Alfredo Zinola

 

“I’m interested in producing contemporary dance pieces for children. I get inspiration from the ways in which society relates to their world. In my work, I try to create a consistent and uncompromising experience between the audience and the performer.

 

  • bomba mix | © Andreas Endremann

  • PRIMO | © Caroline Cox

  • Primo | © Saris & den Engelsman

Portrait

A graduate of Contemporary Dance and Intercultural Communication Studies, Alfredo Zinola is not only an outstanding performer and dancer, but also a choreographer with a unique trademark: his pieces address the very young (under-sixes) without making any aesthetic compromises. They open up new worlds through the interaction of the body, movement, light and costumes, in elaborate stage spaces that are fascinating not only to the children. Zinola and his partners in dance and choreography capture the imaginations of their young audience by exploring the body choreographically in its social context. The audience sees feet, arms, hands, legs and heads transform into alien beings; they see people playfully discovering each other. Moments of rest, when the players float or drift, are passed on to, and experienced by, the spectators. Choreographies such as PRIMO, an underwater performance for contemporary dance, figures and poetry, and NERO, a poetic step into the dark, into the magic of the night, are convincing introductions to non-narrative, experimental theatre for the very young, who learn in this playful way, at a very early age, what contemporary dance theatre is about. Zinola’s choreographies help the children emotionally and physically grasp what they are seeing and allow adults to access these worlds without feeling in the least bit under-challenged or bored. Logically enough, in 2014 Zinola also developed a piece for older children with the evocative name and concept of Bomba mix.

Nina Hümpel

Productions

ATO, site-specific performance (2014)
Alfredo Zinola & Ximena Ameri Bomba mix

a toys revolution (2015)
Alfredo Zinola & Ximena Ameri NERO

ein schritt zusammen ins dunkle blau (2015)
Alfredo Zinola & Maxwell McCarthy PARTY

interactive performance (2016)
Alfredo Zinola & Maxwell McCarthy

Biography

Alfredo Zinola, performer and choreographer, studied Modern Dance at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen and graduated from the University of Turin with a degree in Anthropology – Intercultural Communication. His way of creating is based on collaborations with other artists. With Felipe Gonzàlez, he began to develop a concept for younger audiences, starting with PRIMO (2013), an underwater contemporary dance performance, set in a pool on stage. With the performer Maxwell McCarthy, he created NERO (2015), a performance about darkness, and PARTY (2016), a dance experience for kids. With Ximena Ameri he created ATO (2014), a site-specific performance set in a private apartment belonging to a family, and Bomba mix (2015), about children clichés and marketing strategies.

Materials