To celebrate The Place’s 50s anniversary – we caught up with Riccardo Buscarini to showcase a career path in dance, through his experience and what he has learnt through his journey in Contemporary Dance.
When did you study at LCDS? Why did you decide to study contemporary dance?
I studied at LCDS between 2006 and 2009. I was 20 when I decided to audition… Looking back to that time I feel I didn’t know anything! We are so young when we start dancing. I don’t know why I started. I guess my body wanted to move, research, reach – in a physical and metaphorical way. I always wanted to become a choreographer anyway, and I thought training at LCDS would help me express myself, giving me the tools to do that.
Tells us a little bit about what happened since! What are the key moments in your career?
I feel extremely happy about how my career has developed in the past 11 years. In 2010 I got my first commission in the frame of The Place Prize with my colleagues Antonio De La Fe and Mariana Camiloti and then a second commission in 2012. I ended up winning that edition. I have dear memories of working at The Place as it has really helped me explore my choreographic voice. In recent years I travelled a lot and started working on commissions for dance companies in Russia, Italy and Malta, which is extremely rewarding.
So many things: to be patient, humble, disciplined and respectful towards yourself while constantly challenging your body and creativity. I have learnt to listen to my needs and to be inspired by others as our job is very much about connecting to other people on stage and in the studio. And ultimately to be grateful to be able to do what is the craziest and most beautiful job of all: dancing in front of other people (which is kind of crazy if you think about it).
As a young dancer I thought I lacked so many things to become a professional. Dance makes you face your flaws and weaknesses every day! It can be harsh but I always interpret it as a path of research and discovery of your own resources. Dance has shaped my daily routine and my travels and relationships. It has been a very intense companion in my personal life, I must admit… The biggest challenge of working the dance sector, in my experience, are financial sustainability and to get in touch with the influential people who can support you and invest in your ideas. Still a mystery to me!
Dance for me is the strongest, most immediate, most essential medium of communication. You don’t need anything but your body to dance – you don’t even need clothes!! And everyone has a body to move. Dance is incredibly democratic. That is why I like it. Both as spectators and performers we can empathise with what we see performed. I hope our community, dance institutions and our society in general will keep on interpreting dance as empathy and diversity. I believe these two concepts are fundamental for the future of the arts and our society, especially in these difficult times.
