Thaindian News

New Delhi, Jan 19 (IANS) The Italian embassy and the Italian Cultural Centre have embarked on a spectacular cultural extravaganza across India to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Italian unification, a statement issued by the embassy said Wednesday. The Italian unification began in the 19th century when initiatives were set in motion to unify different states of the Italian peninsula into a unified Italy.

The celebrations will begin with a fusion ballet dance “The Ballet Ipnos” by the Accademia Teatro alla Scala of Milan featuring Italian dance and Indian music Jan 24 at the National Centre for Performing Arts in Mumbai followed by a performance Jan 28 at the Siri Fort Auditorium in the capital.

“The ballet Ipnos was chosen because it combines Italian dance with Indian music. In the past few years, we have organised many events featuring the best of Italian culture, concerts, art exhibitions and theatre performances. We decided to present a ballet, since dance is a universal language that can be understood by a wide audience,” Italian Ambassador Giacomo Sanfelice di Monteforte said.

The Accademia Teatro alla Scala is a school of tradition and innovation. It was founded in 1813.

‘Ipnos’ was first presented in Milan at the Piccolo Teatro in 2008. The choreography by Davide Bombana and the music by Riccardo Nova evoked the intensity of fragrant spices and incenses while the sound of ‘mridangam’ blended with that of the cello in a score that alternated with sounds of electronics, Sufi voices, percussions and string instruments, the ambassador said.

“Composer Riccardo Nova, who was born in Milan, studied both flute and composition at the G. Verdi Conservatory of Milan. Since early 1990s, he has been living periodically in India where he studied south Indian music with M.T. Raja Kesari (a former student of Karaikudi R. Mani),” the Italian ambassador said.