Le Etiopiche

Mattia Cason

LE ETIOPICHE is a call for a more united Europe, for a more Afroasiatic United Europe. As the first part of a trilogy on Alexander the Great, LE ETIOPICHE focuses on the beginning of Alexander’s adventures, on his landing in Asia and on his clash with Memnon of Rhodes, a Greek mercenary commander serving the Persian King of Kings.

Through the narrative of this historical encounter, its reverberations in the mythological realm and above all its continuing geopolitical implications, this piece explores the Afroasiatic roots of the so called "European civilization", presenting contemporary migrations as a wonderful opportunity for Europe to better understand these very roots and thus realize its own project : that of building a new model of social cohesion, a model that goes beyond the ethno-national paradigm and finally recognizes the “other” as necessary for the comprehension of the “self”.

The piece uses simultaneously two different media – dance and video. Dance delivers the dramatic line depicting Alexander’s life, his adventures and his encounters, while the video intersperses the narration with modern refugees’ own stories, their difficulties, and their aspirations.

In this way fiction and reality cross each other repeatedly in order to call into question the logical contraposition between leaving and returning, or even better between “Èxodus” and “Nòstos”: Is Alexander leaving Macedonia for the unknown or is he actually returning to where he feels he belongs? And more importantly: are modern refugees just escaping wars and persecution or are they also, as Alexander soldiers’ after their mutiny on the banks of the Hyphasis river, just coming back home?

The performance won the main prize PREMIO SCENARIO 2021, which is awarded every year by L'Associazione Scenario.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mattia Cason started his formation at Siena University where he got his BA in Anthropology and visual studies. He later pursued his studies at the Bologna University and got a MA in Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology. Between 2009 and 2012 he studied acting at the “Nico Pepe” Academy of Dramatic Arts in Udine and later moved to Tel Aviv (Israel) to study dance at the “Haqvutza beYafo”. In 2013 he joined the “The Maslool” Dance program and continued to educate himself in the art of dance. Since then he has been dancing for Fresco Dance Company (2015-2017), Inbal Dance Company (2017-19) and also in different independent projects with choreographers Michael Getman, Mor Shani, and Maya Yogel among others. In February 2020 he was part of the performance “Mileva” by Ksenjia Martinović, produced by CSS Teatro Stabile d’Innovazione del Friuli Venezia Giulia. In February 2020 he moved to Istanbul where he started working with choreographer Isil Biçakçi but the Covid 19 emergency forced the project to be postponed. Since 2021 he is a member of EN-KNAP Group, the only permanent contemporary dance group in Slovenia.

EN-KNAP Group
15 Years / over 50 works / over 30 authors
EN-KNAP Group, led by its founder, the internationally renowned choreographer and dancer Iztok Kovač, is the only permanent contemporary dance company in Slovenia. Since 2009, this ensemble of remarkable dancers has been based at the Španski Borci Cultural Centre in the Ljubljana-Moste neighbourhood.
Since its establishment ten years ago, EN-KNAP Group has worked with over 30 Slovene and international choreographers and theatre directors of aesthetically diverse backgrounds, and created a repertoire of over 50 stage works and a dance film. EN-KNAP presents its repertoire both on domestic stages and on international tours.

EN-KNAP Productions Team
EN-KNAP Group Rehearsal Directors: Ana Štefanec Knez, Luke Thomas Dunne / Technical Coordinator: Jaka Šimenc / Technicians: technical team of Španski Borci / Promo material design: Neja Engelsberger / Print: Tiskarna Januš / Photo and trailer: Andrej Lamut / Executive Producer: Karmen Keržar / Public relations and editing: Nina Smerkol / Marketing: Goran Pakozdi / Head of finance: Julija Travančić / Expert associate for finances and business management: Zala Česnik / Program management and coordination of educational activities: Katja Gabrijelčič / Managing Director of Španski Borci Cultural Center and EN-KNAP Productions: Marjeta Lavrič / EN-KNAP Productions Managing Director, Španski Borci Cultural Centre Artistic Director: Iztok Kovač

The programme of EN-KNAP Productions, administrator of Španski Borci, is financially supported by: City of Ljubljana – Department of Culture, which also supports Španski Borci activities, and Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia.

CSS Teatro stabile di innovazione del FVG is financially supported by: Ministry of Culture of Italy, Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia, Comune di Udine, Fondazione Friuli

Le Etiopiche won the main prize PREMIO SCENARIO 2021, awarded annually by L'Associazione Scenario.

Le Etiopiche is supported by Dialoghi Performing Arts Residences at Villa Manin (Udine)