Film, dance and expression - BAREFOOT

Expression through dance and movement, through music and sound: At the “Creative Dance Lab” young people can make their own short film. Choreographer Valentina Bagnis in a Zick-Zack interview.

Space for creativity, creative courage and cinematic know-how: The project Creative Dance Lab will start again in autumn 2024. The workshop offers ten participants the opportunity to produce a short film under professional supervision and explore their own creative potential. Classic dialogues are eliminated, communication takes place exclusively through movement, dance and music. Guest lectures by experts from various fields as well as a professional film crew and the necessary equipment are available to the participants.

This year’s crew consists of Marcel Rainer (guitarist, composer, producer and songwriter), Jochen Unterhofer (director and cameraman), Sebastian Longariva (editor and post-production), Daniel Mahlknecht (cameraman and key grip) and Valentina Bagnis (choreographer, dancer, teacher and creative entity).

BARFUSS asked Valentina Bagnis, who completed dance training in Los Angeles, New York and New Zealand, among other places, and heads the Creative Dance Lab project, for a Zick-Zack interview.

BAREFOOT: Valentina, at Creative Dance Lab Participants have the opportunity to produce their own short film – not just from a technical point of view, but also in a particularly creative way. Why are movement, dance and music the focus here – and not verbal communication?
Valentina Bagnis: Everyone has probably had the experience of misunderstanding the other person in a dialogue. It is often difficult, especially when you are experiencing emotions. For example, everyone defines love, fear, loneliness or happiness differently. I believe that only when you forget the definition of a word and convey what you feel exclusively through images, does the message reach the recipient in an authentic way.

Bild: Willy TheilLicense: ©

It’s very much about coming to terms with yourself and your own emotions… How easy or difficult is that for young people of this age? How have you experienced it so far?
The willingness and the need are there. As part of the project, we want to create space to give emotions and experiences – both positive and negative – their right to exist. The aim is then to talk about them in a creative but non-judgmental way – with your own body, with images and music.
Many young people also feel overwhelmed at first when they hear that they can make a film with us and be the center of attention. But they don’t actually need to be afraid of that because they have a really great crew at their side. In the end, it is a unique and valuable experience for the participants, from which they emerge stronger.

How can you imagine the mix of technical and creative parts?
In the first few months we will deal with the theoretical aspects of the various art forms of film, dance and music, which will be acquired through practical exercises:

Choreography and movement symbolism
Facial expressions and body language for various emotions
Basic dance steps
Understanding music
Coordination of your own body
Music and sound selection in films
Planning/choosing storyboard, setting, location, props, costumes
Light and colour setting
Editing and post-production

Later, everyone works on planning, developing and implementing their own project.

A look behind the scenes of Creative Dance Lab 2023:

Can you tell us what a typical workshop day looks like?
The project starts in mid-September and will conclude with a cinema screening of the short films at the end of April. We meet once a week for an hour and a half, and the individual projects will be filmed on additional shooting days. Some theoretical and practical units have already been decided, but otherwise I cannot predict anything concrete. I do not yet know the participants, their needs, interests and implementation goals. However, our toolbox of tools, know-how and external experts in the various fields is ready to support the participants in implementing their vision.

What are you keeping from previous editions and what will be new in 2024/25?
The biggest difference from the last edition is definitely the larger crew, and we also have more partners and sponsors. In this edition, the film music can be re-produced according to the participants’ ideas to match the short film, and custom-made constructions for the setting are also possible this year. Depending on the needs and visions of the participants, further collaborations and possible support can arise.

The Creative Dance Lab 2024/25 will take place from September 2024 to April 2025 every Thursday from 5.30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Decline in Bolzano.The individual projects will be filmed on additional shooting days. There are still a few spots available.

You can register here.

Further information can be found on Valentina Bagnis’ Instagram-Channel.