Massimo Carosi has been a free contract professor since October 2022 within the framework of the agreement stipulated by the University of Bologna with the DANZA URBANA ETS Association.
He develops his curatorial, organisational, didactic and research activities in the field of performing arts, in particular dance in public spaces and in relation to the landscape.
Artistic direction and organisation of cultural events
National
- Since November 1997 he has been the artistic director of Danza Urbana International Festival of Dance in Urban Landscapes, of which he is also the founder (www.danzaurbana.it).
- In 2004 he conceived and co-directed Urban Frame - sconfinamenti fra le arti contemporanee, an exhibition of performances and art installations in the public spaces of the city of Bologna.
- In 2006 he curated and organised the tour of five Japanese dance companies in six Italian cities (Bologna, Treviso, Ravenna, Pesaro, Cagliari and Iglesias), Katachi Wo Koete (Beyond Form), from 3 to 17 September 2006, with the support of The Japan Foundation and EU Japan Fest.
- In 2008 he was the creator and organiser of Urban Dream, a dance event within the "Notte Rosa" in Rimini.
- Since 2008 he has been curator of the dance section of the Festival Città delle 100 Scale in Potenza and Matera, promoted by the Basilicata 1799 Association and recognised by the Ministry of Culture as a multidisciplinary festival (www.citta100scale.it).
- In 2009 he was curator for the Associazione Basilicata 1799 of the dance session of the Arte in Transito project in Potenza.
- In 2010, he was co-artistic director of On the Road - Short Formats Festival, the eleventh edition of the C.R.T. dance event in Milan.
- In 2012, he was artistic and organisational director of Carpi (R)Evolution for "Scena Solidale", the special project of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities for the earthquake-stricken areas of Emilia-Romagna, promoted by E.R.T. - Emilia Romagna Teatri and ATER .
- Since September 2013 he has been co-artistic director of T.I.R. Danza, a dance production organisation (www.tirdanza.it).
- In 2017 she is artistic director of the women's festival between dance and literature Un qualcosa in un giorno d'estate..., 9/13 July, Villa Spada, Bologna.
- Since 2021 she coordinates and curates Dancescapes, a project to promote, support and sustain the choreographic research of young authors in the field of dance in public spaces and in the landscape, recognised as an Action for the Promotion of Dance for the generational change by the Ministry of Culture.
- Since 2022 she has been coordinating and curating BOD/Y-Z Bologna Dance Y&Z generations, a project of participatory workshop activities, dance production and programming, financed within the framework of the National Operational Programme Metropolitan Cities 2014 - 2020 REACT EU "The city that dances - a community under the arcades".
International
- In 1998 he was the curator and project-leader of Street-life international and local Festivals and Events, a cultural exchange project between Bologna, Manchester (UK) and Inishowen (EIRE) financed by the European programme for culture Kaleidoskope.
- In 2007 he is artistic director of the dance event Corpi Altri, in Tokyo (21/30 June 2007), within "Primavera Italiana 2007", a cultural programme of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities in Japan.
- In 2017 he is organisational coordinator of the Bologna Social Practice Lab, a workshop aimed at international and Bologna university students to investigate the relationship between social movements, public spaces and performance, promoted by The Academy of Global Humanities and Critical Theory, University of Bologna and Duke University.
- In 2018/19 she curates for the Basilicata 1799 Sedimenti Association, the session dedicated to young Mediterranean choreographers of the project "Cats, eyes and sirens | Petrolio. Man and Nature in the Age of the Anthropocene', for the Matera 2019 | European Capital of Culture programme.
Promotion and coordination of projects or networks
National
- From 1995 to 1999 he was coordinator of the activities of the Cultural Association Motus- Circolo Universitario di Studi sulla Danza, of which he was co-founder and president.
- In 1999 he was among the founders of the Cultural Association Danza Urbana, of which he is still President.
- In 2006 he was among the promoters of Anticorpi - Network of festivals, reviews and creative residencies for independent dance in Emilia-Romagna, of which he has been a member of the Board since January 2014.
- From 2008 to 2013 he was coordinator of the project Fondo Fare Anticorpi, a fund supporting the production and artistic research of dance authors in Emilia-Romagna, promoted by Anticorpi- Rete di Festival, Rassegne e Residenze creative dell'Emilia-Romagna.
- From 2009 to 2013 he was national coordinator of gd'a - Premio Giovani Danz'Autori for the Italian network for young dance auteur Anticorpi XL.
- In 2013, he was the promoter and founder of h(abita)t - Rete di spazi per la danza, which currently unites nine public and private institutions for the provision of fifteen places of creation and rehearsal spaces for local choreographers in the Metropolitan City of Bologna. He has been its coordinator since 2013 (www.retehabitat.org).
- Since 2015 he has been coordinator of Danza Urbana XL, an action for the promotion and circulation of choreographic creations for non-conventional spaces of Anticorpi XL, an Italian network for young auteur dance (www.networkdanzaxl.org/azione/11/danza-urbana-xl.html).
- From 2015 to 2017 he is coordinator of Innesti - training paths in the company of Anticorpi - Rete di Festival, Rassegne e Residenze Creative dell'Emilia-Romagna.
International
- In 1997 he is among the promoters of the international network of dance festivals in urban landscapes CQD - Ciudades Que Danzan (Cities that Dance), which has brought together up to 42 dance festivals in urban landscapes in 36 countries around the world.
- Since 2017, he has been among the promoters of Focus Young Arab Choreographers, a network project for mobility, intercultural dialogue and the exchange of performance practices between Arab artists and the realities of the Italian territory; an initiative that in its first year involved six young Arab choreographers in eleven festivals and residency venues in as many Italian cities (https://www.facebook.com/focusyoungarabchoreographers/) and that in 2018 developed into Focus Young Mediterranean and Middle-East Choreographers, involving 14 Italian festivals, production centres, circuits and residency venues.
- Since 2019, he has been among the promoters of CRISOL - Creative processes, a project. that brings together seven Italian festivals and numerous foreign partners for the internationalisation of the creative processes of Italian artists (funded under the Boarding Pass Plus 2019 and Boarding Pass Plus 2022/2024 programme, promoted by the MiC Ministry of Culture). He curates the Africa - community route for Crisol in 2019.
Teaching and seminar activities
- 16 December 2006, he held the public lecture La danza contemporanea in Italia: la metamorfosi del corpo, within the "Dance Forum" promoted by C.I.D - Centro Internazionale della Danza di Rovereto, (C.I.D., Rovereto).
- In 2009 and 2010 he was curator of the didactic itineraries on dance for secondary schools in Modena, organised by the Luciano Pavarotti Municipal Theatre in Modena.
- In 2010 and 2011 he lectured on art in public spaces for PHD students at the Azrieli School of Architecture & Urbanism at Carleton University in Ottawa.
- In 2010 he is responsible for the training course for young organisers of the interregional project "Movimenti Urbani" supported by the Presidency of the Council - Department of Youth.
- In 2010 he held a cycle of lessons on the History of Dance at the Liceo Artistico P. L. Nervi in Ravenna.
- In 2011 he held a cycle of History of Dance lessons at the Fine Arts Academy of Ravenna.
- Since 2014 he has been tutor of the Nuove Traiettorie XL action, a training path for young choreographers of the Italian network for young auteur dance Anticorpi XL (http://www.networkdanzaxl.org/azione/2/nuove-traiettorie-xl.html).
- 27 November 2019, invited speaker at the seminar “Verso il pubblico. La danza nei musei e negli spazi urbani” as part of DFBC Lectures "Participate - Seminar" curated by Cristina Baldacci, Susanne Franco, Giulia Garofalo Geymonat, - Department of Philosophy and Cultural Heritage, Ca'Foscari University, (V.A.C Zattere, Venice).
- In 2018 and 2020, she curates and leads the educational itineraries on dance for secondary schools in Ferrara, organised by the Fondazione Teatro Comunale Claudio Abbado di Ferrara.
- March-September 2021, curated and led "From the classroom to the city", seminar/workshop on co-designing and co-curating dance events in urban spaces, aimed at DAMS students, in collaboration with Centro La Soffitta and DAMSLab, as part of DAMS50, celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the University of Bologna's DAMS.
- 20 May 2022, speech on "Theatre and community, experiences of co-designing in the field" as part of the Advanced Training Course in "Innovatori culturali: processi, pratiche e metodi" of the Department of the Arts - DARvipem of the University of Bologna.
Participation in scientific, research and editorial committees
- From 1992 to 1995 he was a member of the university research group in the field of historical and society dances, directed by Maestro Fabio Mollica, under the History of Mime and Dance course at the University of Bologna, held by Prof. Eugenia Casini Ropa.
- From 1994 to 1995 he was editor of the magazine "Quaderni Danza e Società".
- From March 2005 to June 2007 he was in charge of the census for the Province of Bologna, as well as a member of the scientific committee, of the "Monitoring of the productive and organisational realities of contemporary dance and research in Emilia-Romagna", promoted by Anticorpi Rete di Festival, Rassegne e Residenze creative dell'Emilia-Romagna with the support of the Emilia-Romagna Region, in collaboration with the University of Bologna and the Emilia-Romagna Regional Observatory of Performing Arts.
- In 2009 she is a member of the Scientific Committee for the establishment of the Register of contemporary and research dance in Veneto and for the "Monitoring of the productive and organisational realities of contemporary and research dance in Veneto", promoted by Regione Veneto and ARTEVEN.
Conference activities
Since 1998 he has been the promoter, curator and organiser of various national and international conferences:
- 21 September 1998, he is organiser and curator of the "Multimedia Artists Forum", promoted by the Motus Association - Circolo Universitario di Studi sulla Danza and the Digital Summer Festival within the European project Street Life, (Telecom Conference Room, Bologna in video link with Manchester-UK).
- 6 September 2000, he was organiser and speaker at the International Conference "Dance & Architecture", promoted by the Associazione Danza Urbana within the framework of Bologna 2000 - European Capital of Culture, (Palazzo dei Notai, Bologna).
- 2 November 2006, is co-curator and co-organiser of the Conference "The Aesthetics of the Body between East and West", promoted by the Cultural Association Danza Urbana, 4arts Skin Network within the project "Corpi Altri", with the support of the IIC-Tokyo, E.T.I. - Ente Teatrale Italiano, Emilia-Romagna Region, Eu-Japan Fest, (Auditorium Italian Institute of Culture, Tokyo-Japan).
- 20 November 2010, curator and organiser of "Focus Danza: le realtà di produzione e programmazione della danza nella provincia di Bologna", promoted by the Associazione Culturale Danza Urbana and the Province of Bologna, in collaboration with the Osservatorio Regionale dello Spettacolo dell'Emilia-Romagna, Anticorpi - Rete di Festival, Rassegne e Residenze creative dell'Emilia-Romagna (Palazzo Malvezzi, Bologna).
- 23, June 2014, she collaborated in the curatorship of the conference "Performing Arts and Architecture in Urban Spaces," promoted by the Order of Architects, Planners, Landscapers and Conservators of Brescia and by the Ass. DanzArte, and gave a speech with La danza urbana: venti anni di indagine tra corpo e spazio urbano in Italia, (Palazzo Martinengo, Brescia).
12, June 2015, he collaborates in the curatorship of the conference "Il paesaggio, dalla visione prospettica allo sguardo contemplativo," promoted by the Order of Architects, Planners, Landscapers and Conservators of Brescia and the Ass. DanzArte, (Palazzo Martinengo, Brescia).
- 3 to 5 September 2016, he is promoter and curator of "Città che danzano", the conference and international meeting of dance festivals in urban landscapes, (Palazzo D'Accursio and Palazzo Pepoli, Bologna).
- 12 October 2019, he is curator and moderator of the "Focus on urban dance" within the 5th NID - New Italian Dance Platform 2019, (Fonderie, Reggio Emilia).
- 16 December 2022, he is co-curator (together with Prof. Rossella Mazzaglia, University of Bologna) of the round table "Dance, community and public space", promoted by the Associazione Danza Urbana within the BOD/Y-Z and Dancescapes projects, under the patronage of the Department of Arts of the University of Bologna, the Department of Philosophy and Education Sciences and the DAMS of the University of Turin, (DAMSLab, Bologna).
Since 1997 he has been invited as a speaker at numerous conferences, conventions, round tables and public lectures in Italy and abroad, including:
- 15-16 September 1997, moderator and speaker at the Conference "Isole di comunicazione in un mare di danza" with the paper La danza e la città, (Bastione di San Remy, Cagliari in videoconnection with Sala Conferenze Telecom, Bologna).
- 24 September 2001, invited speaker at the Round Table "Le corp urbain" with the report La scrittura coreografica nello spazio urbano, (Lieux Publics, Marseilles-France).
- 18 April 2003, invited speaker at the Conference "Ciudades que Danzan" with the paper Bologna, a dancing city, (Casa de la Cultura, Havana-Cuba).
- 12 June 2005, invited speaker at the Conference "Ciudades Que Danzan" with the report Dance in urban landscapes: the experience of the Urban Dance Festival of Bologna, (Centro Coreográfico da Cidade do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro-Brazil)
- 28 April 2006, invited speaker at the conference "Il futuro in Ballo" (The future in dance), promoted by Biennale Danza and Italy, with the paper La danza indipendente in Italia tra opportunità e difficoltà, (Palazzo Granari, Pesaro).
- 28 April 2007, invited speaker at the conference "I luoghi della performance" with the lecture La danza e l'architettura, (Teatro Aldo Rossi, Borgoricco, Padua).
22 February 2008, invited speaker at the international meeting "DBM - Dance Bacine Mediteranée," with the report For a possible mapping of dance in the Mediterranean: the experience of the Regional Monitoring of Emilia Romagna, (Barcelona-Spain).
- 11 January 2012, invited speaker at the round table "La danza del territorio", in collaboration with Universiteatrali, Faculty of Education Sciences, with the report Dance and territory: the forms of urban dance, (Aula Magna of the Faculty of Education Sciences, Messina).
- 27 August 2012, speaker at the University d'été "Urbi & Orbi - L'Art vivant, la ville et le citadin", organised by CIFAS, with the seminar La danse dans les paysages urbains: l'expérience de Danza Urbana de Bologne, (La Bellone, Brussels-Belgium).
- 10 October 2015, invited speaker at the Round Table "The public to come" in the framework of N.I.D. - New Italian Dance Platform 2015, with the paper Towards new dance landscapes, (Palazzo Colleoni-Brend, Brescia).
- 11 November 2017, invited speaker at the national conference "Danzare i luoghi - corpi in dialogo con lo spazio pubblico", organised by D.E.S. - National Association of Dance - Education - Society. Talk entitled Cities that dance: the experience of urban dance, (DAMSLab, Bologna).
- 2 December 2017, speaker within the framework of "Dance Meetings - Meetings, visions and exchanges on the organisation, distribution and promotion of dance in Italy", promoted by DanceHausPlus, with the report Abitare il mondo. Difficulties, potentials and perspectives of urban dance, (DanceHaus, Milan)
- 17 February 2018, invited speaker at the conference "Teatri abitatori di città", promoted by E.R.T. - Emilia-Romagna, with the paper Danza Urbana: un'esperienza lunga venti anni (Bonci Theatre, Cesena).
- 30 June 2018, invited speaker at the international conference "Social Practice, Performance and Education", curated by Pedro Lasch and Rossella Mazzaglia, promoted by the Academy of Global Studies and Critical Theory (University of Bologna, University of Virginia and Duke University), with a paper entitled La danza urbana: alcuni esempi di pratiche partecipative nella città, MAMbo (Museo d'Arte Moderna di Bologna).
- 18 July 2020, invited speaker at the 3rd Public Workshop "Architecture, Performing Arts and Landscape", curated by Lucio Argano and Annalisa Metta, as part of the programming of Cantieri Creativi, an initiative conducted by the Associazione Mecenate 90 with the collaboration of the Departments of Architecture and Philosophy Cinema and Performing Arts of the University of Roma Tre.
- 26 March 2021, speaker at "Conversazione_5 - dalla memoria dei luoghi alla memoria dei corpi" (Conversation_5 - from the memory of places to the memory of bodies), curated by Eirene Campagna and Martina Treu, as part of the PRM-Pandemic Resistance Museums project promoted by IULM University and the Department of Cultural Heritage Sciences of the University of Salento.
Participation in selection juries and commissions
Since 1998 he has participated in numerous selection commissions and juries for national and international prizes, including:
- In 2002 member of the international jury of the Prix Nijinsky, Monte Carlo (Principality of Monaco).
- From 2009 to 2013 member of the Selection Commissions of the Premio gd'a of Lombardy, Veneto, and Apulia, a competition for young authors promoted by the Associazione Cantieri and the Network Anticorpi XL.
- In 2016 member of the international jury of The Solo and Choreography Contests of MasDanza - The International Contemporary Dance Festival of the Canary Islands, San Bartolomé de Tirajana (Spain).
