'bll’ means"confused" or "mixed up". These three consonants form the name of the inaugural dance-theatre production of "The Mezzanine Project", a collaboration between EURAC and the Teatro Comunale di Bolzano. This original choreography was created by the CompagniaAbbondanza/Bertoni of Rovereto, and is performed by the company’s dancers aswell as those of the dance-theatre company ‘Alps Move’. ‘bll’ will be shown in the EURAC tower as part of the 27th Annual International Dance Festival inBolzano.
 
The three letters that comprise the Hebrew phoneme ‘b-l-l’ form the basis of the word ‘Babel’. ‘bll’ is in fact a new dance performance inspired by the myth of the Tower of Babel,the ancient legend of the punishment God inflicted on men for their attempt tobuild a tower tall enough to touch heaven. According to the Old Testament, God confused all the languages spoken on Earth so that no one could understand eachother: in this way, the many languages of humankind were born.
 
A choreography by Michele Abbondanza and Antonella Bertoni, the piece will be performed by the dancers of ‘Alps Move’ (a South Tyrolean performance collective) as well as the performersof the company from Rovereto, the Teatro Comunale di Bolzano. Together they will revive the ancient myth of the Tower of Babel in the EURAC tower. The performers will ascend the tower in a vertical path to heaven that is both confusion and unity. During three open rehearsals, audiences from Bolzano cansee how the artists’ approach to this myth: on July 19th and 21st at the Hospital of Bolzano and on July 20th at the train station (15.30-17.00 h). The show premieres on Saturday, July 23 at 9PM in the EURAC tower, with supplementary shows at 10PM and 11PM on the same evening.
 
The legendary tower of Babelis a myth both ancient and modern: multiculturalism and languages strongly characterise contemporary society. Multilingualism is in fact one of the research focuses of EURAC, and so the project represents the artistic point ofcontact between art and science. "The Mezzanine Project" is a newcollaboration between EURAC and the Teatro Comunale di Bolzano. A mezzanine isa linking element between floors of a building, and in this artistic experimentthe mezzanines of EURAC’s tower will serve as a meeting place between dance—theartform of the body—and science.
 
For six years, the tower at EURAC has served as a location to explore alternative paths of communicatingscience. After a series of exhibitions called “Journeys Between Art and Science", born out of a dialogue between artists and EURAC’s researchers,"The Mezzanine Project” will explore an entirely new way of scientific communication.