Diego Salterini, cofounder of Dance NOW! Miami, describes his latest choreographic work, “Terra Mia | My Land,” as an exploration of feeling and place.
The 30-minute abstract ballet gets it inspiration from Salterini’s Italian roots.
“Italy is a dance of contrasts: haute couture alongside ancient cobblestones, a young artist harmonizing with the legendary Mina, and the weight of history countering relentless innovation,” Salterini says. “With ‘Terra Mia | My Land,’ I hope to capture this pulse, this multifaceted beauty, without needing a story to define it.”
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the contemporary dance company, which Salterini started with dancer and choreographer Hannah Baumgarten. The world premiere of “Terra Mia | My Land” will be presented as part of its Program III — the final performance of its anniversary season — on Friday, May 9, at Fort Lauderdale’s Broward Center for the Performing Arts and Saturday, May 10, at the Aventura Arts and Cultural Center.
Born in Rome, Salterini arrived in the United States in 1997. “My days dancing on Italian television were coming to an end, and I felt the need to explore something more authentic — concert dance, where my artistic soul could breathe.”
He met his cofounder immediately and “everything clicked,” he says. “We were artistic soulmates, united by a tacit understanding, and from that moment on, our shared journey began to unfold.”
“Terra Mia | My Land” features the professional company’s current 10 dancers, six women and four men, and will occupy the program’s second half.
“Italy is the paradox that fuels this ballet,” says Salterini, adding that he visits his home country about four times a year, seeing friends and family along with working.
“Upon landing in Rome or Milan, I’m assailed by chaos. Still, amid the frenzy, there is breathtaking beauty and moments of tranquility: sitting on a bench atop Villa Borghese, with the grandeur of Rome stretching out below, the noise fading into a hum. This is what I feel when I visit Rome’s Cimitero Acattolico or enter a small church, where a Caravaggio painting shines on a solitary person praying, while the soft strings of an organ fill the air.”
Diego Salterini and Hannah Baumgarten, circa 2009. (Dance NOW! Miami file photo)
So, is “Terra Mia | My Land” a work born from nostalgia?
“Yes and no. (It) depends on how you define nostalgia,” he responds. “Talking about Italy inevitably stirs up nostalgia for my family, my friends, and the sheer beauty of the place. But it’s not a longing to return. I can’t imagine living there again without the freedom to create and lead something like Dance NOW! Miami.”
The choreographer says he’s avoided clichés like pizza and mandolins in the work, explaining that those are stereotypes more closely tied to Italian-American culture than modern Italy.
“The country continues to evolve, and I try to weave a thread of tradition, a nod to the roots that sustain it, without it feeling like a postcard from the past,” he says.
The music for “Terra Mia | My Land” is by Federico Bonacossa, “a trusted collaborator … on countless projects.” The goal of the music, Salterini says, was to create “a soundtrack that resonates with the soul of Italy, fusing the timeless with the unexpected.”
For the first half of the program, Dance NOW! Miami will revive two of the company’s works: Baumgarten’s 2006 “Court Dance” and its 2016 debut “Bridges NOT Walls” (only a solo and the finale will be presented).
The message behind “Bridges NOT Walls,” Baumgarten says, “seems more powerful than ever when global forces separate us; it challenges us to rise up and challenge the walls and barriers that separate us to embrace our common humanity.”
She says “Court Dance” was her first foray into political work.
Dance NOW! Miami dancers in “Court Dance.” (Jenny Abreu/Dance NOW! Miami/Courtesy)
“Both are quite intense, so we’ll be interspersing them with a new quartet I’m creating called ‘Among Lovers and Friends.’ It’s a kind of ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ meets Robert Schumann’s sweeping piano piece ‘Flower Piece in D-flat major,’” says Baumgarten.
As for the world premiere of “Terra Mia | My Land,” Salterini hopes the work stays with the audience long after they leave the theater.
“Dance performances don’t last; they happen and then go away, leaving only what the audience remembers and feels,” he explains. “In this case, I want the premiere to leave a lasting impression. I hope people take some of the images and sounds we created with them, and they will have a little piece of Italy in their minds when they remember it.”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Dance NOW! Miami’s 2025 Program III
WHEN/WHERE:
8 p.m. Friday, May 9, at Broward Center for the Performing Arts’ Amaturo Theater, 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale
8 p.m. Saturday, May 10, at Aventura Arts and Cultural Center, 3385 NE 188th St.
COST: $30-$40 reserved seating; $20 for students with valid ID at box office only
INFORMATION: 305-975-8489; dancenowmiami.org
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Originally Published: May 5, 2025 at 11:44 AM EDT