‘Minn Taħt l-Ilsien’ (In Whispers) is a 25-minute dance performance commissioned by the Malta International Arts Festival which premiered in July 2019. It is based on Professor Michael Zammit’s book of incantations on the notion of Bliss, ‘Għana ‘l Hena’.
The incantations are brought to life through sound and movement, taking the audience on a unique passage through Maltese language, philosophy, and contemporary dance theatre… from words to letters… from vast universal forces to delicate emotions… from simple everyday actions to extreme awkward physicality… from an inner world to the vast expanse of Mediterranean landscapes… from land to sea to sky… from the stars and galaxies to the deepest depths of a soul… from light to shadow… and from shout to whisper. Each audience member will walk away with different ideas, having had a personal experience, an individual journey only partly suggested by the production.
This performance is a product of a passionate collaboration of a multidisciplinary group of professional artists based in Malta. As a showcase of the sonority of the Maltese language it is attractive to Maltese-speaking audiences, though it remains accessible to non-Maltese-speaking audiences. This is due to the fact that the sounds and rhythms of the words are often purposely given precedence over their meaning.
A reworking of this piece toured in February 2020 in Malta and Spain, in a series of performances organised by ODT in collaboration with the Maltese embassy in Spain.
Choreographer: Lucía Piquero
Performer: Florinda Camilleri
Technical Director, Sound Designer & Photographer: Niels Plotard
Additional Music: Nicolás Jaar – Baba Vanga
Writer: Prof. Michael Zammit
Voice: Ruth Borg
Costume Designer: Karolina Rostkowska
