As the Johane Casabene Dance Conservatoire gears up for their upcoming production of Pinocchio, school director and dancer Johane Casabena tells Iggy Fenech about how the school is giving a new twist to the classic tale.

When Carlo Collodi first penned The Adventures of Pinocchio all the way back in 1883, he couldn’t have possibly envisaged the impact that particular string puppet would have on popular culture.

With a name derived from the Italian word for pine seed ‘pinolo’, Pinnochio has become a global superstar, a muse, and even a philosophical concept (the Pinocchio Paradox refers to when a statement is both false and true at the same time). More than that, Pinocchio is a character that appeals to many; hence why his stories have been used for everything from manga to novels to cartoons.

Yet, the story we are so accustomed to – thanks, mostly, to the 1940 Disney adaptation – is somewhat watered down from the original Collodi version. Did you know, for example, that in the original version Pinocchio kills Jiminy Cricket? That Pinocchio was hanged and left for dead? Or that he fell asleep with his feet on a stove and burnt bits of them off? See, Pinocchio, although a tale for children, is every bit the fairy tale: it’s fantastical, it imparts morals, and it was originally grim.

“Prior to Pinocchio’s publication in 1883, no writer would have dreamt of creating a tale predominantly for children,” says Johane Casabene, who, with the assistance of Cathy Farrugia on the administrative side is directing and choreographing her conservatoire’s version of the much-loved tale.

“Yet, the rather dark tale could be a bit too much, so I had to omit a few situations to make the story a little bit lighter,” she adds. “Nonetheless, the production still features some of the more morose scenes from the novel – one such scene sees Pinocchio carried in a coffin by four black rabbits, which the ballet production substitutes by having the rabbits bringing vital medicine to Pinocchio.”

Inspired by the charming character of the wooden puppet, Johane set out to create a ballet that was both visually stunning and which also imparted a moral message. This is all done through the universal language of dance, so as to appeal both to adults and children, as well as English speakers and non-English speakers.

Some might say that Pinocchio and ballet are strange bedfellows: but in many ways, it is the perfect story to tell using the medium of dance; particularly ballet, which may sometimes be rather abstract. By telling this well-known tale through dance, Johane also hopes to inspire people to follow ballet more, to appreciate the art of storytelling through body movement, and to truly grasp the life lessons this much-loved tale has to impart.

“We are all puppets in the show of life,” she muses, “and sometimes we are not totally in control of our actions or we can be led by others’ deception. Appearances deceive as in the case of the puppeteer Mangiafuoco who shows commiseration towards Pinocchio after threatening to burn him. Geppetto and the Fata Turchina teach us about unconditional love and about hope, while lies lead to repercussions and noses can grow too!”

Some might say that Pinocchio and ballet are strange bedfellows: but in many ways, it is the perfect story to tell using the medium of dance

As she explains, the audience who watches her show at the Mediterranean Conference Centre on Friday or at the Aurora Theatre in Gozo in November, will embark on a familiar journey but in a totally new way. And the actual production is set to be a treat for both adults and children with spectacular scenery, an original musical score, specially-designed costumes and, of course, the magic of ballet.

Needless to say, a production of this magnitude costs a lot of money; and with audience numbers being what they are on the Island, it is not always possible to recuperate costs by staging productions over a longer period of time. Never one to be hindered by a challenge however, Johane decided to take her Conservatoire’s production of Pinocchio online with the help of one of the Malta Business Bureau and University of Malta’s latest ventures: the crowdfunding platform, ZAAR.com.mt.

Geppetto and Pinocchio.Geppetto and Pinocchio.

Speaking to Johane, it instantly becomes evident that she has given her all for this production. As she tells me about sleepless nights trying to find a solution for certain technical difficulties, and restless sleeps dreaming of new choreography to be added to the existing sequences, I became aware that this was an incredibly personal show for her.

“Sadly, less than a month ago, my nephew Drew passed away unexpectedly at the young age of 20,” she explains. “Suddenly nothing was making sense. The long hours of work away from my husband and two sons, whom I love so dearly, the hours spent at the studio rehearsing, production issues which are so stressful… I asked myself: Why do I do this?

“But we do what we love in life and what we can do best. Drew had so many dreams which he is now not able to pursue. He was a positive, young lad full of life and he would have wanted us all to do the things we love in life. Finding the strength to go on was the greatest challenge and I feel Drew is there with me. In fact, we shall now be dedicating Pinocchio to him.”

The passion with which Johane has tackled this production, in fact, is sure to give Pinocchio a unique and magical edge. While her dream-team of creatives – from Warren Bonnello and Sarah Jane Attard as fellow choreographers, to Simona Mamo and Alexander Spiteri on costumers – will continue to add new layers to this wonderous tale. More importantly, the story of Pinocchio is one that delves deep into the human psyche, and is a tale that has a lot to give back to the world… Words may not always be apt to impart those lessons, but dance may be simple and universal enough to crack it. So I, for one, can’t wait to see this!

Pinocchio runs on Friday at the Meditarranean Conference Centre, Valletta, and at the Aurora Theatre, Gozo, on November 19. Tickets are available online.

www.mcc.com.mt

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