ with Soko and Lily Rose Depp, dancer for Mazelfreten company for Olympic Games2024 or dancer in the Electro Street crew. In 2018, she choreographed her first solo "The Other" which was performed in several competitions and won the 3rd prize at the Certamen Internacional de Burgos y Nueva York 2018. She created her second solo “ I need to” with the composer, Leon AFTERBEAT. The solo wins the 1st prize at the Solo Tanz Theater Festival Stuttgart 2021, at the Solo dance contest 2021 ( Gdansk Dance Festival), at the Certamen internacional de Burgos y Nueva York 2021, at the Solo Coreografico in Torino 2022 and wins the Acoran prize at Masdanza contest 2024.

Performance Trailer:

Credits: Choreographer and Dancer: Clémence Juglet | Music: “Tuesday” & “Wednesday” by Leon AFTERBEAT

Supported by: Teatru Manoel

ŻfinMalta (Malta)

SOMIGLIANZA

Date: 26th July | Location: Teatru Manoel, Valletta | Duration: 30mins

Synopsis:

Somiglianza (Prélude à l’Après-midi d’un faune) is an ironic and joyful homage to Nijinsky’s legendary creation and his renowned modern ballet, L’après-midi d’un faune. Combining fin de siècle imagery with exotic staging, Somiglianza questions symbolism in Western society. Nijinsky’s creation of Debussy’s L’après-midi d’un faune, one of the most famous modern ballets, serves as a starting point for Kor’sia to showcase their unique vision of dance iconography. Blending end-of-century imagery with contemporary entertainment, the work is a captivating journey through the history of dance, reinterpreted with a modern and innovative perspective. 

About the Company:

ŻfinMalta is a home for groundbreaking artistic collaborations that centre movement as a transformative force in our world, engaging a breadth of artistic voices from near and far to create visually striking, physically distinctive dance work, that captivates the imagination of audiences nationally and internationally. Embedded within the artistic ecology of the nation, ŻfinMalta strives to highlight Malta as a vibrant cultural centre within the European landscape of artistic practice. Under the artistic direction of Matthew William Robinson, the company is made up of ten full-time dancers, and two apprentice dancers, hailing from Malta and across Europe. Behind the scenes is a highly skilled and passionate team of dance and arts professionals who bring to the company their expansive knowledge of the local and international contemporary art world. Combined, they make up a repertory dance company which is fast gaining recognition and a reputation on the European touring circuit.

Mattia Russo & Antonio De Rosa - Choreographers

Choreographers Mattia Russo and Antonio De Rosa founded the Kor’sia collective in 2015 in Madrid. De Rosa and Russo both graduated from the Ballet School of the Teatro alla Scala, Milan. As an artist duo, they have been invited to work for prominent theatres and companies, including Nederlands Dans Theater, Hessisches-Staatsballett Wiesbaden, Konzert Theater Bern, Theater Luzern, Of Curious Nature in Bremen, Opéra National du Rhin, Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich and Opéra Grand Avignon. Their innovative choreographies have been presented at renowned international festivals throughout Europe, such as the Théâtre National de la danse Chaillot in Paris, Tanz im August in Berlin and the Grec Festival Barcelona. De Rosa and Russo have received numerous awards for their work, including the jury prize at the 2018 Tanzplattform Bern and, most recently, the Fedora – Van Cleef & Arpels Prize for Ballet 2023.

Credits:

Choreography: Mattia Russo and Antonio De Rosa – Kor’sia | Music: "Prélude à l'Après-midi d'un faune" by Claude Debussy, and original score by Alejandro Da Rocha | Costume Design: Luca Guarini | Costumier: Linda Rowell | Set Design and Lighting: Mattia Russo and Antonio De Rosa – Kor’sia | Dancers: Lotte La Haye, Mario Manara, Hugo Olagnon, Simon Riccardi-Zani, Amber Van Veen

Supported by: Teatru Manoel

Min Kim (South Korea)

ARE YOU GUILTY?

Date: 26th July | Location: Teatru Manoel, Valletta | Duration: 15mins

Synopsis:

Are You Guilty? Explores the famous ‘bystander effect’, the social psychology theory that people are less likely to help someone in need if there are other people present. Shall we stay silent or act? Who is the perpetrator and who is the victim?

About the Company:

TOB short for “Think Outside the Box” is a visionary dance company built with the philosophy of breaking boundaries and embracing creativity without limits.

Min Kim - Choreographer & Performer

Kim Min is a choreographer based in South Korea striving to reflect the artistic values that contemporary society demands. He is using his performances as a medium to express his ideals with depth and authenticity.

Performance Trailer:

Credits: Choreographer: Kim Min | Dancers: Lee Changmin, Kim Min

Supported by: Teatru Manoel

Conversations with the Artists

With Dr Paula Guzzanti

Date: 26th July | Location: Teatru Manoel, Valletta | Duration: 30mins

CONVERSATION WITH ALL ARTISTS ATTENDING the Q & R Session

About The Mediator:

Dr Paula Guzzanti is a dance artist, scholar, somatic movement practitioner, and tango dancer and teacher. She specialises in artistic and embodied research practices. In her research, Paula explores the role of the sensorial body in fostering responsible decision-making when designing urban landscapes that connect us to the natural environment. She is particularly interested in developing methodologies to deepen our interaction with the world, including the use of digital technologies to document sensory connections to places. She began her dance training in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and later continued in Ireland, where she earned a practice-based PhD in Dance Improvisation and Collaborative Performance Making at Queen’s University Belfast. She now resides in Malta, where she is the Head of the Dance Studies Department at the University of Malta.

Supported by: Teatru Manoel

Dance Festival Malta is sponsored by: APS Bank, GSD Marketing Ltd. & Visit Malta