Arts Festivals Archives

Journées Dante Alighieri in Montauban, France (2021)

March 27, 2022 By Harrison Betz, FSU '25

“La soirée inaugurale des Journées Dante Alighieri a rassemblé le monde de la culture, les élus et de nombreux italophones au théâtre Olympe-de-Gouges. Un vrai succès pour cette institution culturelle italienne, la plus ancienne et la plus prestigieuse dans le monde, implantée à Montauban depuis plus de cinquante ans. Pour son président Alain Crivella : ‘J’ai le grand honneur d’ouvrir ces journées avec vous, le rôle de Dante dans la création de l’Italie est prépondérant, son message 700 ans après sa mort incroyablement actuel et universel. Écrivain hors pair et théoricien politique, linguiste, il a fait face à la crise idéologique du Moyen Âge en défendant la spiritualité face aux valeurs marchandes.’

“Aujourd’hui à 18 h 30 au Théâtre Olympe de Gouges, deux artistes, Odile Cariteau et Cathy Teil, exposent entre peintures figuratives et abstraites, enluminures, écritures, collages, elles retranscrivent l’univers dantesque.” [. . .] —Ladepeche.fr, February 2, 2021 (retrieved March 27, 2022)

Three Palaces Festival

November 28, 2021 By Hannah Raisner, FSU '25

“The Three Palaces Festival, taking place between November 8 and 12, is online for a second time because coronavirus restrictions remain in place,” says artistic director Michelle Castelletti, a singer, composer and conductor known for her interdisciplinary approach to the arts.

Speaking about the theme of this year’s festival, Castelletti highlights that 2021 is the 700th anniversary of Dante’s death, and the 450th anniversary of Caravaggio’s birth.

Both have ties to Malta, with Caravaggio’s painting the Beheading of St John the Baptist commissioned for the Co-Cathedral of St John while Dante mentioned Malta in La Divina Commedia (The Divine Comedy).

“Although it’s true that we aren’t certain he meant this island rather than a place in Italy,” she continues. “We were keen to celebrate both these artistic geniuses.” –Esther Lafferty, Times of Malta, November 7, 2021

Inferno at San Francisco’s Gray Area Festival

December 8, 2019 By Alexa Kellenberger FSU '22

“I’m in the middle of the dance floor. The strobe lights above me are popping in time with the thundering kick drums and violent synth-bass rolling out of the speakers at 110 beats per minute. I’m shuffling to the rhythms, but I’m only able to control the lower half of my body. All of my movements from the waist up are being dictated by an exoskeleton strapped onto my trunk like a jacket.

“My arms jerk up and down and twist from side to side with the beat, but my own muscles aren’t doing the work; my flesh is being pushed around in space by the 45 pounds of metal, cable, and hydraulic cylinders running across my shoulders and down my arms. A robot is making me dance.” [. . .]

“The dance show, titled Inferno, is meant to be an experiential representation of hell, and I suppose it is, just maybe more fun. Inferno has been touring the world for a couple of years, and it made its US premiere in San Francisco this past weekend at the Gray Area Festival.” [. . .] –Michael Calore, Wired, July 30, 2019.

Read more about Inferno and the Gray Area Festival on Wired.

Peter Kattenberg’s Progress on the Divine Comedy

September 1, 2010 By Professor Arielle Saiber

Sunday, Sept. 12th, 2010 an exposition of Peter Kattenberg’s work in progress on Dante’s Divina Commedia will open at Arminius, Rotterdam (NL). The guerilla exhibition is part of Festival Witte de With that celebrates the opening of the new Arts Season. Kattenberg’s Dante exposition runs up to Dante’s Day of Death (Sept. 14th) to commemorate the poet and opens during a remonstrant church service to give Dante a new lease on life, both visually and spiritually.

See mores images on YouTube and Vimeo.

Also, at Leiden University Library, there is an exhibition called “Dante, Darling of the People” that opens Sept 14th, 2010.

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