Newly formed dance platform ODT (Other Dance Theatre) is currently on its first international tour in Spain with performances in Madrid, Leon and in the region of Asturias. The programme of original works in contemporary dance entitled Stories in Whispers highlight the collaboration between Maltese dancer Florinda Camilleri and Spanish choreographer Lucía Piquero. Camilleri and Piquero, both renowned for their work in contemporary dance in Malta, established the platform to share their own explorations in dance and other form.

Stories in Whispers was performed at the Teatro Luchana in Madid on Thursday, February 6^th. It included Minn Taħt l-Ilsien (In Whispers) and Khajal. Minn Taħt l-Ilsien is a performance premiered and commissioned by the Malta International Arts Festival in 2019. Choreographed by Lucía Piquero and performed by Florinda Camilleri, the work is based on Professor Michael Zammit’s book of incantations Għana ‘l Hena. The incantations are brought to life through sound and movement, taking the audience on a unique passage through Maltese language, philosophy, and contemporary dance theatre.

Khajal, choreographed by Lucía Piquero and performed by Florinda Camilleri, Zoe Camilleri and Valentine Soucy, was developed during an artistic residency by Piquero in Bordeaux, France, and is inspired by the immense capacity of the Palestinian people for joy and a desire to change a dire situation into a reason for extreme creativity.

The programme included a sound performance, Pause, by Niels Plotard that roots the interdisciplinarity of the work.

ODT also held a workshop at Universidad Complutense de Madrid. 

The tour is supported by the Embassy of Malta in Madrid through the Cultural Diplomacy Fund of the Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs. Delivering opening remarks during the performance in Madrid, Dr. Vanni Xuereb, Malta’s Ambassador to Spain, said that ‘the Embassy is proud to present contemporary artistic work from Malta, improving both our work in cultural diplomacy and opening up new opportunities for artistic cooperation between artists’.

Stories in Whispers is also supported by the School of Performing Arts, Valletta Campus Theatre at the University of Malta and is co-produced with Culture Venture.