Corpo Mobile Festival

A festival that sets dance in motion across the city

Corpo Mobile Festival is one of the most recognizable fixtures of contemporary dance in Rome. Born from the vision of choreographer Davide Romeo, the artistic director, alongside Eleonora Tempesta in organizational management, the festival is produced by the Uscite di Emergenza Dance Company. It takes place every year between late April and May in the Municipio VII of Rome, in the Lazio region. The idea behind it is both simple and ambitious: to take choreographic creation out of traditional city-center circuits and bring it back to neighborhoods, parks, municipal villas, and community spaces.

Theaters, villas, and parks: a widespread geography

The festival does not have a single venue, but rather a network of spaces that changes slightly from year to year. Recurring locations include the Teatro di Villa Lazzaroni, home to national premieres and evening performances; Villa Lais, which hosts outdoor performances and family-oriented days; Villa Fiorelli with its site-specific interventions; the vast Parco della Caffarella, the backdrop for performance walks; and Lodi Circus, a space dedicated to aerial arts. Previous editions have also included Teatrocittà and the Giardini Welby.

How the program is structured

The festival is organized into thematic sections that reflect its multidisciplinary nature:

• Corpo IN SCENA — stage performances, featuring both company creations and guest artists
• Corpo IN MERAVIGLIA — the section dedicated to the edition's specific theme
• Corpo ALL'APERTO — performances in parks, gardens, and urban spaces
• Corpo IN VIDEO — screenings of dance films
• Corpo IN DIALOGO — meetings, round tables, and the young critics project
• Corpo IN ARIA — a focus on aerial dance and circus arts

A space for emerging artists

One of Corpo Mobile's hallmarks is its open call for emerging artists: each year, a selection process chooses young choreographers and companies to present their work during a dedicated weekend, with a jury awarding prizes on the final evening. This is complemented by a collaboration with the National Academy of Dance, which showcases students from contemporary dance courses, and the young critics project, designed to foster new perspectives on the choreographic scene.

Workshops, families, and community

Alongside the performance schedule, the festival offers professional and amateur workshops, international masterclasses open to dancers of various levels, and a day entirely dedicated to children and families, with free activities in the green spaces of Villa Lais. This is the most participatory part of the project, which has allowed Corpo Mobile to truly take root in the Appio Latino, Tuscolano, and Cinecittà neighborhoods.

Why it is worth attending

Corpo Mobile is not a massive international festival, and that is precisely its value: it offers the chance to see national premieres, follow artists at the start of their careers, and witness performances in places rarely associated with dance—a lawn in a municipal villa, a trail in the Caffarella park, or a circus tent. Many outdoor events are free, making the festival particularly accessible to those who want to approach contemporary dance without barriers.