Choreographer and dancer Filippo Buonamassa is currently working as an artist in residence at HUIS Conny Janssen Danst. Creating movement from an emotional necessity, he is exploring during this residency, together with dancer Michele Simi, the tension between what takes place within the body and what can actually be perceived from the outside.
We spoke with Filippo about this residency:
It is special to work in a space that is so closely connected to the environment of a dance company. There is a very specific energy that comes from being surrounded by people who are part of an active artistic environment, and I find that very inspiring. FILIPPO BUONAMASSA
With what plan or question did you begin this residency at HUIS Conny Janssen Danst?
“I started this residency with the idea of creating a solo, which, for me, is a very challenging format. I wanted to dive into a very simple question: what can I do with one body and an empty space? The research began with the desire to keep things as simple and essential as possible in terms of props and scenography, and to focus mainly on the body itself — its possibilities, its transformations, and the way it can generate meaning through movement alone. On top of this foundation, I introduced a dramaturgical line that I had already been working on, rooted in a personal experience. Rather than arriving with a fixed choreography, I came with a series of questions, images and personal references.
The residency is allowing me to explore how a body can shift between control and loss of control, between observing something and being affected by it, and how these states can become part of a choreographic language.This gradually became a way to investigate how a very intimate experience can be translated into physical material without necessarily explaining or illustrating it directly.”
Which dancers have you brought to the studio, and why did you choose them to work with?
“For this residency I am working with Michele Simi. I chose Michele because I was interested in his physical sensitivity and in the way he is able to move between very different qualities and states. The work requires a performer who can be extremely precise but also allow something unpredictable, fragile or almost uncontrolled to enter the body.
The process is very collaborative, so it was also important for me to work with someone who is open to research, improvisation and to contributing personally to the material rather than simply reproducing choreography.”
What is it like working in the studios at HUIS Conny Janssen Danst?
“It is wonderful to work in a space that is so closely connected to the environment of a dance company. There is a very particular energy in being surrounded by people who are part of an active artistic context, and I find that deeply inspiring. What I appreciate most is the atmosphere here. Everyone has been extremely kind, open and available, and that makes a big difference during a creative process. I feel supported, welcomed and very much at home.
Having a studio where I can stay with an idea, test it, abandon it and return to it without immediately needing to produce a finished result is extremely important for this kind of process. It gives me the freedom to take risks, to question the material and to let the work develop at its own pace.”
You will be sharing the results of this residency on October 10. What do you expect or hope to share with the audience then?
“What I hope to share on October 10 is a work that, until only a few days ago, did not exist. It is something that has just been born in the studio. At first, it belonged only to Michele and me, through the process of researching, questioning and shaping the material together. Now, for the first time, it will be able to leave that private space and be shared with an audience. What interests me is not to give the audience a fixed interpretation of the work, but to invite them into the experience. I hope they can immerse themselves in the material, navigate its physical and dramaturgical layers in their own way, and find something personal within it. For me, one of the most meaningful possibilities of performance is when something that begins with a very personal experience can open itself up and become a space where other people can recognise, project or discover something of their own.”
