Artist Marianna De Sanctis is joining us for this residency to work on the performance Mother.Woman.Artist., a performance that blends circus and spoken word.

About the performance

A show with an open heart. A tribute to the legitimate fragility of the stage. A raw, real, and ironic circus performance, open to questions from the audience, with an artist on stage sharing a lived experience of violence and discrimination she herself endured.

A #MeToo that claims the victory of becoming who you choose

A Moving and Necessary Performance “Walking a tightrope between documentary-style
storytelling and the complex, oftenpainful reality of combiningthe roles of mother, woman, and artist,
Marianna DeSanctis transforms the stage into a cathartic space. She blends intimate violence with the
subtle self-mockery of clowning. A raw and sincere performance, at the crossroads of circus, theatre, and personal testimony. (Press quote)

About the artist

After exploring many paths, Marianna discovered the hula hoop, which she has been devoted to for over 17 years — a partnership that will likely last a lifetime. She studied at the circus school FLIC in Italy (2008–2010) and then at LE LIDO in France (2010–2012). What started as a hobby became her profession: for the past 11 years, she has been earning her living through her unique style, where the simple hula hoop ride sometimes gives way to poetic and conceptual explorations. Marianna has collaborated with companies such as Gandini Juggling, Gynoïdes, La Barque Acide, and Cie Nadere Art Vivants. Currently, she works with Martin Zimmerman and Cie d’Elles, and develops her own projects: the solo show MOTHER.WOMAN.ARTIST and HOOPX8, a collective creation with CIE AVEC MOI involving eight hoopers.