The international dance festival week in Lugano, which took place from June 11 to June 16, culminated two years of meticulous preparation for the Lugano Dance Project. This edition of the festival has been flanked by a host of Franklin initiatives that involved students representing all majors in curricular and co-curricular experiences. These experiences have introduced the entire Franklin community to a contemporary art form that is embedded with values that most succinctly describe the Franklin difference: creativity across all disciplines, humanity across all borders, embodied learning that champions free mobility, a celebration of diversity, harmony of vision and a drive to dream big and dream beautiful.
This year’s university-wide collaboration with LAC has included artist talks, movement workshops with choreographers from around the globe, and new experiences that challenged students to touch and be touched, literally and metaphorically. Now that the Lugano Dance Project has concluded, the heightened anticipation preceding each event was palpable in and around the Lugano cityscape.
Among the highlights of the festival was the opportunity for a few fortunate Franklin students to intern with LAC Lugano Arte e Cultura during the Lugano Dance Project. The Festival has as its main sponsor a Family that carries the name of two beloved Franklin alumni, a father and daughter. The McNeely Family advocates fiercely for socially impactful art and artists who emerge from diverse cultural contexts to expand our horizons through the sharing of stories in multiple languages and media.
During an invaluable internship, four exceptional students, Christos Ionas, Caitriona McCarthy, Beth Paolini, and Sydney Gibbs, had the opportunity to gain remarkable hands-on experience within the arts and cultural sector. Their involvement included close collaboration with the Cultural Mediation Team, active participation in numerous events, and the invaluable mentorship of Ms. Valentina Del Fante, who skillfully nurtured a welcoming and enriching environment for their professional growth. This experience proved to be exceptionally rewarding for the students as it offered them a profound insight into the internal operations of the Festival and LAC, while also cultivating a broader understanding of the cultural context within which these organizations operate.
This internship was a prime example of Experiential Learning, a cornerstone of the Franklin University education. It provided these students with the chance to apply their liberal arts knowledge in a professional setting. The broad-based education at Franklin, emphasizing critical thinking, creativity, and effective communication, prepared them well for the dynamic environment of the festival.
Moreover, the benefits of liberal arts instruction were evident as the students utilized their soft skills—such as teamwork, problem-solving, and cultural competency—throughout their internship. These experiences are crucial in today’s interconnected world, where the ability to adapt and communicate across cultural boundaries is highly valued.
The festival explored the human body in both built and natural environments, inviting the public to engage in performances held both in Lugano and nearby mountains and valleys. Each day showcased the talents of differently-abled, differently-shaped, and gender-diverse choreographers whose art spoke volumes about peace and respect, often without uttering a single word.
The gestural precision and communicative power of this year’s festival visionaries were particularly poignant in a world where geopolitical tensions persist. Dance served as a medium to exorcise, exalt, and most importantly, commune people; it restored justice to artists brave enough to expose their truths through their physical expressions, which, like truth, are always in flux.
This remarkable collaboration not only highlighted the transformative power of dance but also demonstrated the profound impact of immersive cultural experiences on Franklin University students.
