“Sacre Radici – Putting down roots and integrating through dance and song” is a project promoted by the Koreoproject association for 2024-2025. Created inside the Lecce prison and supported by Otto per Mille funds from the Waldensian Church, the project offers inmates a free rehabilitation path through art. In collaboration with the Lecce prison and Campo dei Giganti in Nardò, it brings together expressive dance and singing workshops, culminating in two final performances open to the public.
A project of art and inclusion
Workshops of expression and rebirth
The project unfolds over six months, from November 2024 to April 2025, with 30 meetings initially held weekly and then intensified during the preparation phase for the performance. The workshops, led by expert artists such as dancer and choreographer Giorgia Maddamma and composer and singer Luca Gemma, offer inmates tools to rediscover their inner voice and a new way of relating to themselves and others.
The final multidisciplinary and engaging performance combines live music, dance, video and singing, telling the symbolic strength and resilience of the Salento olive tree. Struck and devastated by Xylella, the olive tree is reborn through contemporary art, inspiring movements and images of great emotional and narrative power.
On stage with the inmates will be Koreoproject dancers Sara Bizzoca and Ambra Berni Canani, Giorgia Maddamma and Luca Gemma. Video and photographs of the performance are curated by photojournalist Fabio Serino.
A musical tribute to Salento roots
The event soundtrack pays tribute to one of the deepest roots of local culture: the music of Domenico Modugno. Some of his celebrated songs from the Salento period are reinterpreted by Luca Gemma, becoming the musical thread of the performance and accompanying the inmates’ entire creative and expressive journey.
Sacre Radici is more than a performance: it is a path of personal and collective transformation that gives voice and redemption through the creative power of dance and song, offering participants and audiences a new vision of inclusion and rebirth.
Final performances and moments of sharing
The path will culminate in two performances: the first, with free admission, will take place on 29 May 2025 at the theatre of the Lecce prison and will be dedicated to inmates, families and guest audiences. It will be preceded by a presentation by prison director Mariateresa Susca, artistic director Giorgia Maddamma, text author Ilaria Milandri and other special guests.
The second performance, scheduled for 30 and 31 May 2025, will take place at the prison theatre and Campo dei Giganti, offering the wider community the opportunity to attend a unique event rich in artistic and social meaning.
The performance
Project supported by Otto per Mille funds from the Waldensian Church
