“Sacred Roots – Rooting and Integrating through Dance and Singing” is a project promoted by the Koreoproject Association for the period 2024-2025. Carried out at the Lecce Correctional Facility, the project has been awarded funding from the 8xmille program of the Waldensian Church and provides inmates with a free rehabilitative journey through art. In collaboration with the Lecce Correctional Facility and Campo dei Giganti in Nardò, the initiative combines expressive workshops in dance and singing, culminating in two final public performances.

The project unfolds over six months, from November 2024 to April 2025, comprising 30 sessions initially held weekly, becoming more frequent in preparation for the final performance. These workshops, led by renowned artists such as dancer and choreographer Giorgia Maddamma and composer-singer Luca Gemma, offer inmates tools to rediscover their inner voice and build new relationships with themselves and others.

The concluding multidisciplinary performance blends live music, dance, video, and singing, narrating the symbolic strength and resilience of the Salento olive tree. Despite being devastated by Xylella, the olive tree finds renewal through contemporary art, inspiring deeply emotional and powerful movements and imagery.

On stage, inmates will be joined by Koreoproject dancers Sara Bizzoca and Ambra Berni Canani, along with Giorgia Maddamma and Luca Gemma. Video and photographic documentation of the performance will be curated by photojournalist Fabio Serino.

The event’s soundtrack pays homage to one of the deepest roots of local culture: the music of Domenico Modugno. Some of his renowned songs from his Salento period will be reinterpreted by Luca Gemma, becoming the musical thread that weaves through the inmates’ creative and expressive journey.

The journey culminates in two performances: the first, with free admission, will take place on May 29, 2025, at the Lecce Correctional Facility theater, dedicated to inmates, their families, and invited guests. It will feature an introduction by the facility’s director Mariateresa Susca, artistic director Giorgia Maddamma, scriptwriter Ilaria Milandri, and other special guests.

The second performance, scheduled for May 30 and 31, 2025, will be held at the Correctional Facility Theater and Campo dei Giganti, providing the external community with the opportunity to witness an event of significant artistic and social value.

Sacred Roots is more than a simple performance: it is a path of personal and collective transformation that gives voice and redemption through the creative power of dance and singing, offering participants and audiences a renewed vision of inclusion and rebirth.