{"id":19,"date":"2015-06-03T09:27:32","date_gmt":"2015-06-03T13:27:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/punicatheme.com\/demo\/unicmag-wp\/?p=19"},"modified":"2026-10-20T04:03:04","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T08:03:04","slug":"growth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mimmomiccolis.com\/new\/growth\/","title":{"rendered":"GROWTH"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Mimmo Miccolis and Gloria Benedikt - Photo by Morgan Marinoni <\/pre>\n\n\n\n
GROWTH is an artistic investigation into the meaning and function of \u2018growth\u2019 in our time.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n
GROWTH<\/h1>\n
World Premiere \u2014 The Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. | 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n
ABOUT THE WORK<\/h3>\n
Growth<\/em> is a multidisciplinary choreographic exploration of one of the defining questions of our time: What does it truly mean to grow?<\/strong><\/p>\n
In a world where growth is predominantly measured through economic expansion, productivity, and material progress, Gloria Benedikt and Mimmo Miccolis challenge conventional definitions by turning to the body as a space for investigation.<\/p>\n
Through contemporary dance, film, and original music, Growth<\/em> examines the relationship between human evolution, societal values, competition, and interdependence.<\/p>\n
Moving between instinctive, mechanical, and deeply interconnected physical states, the work questions the narratives that shape our understanding of progress and explores the possibility of a different future \u2014 one in which growth is defined not only by what we accumulate, but by how we relate, connect, and evolve together.<\/p>\n
SYNOPSIS<\/h2>\n
PART I \u2014 EVOLUTION<\/h3>\n
A short film exploring the evolution of Homo sapiens.<\/em><\/p>\n
The performance opens with a cinematic reflection on human evolution, tracing the journey from our earliest origins to the complexities of contemporary civilization.<\/p>\n
This visual prologue introduces a central question: Does technological and economic advancement necessarily mean human progress?<\/strong><\/p>\n
PART II \u2014 OLD NARRATIVE<\/h3>\n
What happens when a civilization begins to measure everything through external values \u2014 wealth, productivity, competition, and material success?<\/p>\n
Does this understanding of growth represent genuine evolution, or does it risk bringing humanity back to a more primitive state, where survival and individual advantage dominate?<\/p>\n
Through a physical language that shifts between mechanical precision and animalistic instinct, Benedikt and Miccolis investigate the impact of these values on human behavior.<\/p>\n
Bodies become machines, movements turn into impulses, and human interactions reflect the tensions of a system driven by competition.<\/p>\n
The section culminates in a choreographic interpretation of the hand signals used in open-outcry financial trading, transforming the gestures of global markets into a striking physical expression of contemporary society.<\/p>\n
PART III \u2014 NEW NARRATIVE<\/h3>\n
In an increasingly interconnected world, individual actions have consequences that extend far beyond geographical and cultural boundaries.<\/p>\n
The belief that progress depends on competition \u2014 that one person must lose for another to succeed \u2014 is challenged by the growing necessity for cooperation, collective responsibility, and mutual awareness.<\/p>\n
Benedikt and Miccolis translate this perspective into a choreographic experiment built around a single condition: two bodies must remain physically connected throughout the entire duet.<\/strong><\/p>\n
What initially appears to be a limitation becomes the foundation for an evolving movement language.<\/p>\n
Every action demands negotiation. Every shift of weight requires trust. Balance becomes a shared responsibility, and individual freedom emerges through constant awareness of the other.<\/p>\n
The duet unfolds through moments of tension, vulnerability, risk, and unexpected possibility, revealing how connection can become a source of creativity rather than constraint.<\/p>\n
Growth<\/em> ultimately proposes a different way of imagining progress \u2014 not as an endless pursuit of individual achievement, but as an ongoing process of adaptation, awareness, and collective transformation.<\/p>\n
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ARTISTIC CREDITS<\/h2>\n
World Premiere<\/strong>
July 22, 2014
The Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., USA<\/p>\n
Choreography & Concept<\/strong>
Mimmo Miccolis & Gloria Benedikt\u00a0<\/p>\n
Performance<\/strong>
Gloria Benedikt & Mimmo Miccolis<\/p>\n
Original Music Composition<\/strong>
Francesco Germini<\/p>\n
Violin<\/strong>
Caterina Vannucci<\/p>\n
Videography<\/strong>
Morgan Marinoni<\/p>\n
Photography<\/strong>
Jeff Malet<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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