“Aesthetica – Exercise No. 1”, directed by Gennaro Cimmino and premiered in February 2015 at Teatro Piccolo Bellini in Naples, is a choreographic exploration of contemporary obsessions in the age of new media and social networks.

Set against a landscape of sounds and ringtones, between attractions and distractions, beauty pageant-style catwalks and reality-show “confessionals”, with poses and gestures endlessly repeated on an empty stage, the dancers offer a sarcastic reflection on today’s cult of the image, on the use and abuse of objects of desire that transform into neurosis, and on alienation becoming a form of violence.

The work is shaped by a series of references and inspirations: from 2001: A Space Odyssey to disco music hits, as well as an ironic reflection on the compulsive use of alcohol and drugs. These elements become fragments of a journey that portrays humanity moving rapidly towards its own — inhuman — destination.