Italian International Dance Festival Set for 3/22

Announcing the first annual Italian International Dance Festival, which will bring together dancers, companies and choreographers from Italy and America in a spirit of exchange and collaboration, with a Gala Performance March 22, 7:30 PM, at Julia Richman Theater, 317 East 67th Street.

The evening will feature companies from Italy as well as American-based groups directed by Italian artists. With support from organizations in Italy and the U.S., the Italian International Dance Festival is an exchange between artists from the new and old worlds - a "abbraccio della'arte" (embrace of art), where the cultures intercept, exchange, and experiment through the art of dance.

Antonio Pio Fini, founder of the Festival, remarked: "My vision of this festival is to create an annual bridge between cultures in a spirit of discovery, exchange and collaboration through dance, commencing in 2013, designed by Italy and the USA to celebrate Italian Culture in America." A native of Calabria, Fini graduated from the Carcano Theater in Milan and attended the Martha Graham School in NYC, appearing with numerous local dance companies including the Graham Ensemble and Michael Mao Dance. Fini, who travels worldwide as dancer, teacher, and choreographer, has spent February 2013 in Pristina, where he has been invited to choreograph a work, to be premiered March 6th, for the ensemble of the National Ballet of Kosovo.

www.italianidf.com