“Armor Amour” is a contemporary movement theatre duet choreographed and directed by Kora Radella. “Armor Amour” probes these questions which are part of the performance text: “What is the armor I hold in my body? What can be relinquished? Are scars armor?” There is text interwoven throughout the work, mainly spoken, but also via song when a small quote from poet Jamaal May, “armor is just skin, bones, only bone” is sung in Italian. There is music composed by Ross Feller and recorded by the NYC-based violin duo String Noise for one section of the piece, a frenetic mix of sounds which performer Barletti felt was the way her mind works, and became very attached to, as she threw herself into idiosyncratic gestural movements. At times the performers are propelled through the space by their attempts to armor themselves, at other times by their attempts to release any burden of protection.

We had a lovely audience of about 40 people join us for the performance. Afterwards, they stayed and discussed the work with us. There was a psychologist in the audience who works with the ideas of armor in his practice, and who noted that the movements seemed like interior thoughts made visible. All of Radella’s text was translated by Barletti. A dancer who performs in the Milan Opera House La Scala, commented on one movement in which the performers come towards the audience in a primal way, dragging the backsides of their hands on the floor. Others noted the partnering within this duet iteration and the changing relationship which could be viewed as friends, lovers, and / or siblings. This sharing was a wondrous gathering within the creation process of “Armor Amour.”