ASSOCIAZIONE ARTU / Festival Corpi Urbani – Urban Bodies

The cultural association ARTU – arts for urban regeneration and transformation – has been founded by some young professionals to promote the arts and contribute in an innovative way to the urban development of Genova. ARTU has started making projects observing the cultural trends in Genova and aiming to fill the gap between structural changes and the inhabitants’ perspectives on the city.
The association believes that artistic production, in particular the street arts, can contribute to regenerate places, promote local skills and play a critical part in the continuing urban and social transformations.
The leading project of the association is “Corpi Urbani/Urban Bodies” – International Festival of Dance in Urban Landscape, started in 2003.
The project Corpi Urbani/Urban Bodies consists of several performances – some of which are site specific productions – taking place in different areas of town such as streets, squares, shop windows, natural areas, historical palaces and museums. The main idea is to allow people to experience dance shows for free, and locate them in a familiar environment. A second goal is to explore the art form of contemporary dance, proposing it in a simple and direct way and encourage people to discover its sense of spontaneity and immediate appeal in unusual settings. The “special occasion” value around the project makes dance more accessible and persuade people to perceive their urban surroundings in a different way. Corpi Urbani is supposed to be a community experience, presented to the city and created for it.
Artists invited to perform are generally selected amongst the most significant International Festivals of Dance and involve local choreographers as well. The festival wants to encourage exchange of knowledge and expertise as well as develop training, cooperation and new artistic projects.
Locations are chosen according to the artists’ performance. In some cases, challenging locations have been taken into account (such as aerial dance), considering at the same time their significance in terms of heritage, culture and social issues.