THANKS, ILARIA

choreography Filippo Buonamassa 

dancers Edoardo Brovardi, Martina Anniciello and Julien Guibourg 

Thanks, Ilaria is a choreographic work that stems from a personal reflection on the process of redefinition triggered when an unexpected event radically interrupts the continuity of our existence, forcing us to confront a version of ourselves we had not foreseen. While rooted in an experience of illness, the project is neither framed as an autobiographical account nor as a narrative of the trauma itself. Instead, it focuses on what happens next, on that moment when we realise that ‘we do not always change to evolve; sometimes we change because we can no longer be what we were.’ 
On stage, three bodies coexist as manifestations of the same inner dimension. Free from fixed roles or defined identities, these presences continuously emerge, dissolve and mutate, capturing the complexity of a journey shaped by absence, loss, resistance and the ongoing redefinition of the self. 
The title Thanks, Ilaria is a silent expression of gratitude to the therapeutic journey that accompanied this experience. Although Ilaria never appears on stage, she weaves through the entire work as an invisible, constant presence, creating an inner space where this process of observation, awareness and change first began. 

Filippo Buonamassa

Filippo Buonamassa (b. Altamura, 1998) is a dancer and choreographer. Graduating with honours from the Bachelor of Dance Artist programme at ArtEZ University of the Arts in Arnhem, he has built his artistic career across Italy and Europe. As a performer, he has collaborated with Theater Regensburg, Theater Münster, WDTanz and GöteborgsDansKompani, engaging with some of the most influential choreographers on the international contemporary scene. Alongside performing, he develops his own independent research, creating works such as I Genuinely Thought I Was Smiling, Conchiglie and the site-specific project Zero Point. Since 2025, he has collaborated with ResExtensa – Centro Nazionale di Produzione della Danza as a rehearsal director, and in 2026, he also works alongside Luca Signoretti as an assistant. His research combines compositional rigour and performance sensitivity, spanning contemporary and multidisciplinary forms.

RESEXTENSA DANCE COMPANY

ResExtensa – Porta d’Oriente, founded and directed by Elisa Barucchieri, is a National Dance Production Centre based in Apulia. Established within the Accademia Isola Danza of the Biennale di Venezia, the company focuses on choreographic production, research, training and cultural programming. It is deeply rooted in the artistic legacy of Carolyn Carlson, Susanne Linke and Danio Manfredini, figures who guided its inception and growth. The company is internationally renowned for its original research into the suspended body, integrating contemporary and aerial dance, visual arts, music and technology into a multidisciplinary approach to create works for theatres, public spaces, historical and archaeological sites, natural landscapes and unconventional contexts. Through its extensive activities, ResExtensa has contributed significantly to the development of dance in Apulia, promoting new creations, residencies, advanced training and international collaborations. This commitment led to its official recognition by the Italian Ministry of Culture as a National Dance Production Centre, currently the only one along the Italian Adriatic coast. Its productions engage continuously with accessibility, inclusion, the enhancement of cultural heritage and community participation, developing projects that blend artistic innovation with a local and international dimension.