Choreographer’s Italian Roots Inspire Dance NOW! World Premiere

Dance NOW! Miami will present the world premiere of Diego Salterini’s work “Terra Mia | My Land” in Fort Lauderdale and Aventura on Friday, May 9 and Saturday, May 10. (Photo by Jenny Abreu, courtesy Dance NOW! Miami)

Diego Salterini, co-founder of Dance NOW! Miami,” describes his latest choreographic, work, “Terra Mia | My Land,” as an exploration of feeling and place.

The 30-minute abstract ballet gets it inspiration from Salterini’s Italian roots.

“Italy is a dance of contrasts: haute couture alongside ancient cobblestones, a young artist harmonizing with the legendary Mina, and the weight of history countering relentless innovation,” he explains.

Rae Wilcoxson, Diego Salterini, and Amanda Davis at a rehearsal for “Terra Mia | My Land.” (Photo by Sophia Pfitzenmaier, courtesy Dance NOW! Miami)

“With ‘Terra Mia | My Land,’ I hope to capture this pulse, this multifaceted beauty, without needing a story to define it.”

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the contemporary dance company, which Salterini co-founded with dancer and choreographer Hannah Baumgarten. The world premiere of “Terra Mia | My Land” will be presented in Program III, the final performance of its anniversary season on stage Friday, May 9 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale, and Saturday, May 10 at the Aventura Arts and Cultural Center, Aventura.

Born in Rome, Salterini arrived in the United States in 1997. “My days dancing on Italian television were coming to an end, and I felt the need to explore something more authentic — concert dance, where my artistic soul could breathe.”

Diego Salterini and Hannah Baumgarten, circa 2009. (Photo Dance NOW! Miami archive)

He says he met his co-founder immediately. “Everything clicked. We were artistic soulmates, united by a tacit understanding, and from that moment on, our shared journey began to unfold,” he recalls of Baumgarten, who he co-founded the company with in 2000.

“Terra Mia | My Land” features the professional company’s current 10 dancers, six women and four men. The women are Julia Faris, Amanda Davis, Rae Wilcoxson, Kristen Velasco, Sophie Pfitzenmaier, and Sophie Leung (as an apprentice) as well as Ally Ginns Ayers, also DNM’s associate director. The men are Giovanni Castellon, Austin Duclos, David Harris, and Alexander Campbell.

“Italy is the paradox that fuels this ballet,” says Salterini, adding that he visits his home country about four times a year, seeing friends and family along with working.

“Upon landing in Rome or Milan, I’m assailed by chaos. Still, amid the frenzy, there is breathtaking beauty and moments of tranquility: sitting on a bench atop Villa Borghese, with the grandeur of Rome stretching out below, the noise fading into a hum. This is what I feel when I visit Rome’s Cimitero Acattolico or enter a small church, where a Caravaggio painting shines on a solitary person praying, while the soft strings of an organ fill the air.”

From left, Austin Duclos, David Harris, and Alex Campbell, rehearsing “Terra Mia | My Land,” choreographed by Diego Salterini. (Photo by Arman Bayev, courtesy Dance NOW! Miami)

So, is “Terra Mia | My Land” a work born from nostalgia?

“Yes and no. (It) depends on how you define nostalgia. Talking about Italy inevitably stirs up nostalgia for my family, my friends, and the sheer beauty of the place. But it’s not a longing to return. I can’t imagine living there again without the freedom to create and lead something like Dance NOW! Miami.”

The choreographer says he’s avoided clichés like pizza and mandolins in the work, explaining that those are stereotypes more closely tied to Italian-American culture than modern Italy.

“The country continues to evolve, and I try to weave a thread of tradition, a nod to the roots that sustain it, without it feeling like a postcard from the past.”

The music for “Terra Mia | My Land”  is by Federico Bonacossa, “a trusted collaborator  . . . on countless projects.”

Diego Salterini at a rehearsal for “Terra Mia | My Land.” (Photo by Sophia Pfitzenmaier, courtesy Dance NOW! Miami)

According to Salterini, the goal of the music was to create “a soundtrack that resonates with the soul of Italy, fusing the timeless with the unexpected.”

“Terra Mía / My Land” will occupy the program’s second half. For the first half, Dance NOW! Miami will revive two of the company’s works: Baumgarten’s 2006 “Court Dance” and the company’s 2016 debut “Bridges NOT Walls.” Of the latter, only a solo and the finale will be presented.

Regarding “Bridges NOT Walls,” Baumgarten believes its message “seems more powerful than ever when global forces separate us; it challenges us to rise up and challenge the walls and barriers that separate us to embrace our common humanity.”

She says “Court Dance” was her first foray into political work.

Dance NOW! Miami dancers in “Court Dance.” (Photo by Jenny Abreu, courtesy Dance NOW! Miami)

“Both are quite intense, so we’ll be interspersing them with a new quartet I’m creating called ‘Among Lovers and Friends.’ It’s a kind of ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ meets Robert Schumann’s sweeping piano piece ‘Flower Piece in D-flat major,'” says Baumgarten.

As for the world premiere of “Terra Mía | My Land,” Salterini hopes the work stays with the audience long after they leave the theater.

“Dance performances don’t last; they happen and then go away, leaving only what the audience remembers and feels. In this case, I want the premiere to leave a lasting impression. I hope people take some of the images and sounds we created with them, and they will have a little piece of Italy in their minds when they remember it.”

WHAT:  Dance NOW! Miami 2025 Program III featuring world premiere of “Terra Mia / My Land”

 WHEN: Friday, May 9 in Fort Lauderdale, Saturday, May 10 in Aventura. Both shows at 8 p.m.

 WHERE:  Broward Center for the Performing Arts’ Amaturo Theater, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale,  Aventura Arts and Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St., Aventura).

COST:  $30 to $40 reserved seating, $20 for students with valid ID, at box office only. 

 INFORMATION: (305) 975-8489, dancenowmiami.org/events/terramia

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