BA (Hons) Dance
Additional Qualifications:
Role and responsibilities:
Matteo is responsible for overseeing the artistic and educational aspects of VERVE, the postgraduate performance company of NSCD.
“I am an Italian Dance Artist, Choreographer and Movement Director. I am originally from a seaside town in central Italy called Pesaro but I have lived more than half of my life away from my home country. I got into dance because my parents used to take dance classes together at the town community hall and they would take me along with them from a very young age. The only way I would keep quiet and let them have their dance class in peace was if I could also join in – I desperately wanted to do it but only if I was wearing a skirt. So my mum sewed me one and let me wear it during their dance sessions! I would twirl around by myself for an hour, purely enjoying seeing the skirt twirling around me. My parents could finally get on with their classes!”
Matteo has an extensive career as a performer, choreographer, director and educator. Matteo danced for many years with Introdans, Netherlands and National Dance Company Wales in the UK. Matteo founded his own project-based company in Cardiff (2017). Matteo’s work has been commissioned by organisations in Wales including NDCWales, Wales Millenium Centre and Rubicon Dance, as well as being presented at international festivals. Matteo holds a BA (Hons) in Dance (Codarts Rotterdam) and MA Dance Teaching & Facilitating (NSCD). Matteo has recently worked in a collaborative performance project as Movement Director in partnership with National Youth Theatre and Leeds 2023. Matteo’s research looks at how to make ballet accessible and useful for the learning of contemporary dance students of the 21st Century. This research stems from his MA and he is continuing to use it as his teaching approach in combining his two teaching practices, Gaga and ballet, as a form of training for MA students at NSCD. Matteo is a certified Gaga Teacher – Gaga Teachers’ Training course in 2018-2019. Matteo received a Creative Wales Award from the Arts Council of Wales to research taking dance outside of traditional theatre venues and into more unconventional spaces. Matteo is interested in exploring how movement can be generated by responding to communities, histories and the inhabitants of particular places. Matteo participated on a panel discussion as part of the NSCD Knowledge Exchange conference in January 2023 and he is establishing international partnership for VERVE with educational institutions such as Equilibrio Dinamico in Italy.
Matteo graduated from Codarts in Rotterdam and danced for many years with Introdans in the Netherlands and National Dance Company Wales in the UK, performing works by international choreographers including Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Roy Assaf, Alexander Ekman, William Forsythe, Christopher Bruce, Johan Inger, Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon, Inbal Pinto and Angelin Preljocaj. In 2011 Matteo danced in the multi-disciplinary project Nierka created by Satore Studio in London, directed by Tupac Martir and choreographed by Fernando Hernando Magadan (Netherlands Dance Theater).
In 2017 Matteo founded his own project-based company in Cardiff (Wales, UK). Matteo’s work has been commissioned by organisations in Wales including NDCWales, Wales Millenium Centre and Rubicon Dance, as well as being presented at international festivals such as Altofest (Naples, IT), Vetrina della giovane danza d’autore (Ravenna, IT), Interplay/18 (Turin, IT), Teatro Fontana (Milan, IT), HangartFest (Pesaro, IT), and Valletta 18 European City of Culture (Malta).
In 2018 Matteo worked as Rehearsal Director for National Dance Company Wales and has been an Associate Artist with the company since 2017. He is also a certified Gaga Teacher, having undertaken the Gaga Teachers’ Training in Tel Aviv under the artistic direction of Bosmat Nossan, Saar Harari, and Ohad Naharin. Matteo is the creator of Together We Create//Creu Gyda’n Gilydd a project created in partnership with arts and non-arts organisations, artists and community members that gives voice to the hopes, desires and needs of the Penrhys community in Rhondda Cynon Taff.
In 2020, The Sunset Show was commissioned through The Agency programme run via National Theatre Wales. Matteo supported The Agency participants to create an outdoor show in Grangetown streets, with Grangetown artists, for Grangetown residents.
In 2017/18 Matteo received a Creative Wales Award from the Arts Council of Wales to research taking dance outside of traditional theatre venues and into more unconventional spaces. Matteo is interested in exploring how movement can be generated by responding to communities, histories and the inhabitants of particular places.
As a Dance Artist & Choreographer:
Marfoglia, M (2020) LeT commissioned by University of Wales Trinity Saint David
Marfoglia, M (2019) LLinell | Llinyn Eisteddfod 2019, Llanrwst
Marfoglia, M (2018) Post-it commissioned by National Dance Company Wales
Marfoglia, M (2018) We Are Next Outlook 2018, commissioned by Rubicon Dance
Marfoglia, M (2016) CrossWord Altofest (Naples), Vetrina della giovane danza d’autore (Ravenna), Interplay/18 (Turin), Teatro Fontana (Milan), Teatro Sperimentale (Pesaro)
Marfoglia, M (2015) Desensitized
Marfoglia, M (2014) Omertà, Roots 2017, Cardiff Dance Festival 2017, Valletta 2018 European City of Culture
Marfoglia, M (2013) Crossing Paths
As Movement Director:
2021, Y Teimlad | That Feeling National Youth Theatre of Wales and Theatr Clwyd production
2021, Wife directed by Hannah Noone
2021, Anna Karenina directed by Daniel Raggett
2020, Singing the Subject theatre and music video installation by August012
2019, Les Misérables August012 production directed by Mathilde Lopez.
2018, Highway One Co-production between Wales Millennium Centre as part of Festival of Voice and August012.
