A Divine Comedy

Florentina Holzinger is currently one of the most successful international choreographers and dancers in the independent scene. In her productions, she combines traditional dance techniques with elements of martial arts, stunts and circus effects which spectacularly challenge the traditional images of the (female) body in classical dance.

In her latest piece, she re-examines the body and the transgression of its boundaries. Inspired by Dante Alighieri’s “Divine Comedy” she produces a piece performed by only female dancers of all ages and multiple professional backgrounds. In a variety of settings the performers explore both metaphysical and anatomical questions, always with a special focus on age, death and transcendence. “A Divine Comedy” explores a possible spirituality of the 21st century in the context of the human confrontation with life and death. The world premiere will take place as part of the Ruhrtriennale 2021.

Holzinger’s innovative style is also characterised by an experimental production method which draws from her experience in the independent scene as well as from her work with standing ensembles. She designs her major productions to be as adaptable as possible for staging longer tours. At the same time, she involves her performers in stage-technical processes in order to keep her production teams as small as possible for environmental, health and economic reasons.

Project manager: Something Great + Spirit e.V.
Artistic director: Florentina Holzinger
Dramaturgy: Renée Copraij, Sara Ostertag
Set design: Nikola Knežević
Artists/participants: Renée Copraij, Beatrice Cordua, Florentina Holzinger, Annina Machaz, Anne Meeussen, Xana Novais, Stefan Schneider, Linnéa Tullius, Stephan Werner and others

International Events

• Performance, Tanzquartier Wien, Vienna: 22–23 Oct. 2021;
• Performance, deSingel, Antwerp: 12–13 Nov. 2021