SHU Dance Company Hosts Italian Choreographer

Fabrizio Prolli created a 20-minute piece set to Italian songs relating to his life

Italian choreographer Fabrizio Prolli recently spent a five-day residency with Sacred Heart University’s dance company choreographing a piece the dancers will perform later this semester.

Prolli’s piece, Euforia Italiana, is set to Italian songs. Though the dancers do not understand the lyrics, he said it is an opportunity for them to listen to their instincts and move based on the energy the music inspires in them.

“I would like the students to feel like they can play with my creation,” said Prolli. “It’s teamwork. I built the playground for them, and now they have the opportunity to play with it in the best way they can.”

Victoria Aufiero ’25 said although the lyrics are in a foreign language, Prolli’s explanation of his song choices touched her. “On the last day, he told us that every single song he used relates to his life. There is a whole part of the dance about being a warrior; it is so inspiring,” she said.

According to Aufiero, the company dancers bonded more than ever during their five days with Prolli. It was an opportunity for them to learn about each other not only as dancers, but also as individuals. She described their work with him as an “emotional experience.”

Prolli said he learned just as much from the dancers as they learned from him. “As a choreographer, it was not a challenge to work with those 20 beautiful dancers. It was easy with this kind of talent,” said Prolli. “I bring home with me all the energy we shared in the dance studio.”

The company will dance Prolli’s piece Saturday, April 20, at 7 p.m. during the performance of Je Suis Belle in SHU’s Edgerton Center for the Performing Arts.

“This experience reignited my passion for dance,” said Aufiero. “I cannot wait for the audience to see the passion we have for dance while performing this piece.”