Metis

2023

Metis is a choreographic and sound action. The project explores themes related to gender geography, a field of study that questions, among other things, how the bodies of women and non-binary people live and relate to urban space.
The Méthis (μέτις), in ancient Greek literally "counsel, cunning," is a strategy of relating to other people. It consists of "putting oneself in the shoes of the other" by adopting, for a moment, the worldview of others in order to imagine "what she sees that escapes me." The process of composing the performance relates to the urban area of Scalo-Malvasia, in the city of Bologna (Italy), gathering testimonies from women and non-binary people who inhabit or cross this part of the city. These encounters generate and fuel questions that nourish the sensitivity, imagination, and urgency that move this performance. "Questions from women," quoting the scholar and researcher Leslie Kern, arise from needs and desires, pieces that create new frameworks, geometries, and visions to inhabit the city we would like.

Creative Team

Creation and performance: Francesca Penzo and Mariagiulia Serantoni Sound composition: Andrea Parolin Drawings: Mario SerantoniPhotos: Raffaello Rouge Rossini.
A production by MICCE with the support of the Cultural Office of the Municipality of Bologna and Danza Urbana Festival, Bologna.

Project created in dialogue with:

  • Fondazione e Innovazione Urbana
  • Piazza Grande
  • Biblioteca Borges
  • Collettivo Verso
  • Centro Sociale TPO
The performance was created by collecting testimonies from women and non-binary people who live in or pass through the Scalo-Malvasia urban area, Bologna, Italy.