Martina Nieri

What drives you to create?

Music has always been a part of me. My mum decided to take me to a dance class when I was about two years old, encouraged by my sense of rhythm (or so she says). When we got home, I went straight to do pliés on the towel rack in the bathroom. That’s where my story with dance began. By choice and affinity, I became interested in contemporary dance, and today I’m a teacher — just as I decided 24 years ago. It’s a part of me, something that goes beyond DNA.

What inspires you?

Often I start with a question: how do I feel today? Am I nostalgic, happy, curious? I choose music that matches and just begin. If I want to create a production, a choreography, or something similar, I look for a reason — often something a bit challenging — to give voice to the sometimes unpleasant or unresolved aspects of our world, or simply to try and stir something within the viewer’s soul.

How do you bring your works to life?

When the music starts, I throw myself in and try to find movements that form a coherent dialogue — with pauses, “punctuation”, changes in speed — but it all starts with a trial and how it’s interpreted.