Reversing Midsummer: Alexander Ekman’s Dance-Theatre Adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Abstract
Questo saggio analizza Sogno di una Notte di Mezza Estate di Alexander Ekman, un ambizioso progetto di teatro-danza che il celebre danzatore e coreografo svedese ha realizzato per la Royal Swedish Opera di Stoccolma nel 2015. L’allestimento di Ekman sovverte la commedia shakespeariana portando in scena il tradizionale festival svedese di mezza estate con le sue danze in cerchio attorno al “maypole”, mescolando il balletto con canti e riti popolari, nonché nuovi dispositivi tecnologici per la performance. Nell’analisi mi focalizzo sull’innovativa “trama” coreografica di Ekman che, sebbene il coreografo stesso ritenga essere distante dalla commedia di Shakespeare, si rivela in realtà essere una riproduzione ravvicinata o “gioco” tra realtà (Atto I) e sogno (Atto II). In secondo luogo dimostro come, attingendo da temi tipicamente shakespeariani, Ekman riesca a destabilizzare modelli e paradigmi patriarcali e di dominio, in modo da poter abbracciare visioni di partnership (Eisler 1988) della realtà, che molto hanno da suggerire sulle nostre verità più intime e nascoste.
DOI: 10.17456/SIMPLE-211
Parole chiave: Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Alexander Ekman, Partnership Studies, performance and adaptation.
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