Graces

Stripping Down the Body. Perfection. Gender.

After a century of liberation, questioning, and framing the embodied body, norms, roles, and beauty—especially femininity, regardless of gender—it seems that culture is still haunted by the concept of "grace." This lofty, fleeting ideal of the "perfect" appearance, posture, and attire, those precise measures, proportions, hues, and textures that the bourgeois 19th century "honored" with history, is only truly attainable in the sublime marble sculptures of Neoclassicism. Transgressing and deconstructing roles and norms is one way to re-conceptualize "grace," but what if there is another, more radical tool for stripping the body of not just gender, but also of perfection? The humanity of humor.

Graces (2019) is inspired by Antonio Canova’s Three Graces (1812–1817), a sculpture that draws from mythology. The three daughters of Zeus—Euphrosyne, Aglaia, and Thalia—radiate joy, splendor, and prosperity. In the performance, three male figures step onto the stage, suspended between the human and the abstract: a space where masculinity and femininity meet beyond roles, dancing to the rhythm of nature itself. Joining the three performers - Siro Guglielmi, Matteo Marchesi and Andrea Rampazzo - is choreographer Silvia Gribaudi, who defines herself as a "body author." Her poetics of imperfection is elevated to an art form through a direct, brutal, and empathetic comedic style that transcends the boundaries of dance, theater, and performance art.

Choreography by Silvia Gribaudi • Dramaturgy by Silvia Gribaudi and Matteo Maffesanti • Performers Silvia Gribaudi, Siro Guglielmi, Matteo Marchesi and Andrea Rampazzo • Lighting Design by Antonio Rinaldi • Technical Direction by Leonardo Benetollo • Costume Design by Elena Rossi • Produced by Zebra • Coproduced with Santarcangelo Festival • Supported by MiC – Italian Ministry of Cultural Affairs.