Tiziana Conte was born in Mendrisio in 1966 and is a passionate promoter of contemporary dance in the canton of Ticino on a number of levels. She works as a freelance culture journalist for RSI as well as part-time in communications at the Vincenzo Vela Museum and was a member of the first Federal Dance Jury until 2017. She has a Master’s degree in art, music and theatre from the University of Bologna (Italy) and has also trained in project and culture management. She worked at the Commune of Chiasso’s Department of Culture from 1996 to 2010 and as Artistic Director of the Chiassodanza dance festival from 2002 to 2010. Conte was a member of the Education Working Group in connection with the Dance Project in 2005, a jury member in 2006 and coordinator of the Swiss Contemporary Dance Days in 2009, when they were held in Ticino.
Dance tends to get short shrift in Italian-speaking Switzerland, which lacks the requisite structures, training and professional companies. Against this backdrop, Conte works hard to promote dance and has hosted the Dance Festival in Ticino with her association Arturo Prod. for many years. Her dedication to the festival makes an important contribution to raising the profile of dance in the region. Conte recently launched a networking project for Ticino: Isadora – Piattaforma Danza. It is intended as a new, lean and effective structure for communicating, supporting and coordinating dance activities throughout the canton. A networking website went live last autumn and offers information on Ticino’s dance and performing arts scene along with portraits of companies, dance practitioners and professional structures, including some outside the canton, as well as a regional events calendar, a newsletter, and targeted promotions and workshops.
If dancing continues to grow in Ticino, it’s not least because of the work done by Tiziana Conte and a few other enthusiasts over decades. Nothing has been too much for them, whether time, effort, money, difficulty, the indifference of certain parties. Tiziana Conte has many sources powering her efforts: passion, courage, resilience, persistence, unconditional love. Mindful of her surroundings, she has always involved the local community in her events and many projects. The Swiss dance scene (and not just in Ticino) public and practitioners are most grateful for her tenacity.
