AVA
- Story & Choreography
Klevis Elmazaj - Original Live Music
Ragazzi Quintet - Costume Design
Paola Ghidini
Live Dance Theatre Show
A full live performance.
In 2021, was born the idea of a new storytelling production portraying a wondrous mysterious story of unknown worlds, and magical creatures. Involving 6 dancers and 5 live musicians, we wanted to make a full live experience of dance, music and visual effects, that would immerse the audience in a magic tale.
Collaborations
With support of fundings from AFK (Amsterdam Fonds voor de Kunst), dancers and musicians (Ragazzi Quintet, led by choreographer Klevis Elmazaj, met in the studio to research and explore the musical and movement ideas that would become the language of the show.
As theatre where working with difficulty during the pandemic of 2020/2022 we thought of postponing any theatre release of this show. Therefore we ended up transforming it into a short dance film.
The Dance Film
NORMA Fonds, recently awarded us with €10.000, to create a short dance-film about 'AVA' Live. The money will go towards the artists and the equipment needed to create the film. Director, cinematographer, dancers, musicians, producer, costume designer, light designer, studio rehearsal, location, camera rental equipment, light rental equipment, travel and on location provisions. The production is set to begin in June 2022, and the dance-film to be released in the fall of 2022.
CREATIVE TEAM & CAST
Meet the artists behind our newest dance film of 'AVA'
Writer, Director and Choreographer
Klevis Elmazaj
Writer / Director / Choreographer
Rachel Wan is a film director, producer and screenwriter, obsessed with capturing and telling good stories. Her films have been selected & awarded at film festivals worldwide. Her first film Numb in 2019 has won Best Short Film, Best Dark Comedy, and Best First Time Director at the LA Short Film Festival. Based in Amsterdam, but Rachel is currently working worldwide on film, commercial, and TV projects.
Rachel Wan
Producer / 1st AD
Ole Valentin Schwartz was born and raised in Berlin, Germany, currently an Amsterdam-based Director of Photographer, Editor and Photographer. With five years of experience shooting narrative films, commercials and television shows worldwide for big productions such as Sky as well indie productions, Ole has established his own intuitive vision, cinematic style, and passion for creating arresting visuals.
Ole Schwartz
DoP / Camera Operator
Michał Kucharski – born in Kraków, Poland, currently based in The Hague, Netherlands where I’m studying Photography in the Royal Academy of Art. I am working with digital photography as my main medium but I also work with video, 3D modeling, coding, electronics and installations. I am the most interested in staged photography and I gain experience in film by working as a gaffer on sets.
Michal Kucharski
Gaffer / Light Designer
Oliver Woet
Gaffer / Light Designer
Samuel Minguillon is a performing arts graduate and has worked as an actor, dancer, teacher and assistant choreographer, while also creating his own work. Samuel teaches technique classes, Research labs , and his Intensive workshops “in/out” worldwide, at Dancepat, AHK, Henny Jurriëns Studio, Performing Arts University, Marameo, Tanzfabrik, studios in Basel, Barcelona, Cologne, Beijing, and also to international companies.
Samuel Minguillon
Dancer
Clara Cozzolino is an Italian multidisciplinary artist living in the Netherlands. With a background in contemporary dance and electronic music. She is an artistic researcher, developing her movement direction method and facing the music writing studying composition. In 2022 she created her first 30-minutes soundtrack for “Sundowning”, a work by Sara Europaeus as well as a project by Robin Nimanong, a movement and sound research residency at ICK Dans Amsterdam.
Clara Cozzolino
Dancer / AVA
Paola is a professional dancer from Italy, based in Amsterdam. She has been dancing in companies and independent projects, performing internationally. Alongside her career as dancer and teacher, she pursues other passions and makes her talents available, with the aim of facilitating the performing arts. Recently she has been collaborating with young choreographers as assistant rehearsals director, costume designer, stylist and graphic designer.
Paola Ghidini
Costume Designer / Dancer
Lela Di Costanzo is a multidisciplinary artist in the field of contemporary dance and performing arts. During her education Lela also performed in original works by international renowned artists. She then moved to Amsterdam where she began choreographing, teaching and performing independently as a dancer. In between these projects she continues independently to develop herself as a performer, creator and teacher.
Lela Di Costanzo
Creature / Dancer
Doke Pauwels was trained as a classical and contemporary dancer at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague and as a dramaturg at the University of Amsterdam where she studied Theater Studies (BA) and Dramaturgy (MA). In 2014 she lived in New York City where she studied directing, acting and writing at The New School. As a freelance dancer and dramaturg she has worked with a variety of companies, directors and choreographers. She has begun to develop a choreographic practice of her own. See also www.dokepauwels.com
Doke Pawuels
Creature / Dancer
Edgar Sagarra Portuondo was born in the province of Santiago de Cuba. Graduated from the Univerisdad de las Artes de La Habana. Ex Dancer of the National Contemporary Dance Company of Cuba. Titular teacher of the University of the Arts of the State of Morelos in Mexico. Guest artist with the National Theater Company of Mexico. Dancer and choreographer of the Mexico City Ballet Company. Dancer of the Musical The Lion King in Mexico City, of Musical Get On Your Feet in The Netherland, Flashdance, Memphis.
Edgar Sagarra
Dancer
We are RAGAZZI, a string collective consisting of five young instrumentalists and composers. With roots in classical music we changed our direction in 2016. With a colour blind vision we change the obvious and look for new sounds and possibilities on our instruments.
We play violin, cello, voice and drum.
Ragazzi Quintet
Musicians