In rehearsal, Dance NOW! Dancer Julia Faris and choreographer Diego Salterini and artistic director of Dance NOW! Miami. (Photo by Sophia Pfitzenmaie)
To listen to Diego Salterini speak of his homeland is like seeing a kaleidoscopic view of Italy. His words evoke images of shifting vistas, changing terrain, vibrant cities, the sanctuary of a church and the serenity of a park. “A country of contrasts, that’s what Italy is for me,” says Salterini. Salterini, along with Hannah Baumgarten, is co-Artistic Director of Dance Now! Miami. This year marks the 25th anniversary of the contemporary dance company. It is presenting its final performance of its anniversary season with Program III, which includes the world premiere of “Terra Mia/My Land.”
Rehearsing for Dance NOW! Miami, from left are, Rae Wilcoxson, Diego Salterini and Amanda Davis. (Photo by Sophia Pfitzenmaie)
“Terra Mia/My Land,” choreographed by Salterini with an original score by Federico Bonacossa. Salterini, says he thinks of “What does Italy mean to me”? “There is the contrast I see all the time. In Florence, there are tons of people with traffic everywhere and then you go into a church and there is maybe one person praying. You can hear the sounds of the church and the organ. When you’re in there, you’re completely on another planet. Then you get out of the church and you go into a little coffee place and there are tons of people there. Everybody is there from every walk of life. That is the goal of 'Terra Mia/My Land' to capture the contrast and chaos of Italy.”
Dance NOW! Miami "Terra Mia | My Land," gets its premiere May 9 and 10 in Fort Lauderdale and Aventura. (Photo by Jenny Abreu)
Salterini explains that the piece is not folkloric. It is a contemporary dance piece as both he and Baumgarten are grounded in modern dance technique. Salterini says that he is also incorporating gestures into the piece. “Italians are very expressive with motioning with our hands. I was thinking and observing about how I talk to my friends and how they talk to me. The piece is a little gestural yet is still very strong with technical movements rooted in modern dance.”
Dance NOW! Miami's "Terra Mia | Miami Land" (Photo by Jenny Abreu)
Program III is also presenting pieces from past seasons. “Usually at the end of the year, we do audience favorites, sometimes we reprise something from the season that was very popular,” says Baumgarten. “Act I of the program is rounding out our 25th anniversary season.”
The first piece is an excerpt from "Bridges NOT Walls," which was created in 2015 before the 2016 presidential election. It is a collaborative piece ( in different years ) with both Mexico City Ballet and Opus Ballet Company from Italy. Baumgarten says the piece is “all about who we are as global humans and how our global identification is important, who we are and where we come from and what our family has gone through. We discuss refugees and what it means to be a refugee, why you would choose to become a refugee. It continues to surprise us how relevant it is even after almost a decade.”
Dance NOW Miami!'s Diego Salterini in rehearsal. (Photo by Sophia Pfitzenmaie)
The evening will include a reprise of Baumgarten’s "Court Dance," a Machiavellian “political tribal dance.” The piece was choreographed in 2003 and is based on the 2000 presidential elections and the debate involving hanging chads. The dancers are dressed in velvet suits with red and blue and wear masks. Baumgarten says the piece is cryptic and athletic. The company has performed the piece many times since it first premiered.
In between the two pieces is a new work by Baumgarten, which centers on a quartet of dancers. “It’s a little 'Dangerous 'Liaisons' and a little mischievous. It involves two couples playing out their relationship and the little mysteries that live among friends and lovers.”
The piece is performed to a piano score by German composer Robert Schumann. As of this writing, the piece was still untitled.
Dance NOW! Miami Artistic Directors Diego Salterini and Hannah Baumgarten (Archival photo circa 2009)
Reflecting over the past 25 years of running the company Baumgarten and Salterini shared their thoughts on this milestone. Baumgarten says, “I think I’ve learned that being able to pivot, being able to shift and being open to collaborations. These are really the most important things because these are what elevates the product and message behind our work. No matter what.”
Dance NOW! Miami "Court Dance." (Photo by Jenny Abreu)
Salterini says, “I don’t know if I’ve created a masterpiece, I have no idea. There are pieces that I’ve created that I like a lot and that audiences like but I don’t know if they are masterpieces or not. But to be able to have a company for 25 years, to create it from zero not having recognizable names because Hannah and I were not coming from a ballet company. We started literally from zero and to have a company with ten dancers that we pay regularly after 25 years, I think that’s the real masterpiece and hopefully it will stay after we die.”
Dance NOW Miami's "Bridges NOT Walls." *Photo by Simon Soon)
- WHAT: Dance NOW! Miami 2025 Program III featuring world premiere of “Terra Mia / My Land”
- WHEN: Friday, May 9 in Fort Lauderdale and Saturday, May 10 in Aventura, both shows 8 p.m
- WHERE: Broward Center for the Performing Arts Amaturo Theater, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale, and Aventura Arts & Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St., Aventura
- ADMISSION: For both venues, $30 to $40 reserved seating, $20 for students with valid ID, at box office only. Advance tickets for both venues at www.dancenowmiami.org/events/terramia.
FOR MORE INFO: (305) 975-8489 or [email protected]
