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An extraordinary collaboration between Franklin University Switzerland, the Lugano Arte e Cultura (LAC), and the City of Lugano, the Lugano Dance Project provides a unique opportunity to create a positive and lasting impact on both the local and international communities. To date, the project has explored the legacies of early twentieth-century experimental dance rooted in the Monte Verità community and pursued influential practices from the 1950s and 1960s. The project was designed as a platform for exchange and production in contemporary dance through international networks, connecting Switzerland with Europe and North America.

By the beginning of the Spring 2023 semester, the first open dialogue between students, faculty, and internationally renowned Swiss composer-choreographer, Maria Bonzanigo, co-founder of the Compagnia Finzi-Pasca, permanent collaborator of the Cirque du Soleil, and co-creator of an experimental technique called "Teatro della carezza" was held on campus.

2022-23 project

In 2023 spring, Franklin University Switzerland presented three master classes designed for student non-dancers and dancers alike as part of a broader program of dance education initiatives that will build over three semesters. The culmination will be part of the second edition of the Lugano Dance Festival in Spring/Summer 2024 hosted by LAC (Lugano Arte e Cultura).

Swiss composer-choreographer, Maria Bonzanigo designed an open dance workshop, a special project of movement expression for students, which took place during the 2023 University / Day of Giving in April 2023. The theme of the workshop, called "Equilibrium" was connected to Franklin’s focus on well-being. Students, faculty, and staff were invited to participate in an afternoon workshop on the President’s Lawn following the community’s sustainability lunch, sponsored by the Green Office and Senior Class. The goal of the workshop was to explore the intersection of emotional and physical well-being and the equilibrium one can create, as with dance and music.

Two additional workshops of the same nature are planned for May 18 and 19 during graduation week. Students once again will have the opportunity to experiment with contemporary dance in the beautiful setting of Franklin’s campus.

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2021 - 22 project

Franklin University Switzerland was the Festival Partner of the Lugano Dance Project, additionally, Franklin was involved in several fields connecting the professional and pedagogical contexts: participation of senior undergraduate Franklin students in the organization and management of festival-related projects; pedagogical accompaniments to the realization of a documentary film by Professor Elettra Fiumi; pedagogical reflections and creative practices including documentation and historical references; the conception of the framework of a social impact report analyzing various aspects of the impact of the Lugano Dance Project on different stakeholders. 

This video has been produced by the students of Professor Elettra Fiumi's 2022 COM 211 class. 

Dancing Free documentary

We are thrilled to announce that Adjunct Professor Elettra Fiumi's documentary film, Dancing Free, will be premiering at the prestigious Locarno Film Festival on Friday, August 11th, at 3:00 pm (15:00) at Palazzo dei Congressi Muralto.

Dancing Free, produced by Fiumi Studios in collaboration with Franklin University Switzerland and the Manitou Fund, offers an insightful glimpse into the creative processes of visionary choreographers. Canadian Virginie Brunelle, Anglo-American Annie Hanauer, and Swiss-German Lea Moro present their captivating choreographies inspired by the utopian experiences of Monte Verità from the 20th century.

The film explores the concept of an 'ideal world,' revealing the powerful and vulnerable aspects of these artists' lives. As Professor Fiumi eloquently puts it, "Perfection lies in the process of creation."

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"Equilibrium" workshop series 2023

The title of Bonzanigo’s Dance Workshop Series, “Equilibrium,” draws inspiration from the important theme of wellbeing, which focuses on students' mental and physical health. The first workshop took place on the President’s Lawn on University Day, April 19. The second and third workshops will take place during Graduation Week, on Thursday, May 18 and Friday, May 19 at 13:00. Bodily movement and dancing maintain and improve our quality of life: physical fitness, whole body activity, mind/body coordination, social engagement, and cooperation with others.

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Preparing for the Lugano Dance Project 2023-24

FUS hosted its first Lugano Dance Project-themed open dialogue between students, faculty, and the internationally renowned composer-choreographer, Maria Bonzanigo, co-founder of the Compagnia Finzi-Pasca, co-creator of an experimental technique called “Teatro della Carezza,” which Bonzanigo explained and elaborated on during the dialogue. How does the apparently simple word “caress,” translated into human movement in space, strive to capture the spirit of creative forms of expression as different as theater, dance, acrobatics, circus, opera, and documentary?

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Lugano Dance Project 2022 Social Impact report

In may 2022 Franklin students from the senior capstone course BUS 455W on Global Strategic Management presented their social, economic, financial, and marketing-related report on the first edition of the Lugano Dance Project. 

With a visual presentation in the LAC conference room at Franklin, covering the scope of a social impact report and its philanthropic importance, the class explained their work and analysis to a prominent audience from the Lugano Arte e Cultura (LAC) composed of Michel Gagnon, general manager, Gregory Birth, head of marketing and sales support, and Isabella Lenzo, head of cultural mediation. In addition, President Greg Warden and Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Franklin, Kim Hildebrant, attended the event.

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LAC Dance Project 2022 Press Conference

On March 9 2022, Franklin's Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Kim Hildebrant, delivered a speech on the occasion of the Lugano Dance Project press conference event held at the Lugano Arte e Cultura (LAC). As an incredible collaboration between Franklin University Switzerland, the LAC and the City of Lugano, the Lugano Dance Projects aims at representing an important opportunity to create a positive and lasting impact on both the local and international community.

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A project coordinated by

Professor Hrisanta Trebici Marin

Adjunct Professor, Music History

Professor Fabio Ferrari

Chair of the Academic Division of Arts and Cultures
Associate Professor, Italian and Comparative Literary & Cultural studies

MADE POSSIBLE BY

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The KHR McNeely Family Fund, Kevin, Rosemary, and Hannah Rose McNeely

In collaboration with

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Logo Finzi Pasca

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