Ray goes to Italy!

A story of pasta, gelato, and dance in the sunset from Scottish Dance Theatre Company Dancer Massimo Monticelli.

It has been a few days since our return to Dundee after our tour of Ray in Bari and Rome, but the excitement has certainly not disappeared, especially for me (Massimo), as it meant bringing some bits of my Scottish life to my home country.

Bari 

On Wednesday the 2nd of July we left behind the cold and the rain to meet the sun and the Mediterranean heat wave, and take advantage of my beloved Adriatic Sea. We don’t have rehearsal on travel days, so we went directly into explorer mode for the evening. This consisted of a dip at Pane e Pomodoro beach, company dinner with Res Extensa, our hosting company, and finally a stroll + granita (the real one from freshly pressed fruit, not the chemical one), around gorgeous Bari Vecchia.

On Thursday, since we had rehearsals starting in the afternoon, a few of us took advantage of the beautiful morning to go sunbathe and swim on a rocky beach just outside of town. It was Tom’s birthday that day, and an early fresh swim seemed to be the perfect start for his celebrations!

Noon arrives, time to go! Just a stop for a Caprese salad and we’re off to class and tech. As soon as we got to the neighbourhood of San Girolamo and saw the venue, our eyes started shining (quite literally): the performance space was just a few meters from the water, with a walking gallery behind us, looking at the sea from west to east.

I am not going to lie, tech rehearsal in the middle of the afternoon was a strength test for the heat; but with some patience and various coping methods - some with an umbrella, some with a lot of sunscreen, some sheltering from the hot sun at every pause - we managed to get to the end of it. We got ready for the show in our dressing room, on this occasion a very spacious summery surf shop!

The performance started with a stunning blinding sunset. Being very close to the street and the sea, groups of curious people started hanging around, and on the four sides of the space, a lovely and involved community started to appear and witness our dance.

What was memorable for me (along with the sun diving into the sea while performing) is the fact that San Girolamo is renowned to be one of the neighbourhoods in Bari where culture struggles a bit more to arrive, and – except from the dancers of Res Extensa - a lot of people watching had probably never seen contemporary dance before (or at least that is what I was told by some audience members after the show). Therefore, especially for a piece like Ray, which aims to remove the traditional barriers between performer and audience, it was amazing to meet everyone and to witness such openness, curiosity and positive energy.

After this very sweaty show, we did the only logical thing, and all jumped straight into the sea with no second thoughts. Post-dip, a big pizza was waiting for us, followed by our last birthday gelato for Tom in Bari before going to bed, as Rome was calling for the next day.

Roma 

Our train journey to Rome was safe and smooth, especially with some delicious pasticciotti from Martinucci (if you ever go to Puglia, please do not miss this pastry).

Rome was even hotter than Bari, but with umbrellas and fans we all went exploring the Capital with no fear! With some local recommendations for itineraries and restaurants, everyone found their way to the Aventino or to Trastevere before heading to Teatro India to see a show in Fuori Programma, the festival we would perform in the next day. Carbonara, amatriciana, artichokes… I was over the moon knowing that Rome would satisfy everybody’s palate and eyes.

On Saturday our class and rehearsals would start at 4pm, (it's too hot to do any dancing earlier than this!) so again the company went exploring. Some visited the Pantheon, some the Colosseum, some went to the supposedly best gelateria in town (yes, Giolitti al Parlamento), some to see Caravaggio at San Luigi dei Francesi. Personally, I went up the Gianicolo hill and ended up in Vatican City, as it is one of my favourite Roman walks, although I probably underestimated the heat and ended up fleeing Saint Peter craving for some fresh air before rehearsal.

The venue was just beautiful, also outside, in a separate courtyard from the theatre. There was a nice café on the side, and again, a scenographic sunset to help us with the light design. The space was huge, and we had a brilliant large audience. It really felt awesome to be able to connect with so many warm eyes. For me, it was also a particularly special show, as I had a lot of my family (along with my 1 year-old and 3 year-old nephews), and a few friends watching. Again, the beauty of performing Ray in such context was that we could take care of everyone, see everyone, be emotional with everyone. Ray in Rome helped me connect with a place and people that I deeply love, while doing what I love the most under a glorious sunset. I really could not have asked for more.

Enough sentimentalism for now, time to eat our last company meal in Italy. Back to Testaccio (very late), where our last Roman dinner surpassed all our expectations (a big thanks to the waitress Marta, she saved the night).

To conclude, our Ray tour in Italy reminded me some of the things I love most about this job and the privilege it is to carry it out sometimes. First, connection: to myself and what surrounds me, to the people I perform with and the people I perform for. Second, adventure: by meeting very different audiences, seeing different places, tasting different food, and ultimately bringing this intangible thing we call a show to people, to create something extraordinary together. It is so special to gather an international group of strangers, connected across borders through dance, to experience a series of moments and movements together. Add the sea, good food and the Italian sun, what more is there to say?