Vertical Waves Project is a dance company specializing in the production of vertical dance performances. Established in 2010 by Marianna Andrigo, a vertical dance performer since 2002, and Aldo Aliprandi, a stage designer and technician, the company creates performances distinguished by the utilization of architecture as a stage space. Through the application of techniques and equipment for working at heights, dance explores elevated spaces and voids, considering space as a co-author of the choreography.
The produced works are site-specific, ranging from walls and voids to self-supporting structures and trees. The core performers, Michela Lorenzano, Silvia Zotto, and Valentina Milan, are integral members of the project. Additionally, Anna Maschietto and Ilaria Bagarolo currently collaborate as dancers.
Vertical Waves Project has showcased its works at dance and street theater festivals, as well as in prominent public and private events, both within Italy and internationally (Albania, Tunisia, Greece, Iran, United States, China, Romania, Spain, Denmark, Belgium, Malta, Germany, Morocco, Poland).
Beyond artistic production, the company actively promotes the dissemination of vertical dance through intensive courses and workshops. Apart from training professionals, Vertical Waves Project conducts courses and initiatives with social significance, where the performativity and technique of vertical dance serve as instruments for fostering social connections, participation, urban regeneration, and engagement of younger individuals.
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Andrigo Aliprandi
Performance artists
Marianna Andrigo and Aldo Aliprandi have collaborated on performances since 2009, weaving together the languages of installation and site-specific art as influences that shape the stage space. Their focus lies in exploring movement and sound, delving into aesthetic references that render both bodies evocative, interpretable, and in a state of constant transformation.
Their performances delve into the nuances of duration, resistance, and real-time composition. Aldo Aliprandi, working on sound, employs a self-made musical instrument connected to electronic devices. The genesis of sound, in relation to action, is meticulously crafted from the object to the spatialization of the sound itself. This poetic and technical fusion remains firmly anchored to the aesthetic realm of their work.
Marianna Andrigo embodies the movement, conducting an investigation into the kinetic body. She seeks a personal language that runs in parallel with sound, exploring dynamics as an expression of philosophical reflections and a meaningful action.
Together, they co-founded Live Arts Cultures, a cultural organization dedicated to the dissemination, production, and training in the field of live arts.
They curate the C32 performing arts workspace/project, situated within the former military fortress of Forte Marghera in Venezia Mestre, serving as the association’s operational headquarters.
Michela Lorenzano
Performer
Since 2016, she has actively participated in the productions and training initiatives of Vertical Waves Project. Her ongoing dedication involves the study of movement practices and techniques to which she feels a strong affinity, such as contact improvisation, floor work, and improvisational methods, which she integrates into her role as both a performer and a teacher. Under the guidance of Laura Boato, her artistic training has flourished through encounters with renowned choreographers and dancers in Italy and abroad. Notable figures include Raffaella Giordano, Trajal Harrel, Irene Dowd, and Margaret Paek. Her involvement in significant training projects encompasses Dance Makers at the Operaestate Festival Veneto and ACTION at Sosta Palmizi.
Silvia Zotto
Aerial artist
As a professional figure skater since childhood, she seamlessly transitioned into studying aerial dance as a self-taught artist after numerous years of participating in sports competitions. Her formal training commenced at the Cirko Vertigo School in Turin and later continued at the Centre des Arts du Cirque de Chambery (FR), where she specialized in aerial disciplines.For several years, she has been delving into the vertical dimension as an acrobat and performer, utilizing various circus equipment and exploring vertical dance. On the ground, she contributes to the project Il Grande Piano with the Faber Teatro company. Since 2017, she has been an integral part of the Vertical Waves Project.
Valentina Milan
Architect and Performer
Trained as a dancer, performer, and architect, she possesses a keen interest in exploring the interplay between bodies, space, and architecture, as well as the dynamics between movement and urban spaces.
This curiosity arises from the need for dance and performing arts to engage with environments beyond traditional theater settings. Through vertical dance she rediscovers the synthesis between architecture and performing action, which she also always pursues “with her feet on the ground”, through personal research, training and teaching. Since 2016, she has taken part in Vertical Waves Project productions and training projects.
