During VERS&GERS – from 13 to 30 June – young makers and established choreographers show their work in HUIS Conny Janssen Danst. Dancer and maker Dario Tortorelli (Italy, 1977) is one of them.
In 2015, Dario Tortorelli, also known as DIVEinD, created the solo performance D NO BODY as part of the DANSLOKAAL 3 project, featuring dancer Adi Amit. The performance was later reinstalled for VERS&GERS, marking a new chapter in their ongoing quest to perfect their image through the character ROMEO HEART.
About the maker
Dario Tortorelli is an internationally renowned dancer and choreographer who is currently based in Rotterdam. In 2016, they founded their company DIVEinD, which focuses on the visual poetry of performing bodies. Since 2009, Dario has devoted themselves to choreographic research and has created pieces for esteemed organizations such as Conny Janssen Danst, Dansateliers, The Dutch Dance Festival, the B.motion festival in Italy, The Place London, WhyNot Festival and the DIVEinD foundation.
Dario’s talents have garnered recognition in the dance community. In 2013, they received an award at the Solo Dance Contest in Gdansk, Poland. In 2018, they were nominated for the Prize of the Dutch Dance Days and were named one of the 41 most promising artists in Europe by the German magazine TANZ. Their performance D NO BODY 5 #transcending was selected by the Theaterkrant as one of the best new performances of the Dutch theater season 2017-2018. Continually pushing boundaries, Dario has been experimenting and collaborating with dance and other art forms in their artistic journey.
One of their recent creations is TRANSMOTION, a sensory performance that immerses the audience in a total experience of dance, spatial design, live sound, and installation.
Alongside their choreographic work, Dario teaches, coaches, and creates for various dance academies in the Netherlands, including Codarts, Artez, Ahk, and Fontys. They also serve as a guest teacher at renowned dance companies such as Conny Janssen Danst, Scapino Ballet (Rotterdam), Introdans (Arnhem), Skånes Danstheater (Malmö), Sally Dance Company (Maastricht), and Ballet Mainz (Germany).
About D NO BODY reinstalled
In 2015, Conny Janssen Danst presented the third edition of DANSLOKAAL, an annual talent development project that invites promising artists to collaborate with the dancers of the Rotterdam company in creating new works. Dario Tortorelli was one of the selected artists. Together with dancer Adi Amit, they created the solo performance D NO BODY installed, adding a new chapter to their ongoing quest to develop their perfect image through the character ROMEO HEART.
Pop culture, gender and identity
In this work, Dario was inspired by pop culture and the flamboyant style of glam rock and pop icons who challenge conventional notions of identity and gender, such as David Bowie, Madonna, and Michael Jackson. Influenced by notable artists from their childhood such as David Bowie, Madonna, and Michael Jackson, they embarked on a creative process that shaped D NO BODY. The performance explores Adi’s character as they search for identity, with the body slowly transforming from an installation into the ultimate manifestation of the self.
Since the performance originated in 2015, Dario wondered about its relevance in the present day. Therefore, eight years after its creation, they and Adi Amit took the risk to repropose the piece for VERS&GERS. As Dario eloquently puts it, “Together with the audience, we embark on a journey to explore whether the performance still resonates. Adi and I are willing to take this risk.”