Love Poems is an evening of contemporary dance presented by the MM Contemporary Dance Company, bringing together three acclaimed European choreographers – Mauro Bigonzetti, Thomas Noone, and Emanuele Soavi – whose contrasting artistic voices explore the many dimensions of love. Rather than telling a single story, the programme unfolds as a triptych of choreographic poems, examining intimacy, desire, conflict, vulnerability, and transformation through movement. United by an exceptional sense of musicality and the technical versatility of the company’s dancers, the three works create a compelling portrait of human relationships in all their complexity.
The evening opens with Duetto Inoffensivo, Mauro Bigonzetti‘s celebrated duet adapted from his iconic Rossini Cards. Set to the sparkling music of Gioachino Rossini, the ballet follows two women whose relationship shifts constantly between affection and disagreement. Bigonzetti’s signature choreographic language – fluid, sensual, and deeply musical – transforms every encounter into an exchange of emotional energy. Elegant partnering and rapid changes of rhythm reveal the delicate balance between harmony and conflict, suggesting that love often grows from contradiction rather than certainty. Lighting by Carlo Cerri, costumes by Helena De Medeiros, and choreography assistant Roberto Zamorano preserve the refined theatrical atmosphere of the original work.
In Brutal Love Poems, British choreographer Thomas Noone offers a striking contrast. Created specifically for MM Contemporary Dance Company, the work abandons romantic idealisation in favour of an exploration of love’s instinctive and untamed nature. Set to an original score by Jim Pinchen, the choreography is raw, athletic, and emotionally charged. Powerful lifts, explosive partnering, and sudden moments of stillness expose the hidden impulses that emerge only in the closest relationships. Rather than presenting a narrative, Noone constructs an abstract emotional landscape in which tenderness and aggression coexist, revealing love as one of humanity’s most powerful and unpredictable forces. Costumes by Enrico Morelli reinforce the work’s contemporary aesthetic and physical intensity.
The programme concludes with Swans_Cigni by Emanuele Soavi, a contemporary reimagining inspired by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Free from the original ballet’s narrative, Soavi transforms the swan into a symbol of identity, diversity, and continuous transformation. The choreography combines classical echoes with an inventive contemporary vocabulary, allowing the dancers to move between fluid collective formations and highly individual expressions. Music by Tchaikovsky, reinterpreted through Soavi’s distinctive theatrical vision, creates a dialogue between tradition and modernity. The choreographer also conceived the costumes and scenic concept, while Cristina Spelti’s lighting design shapes an ever-changing visual landscape that mirrors the performers’ constant metamorphosis.
Performed by the outstanding dancers of MM Contemporary Dance Company, Love Poems celebrates the expressive richness of contemporary dance through three distinct choreographic voices. From Bigonzetti’s lyrical elegance and Noone’s visceral physicality to Soavi’s poetic abstraction, the evening demonstrates the remarkable artistic breadth of one of Italy’s leading contemporary dance companies and offers audiences an emotionally resonant journey through the many faces of love.
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