With R.OSA, 10 esercizi per nuovi virtuosismi, Silvia Gribaudi brings to the stage the expressivity of the body and the social role it occupies, presenting ten virtuous exercises with original language and irreverent irony interpreted by one single awesome performer.
Actress Claudia Marsicano is the protagonist of this award-winning show; inspired by Botero’s images, Jane Fonda’s 80s gym workouts and the concept of success, R.OSA proposes an experience in which the performer is a “one woman show” capable of transporting the spectator into a seriously audacious journey of exercises and virtuosity.
Silvia Gribaudi’s research intends to put at the centre of the scene a body that differs from the conventional representation of the dancer, and this image is perfectly embodied by Claudia Marsicano. Dressed in a turquoise swimsuit that leaves uncovered large portions of delicate flesh, she executes ten scenic activities, juggling between musical, cabaret and physical training, with immense humour and a real ability to establish intense relationships with the public. In R.OSA the body is central and it is used in many different ways, to generate vocals and ironic facial expressions slapped to make music or just to amuse.
Exercise n. 1 opens with Claudia’s amazing interpretation of Dolly Parton’s Jolene, a singing arrangement that rapidly evolves into a game of acceleration and distortion. Soon the audience is shaken and called to action: led by the exuberant trainer in a perfect mother-tongue English, everyone starts to move, and in a few moments the performance becomes a massive group dance. Even the most sceptic spectators let themselves go, as it is impossible to resist Claudia’s transporting enthusiasm.
The following exercises re-establish a slower pace, alternating stretching rituals to lighter activities. Later she attempts to draw with the body syllables of favourite Italian words, like “rombo” or “forchetta”. The facial expressivity and the effort she makes in the pronunciation of these randomly chosen words is hilarious. Towards the end, she remains in black underwear to gift the audience with an epic pantomime of Britney Spears’ Toxic that finds its final exploit in a side to side mermaid-style dive on the stage.
R.OSA is genuine and pure, a burst of vitality and good vibes, it makes you laugh and dance, lifting your spirit and infusing life with positivity. Claudia is supreme, her intense expressivity and powerful personality combined with a brilliant sense of humour transport the audience into a show of giving and sharing, where everybody contributes to the performance. The fusion of acting, dancing, singing and cabaret in one person is simply wonderful.
R.OSA was among the finalists in the 2017 UBU awards for Best Dance Performance and finalist in the 2017 Rete Critica awards, while Claudia Marsicano received the 2017 UBU award for best actress/performer under 35.
R.OSA is part of Danza in Rete Festival, a dance festival promoted by Fondazione Teatro Comunale Città di Vicenza and Fondazione Teatro Civico di Schio. Committed to promoting dance in all its ways, the Festival takes place between the cities of Vicenza and Schio, in theatres and outdoor spaces.
Reviewed at Teatro Comunale Città di Vicenza