Chiara Bersani

The piece was born as a natural evolution of a solo created and performed by Chiara Bersani in 2021, which explored and re-adapted the codes of classical ballet to a divergent body, like that of the artist, who lives with brittle bone disease. In 2022 the solo was passed on to another performer, who shares the same genetic disorder. In 2025, the project evolved further into a choral version: three performers with disabilities brought “Michel – The Animals I Am” to life, going beyond the idea of the disabled artist as an isolated ‘exception’. The artist draws inspiration from Michel Petrucciani, a jazz pianist with the same genetic condition, often celebrated as a ‘genius’. Giving space to different bodies, new expressive possibilities, and forms of representation, the piece dissolves the concept of uniqueness through a political statement that questions the paradigms of dance and performance art.