Simonetta Ottone

Dance is my first love: I started as a child, practicing classical, modern, and contemporary dance. I was fortunate to have as teachers, among others, Antonietta Daviso, Richard Haisma, Larrio Ekson, Matt Mattox, and Gianin Loringett.

I continued studying yoga, butoh, vocal expression, theater, contact, dance-theater, ethnic dances. I share this path with Julie Ann Anzilotti, Alfonso Santagata, Danio Manfredini, Monica Francia, Alessandro Berti, Barak Marshall, Margalit Oved, Michela Lucenti, Gabriella Bartolomei, Giorgio Rossi, Mauro Tiberi.

I studied and practiced Dance Movement Therapy with Maria Fux, Lilia Bertelli, Paola De Vera D'Aragona, France Shott Billmann, Herns Duplan.

I have received Scholarships from the Tuscany Region and from DAMS. In 1998 I was qualified as an  "Operator in motor activities" (Tuscany Region, Livorno Province, CONI) and in 2009 I received the diploma of DanceMotion and Therapist at the Tuscan Center for Art and Dance Therapy in Florence, in the last exam session in Italy held personally by Maria Fux.

I am part of the Italian Professional Dance-Movement Therapy Association (APID Pursuant to Law 4 of 14.01.2013 "Provisions on Unregulated Professions in Orders and Colleges) as an ordinary member (registration No. 296, 2008), from 2012 to 2015 as Secretary and Head of the Tuscany Section, from 2015 to 2018 as a Director of the National Executive (referent to Local Sections and APID BLOG).

In 2018 I was elected National President.

I am a member of the UNESCO International Dance Council.

I studied Psychological Sciences and Techniques at the University’s Faculty of Psychology.

I have danced with various companies, such as: L'Impasto, Chille De La Balanza, XE (since 1991). I am a dancer-choreographer in the film "Guglielmo Ratcliff" (directed by Amasi Damiani, 1994) and in various plays written and directed by Alessandro Arrabito, including "Dietro le sbarre l'azzurro" and "Aprile" with Pamela Villoresi (1998, 1994).

I am involved as author and interpreter of the plays: "Exposure" (1996), "Omaggio a Totò" (1998, selected by Centro Regionale ToscanaDanza, 2nd place in the National Choreographic Competition "Rita Gigante"), "Vendute" (2000, selected from Tuscany Region, ETI, Pergola Theater of Florence); I act as co-protagonist in the short film "Sotto il cielo dell'Islam" by Pino Bertelli (2001), based on "Vendute" itself.

Creator and co-organizer of the project "Migrando - Beyond the veil of Islam" (2000, Porto Franco Regional Project) and "A Voce Alta" (2003), multidisciplinary proposal on Freedom of Expression; I collaborate in the organization of "I Tigi - Canto per Ustica" by Marco Paolini (Port of Livorno 2002). Creator and presenter of Memoria dei Monti Livornesi (2000 - 2015), Multidisciplinary Collective Memory Observatory in the area and in collaboration with the Municipality of Collesalvetti (LI), for which I take care of numerous editions of "Memorial Day" on the Shoah (January 27).

I have starred in and been the interpreter of several video clips by singer and musician Giada Garrison.

Over the years, I have written and produced plays for Movement, Music and Word focused on the pressing themes of our time (Disancorati, 2012; Tua 2014; Julka 2016) and projects related to gender issues (since 2013: One Billion Rising V-DAY, Dance with your V !, Casa Julka). Since 2014 I have been the author of a blog about Women’s Policy in the Tuscany Region.

I founded and direct the Compagnia DanzArte Association (1997); I am an Institutional Member of the UNESCO International Dance Council; I perform in contemporary art events and I have collaborated with artists like Steven Brown, Piccola Avion Travel Orchestra, Pamela Villoresi, Piero Marras , Andrea Parodi (ex Tazenda), Paolo Liberati, Tuxedomoon, Daniele Di Bonaventura, Tenedle, Luciano Scalettari, Luciana and Giorgio Alpi, Mariangela Gritta Grainer, Franco Lo Piparo, Monica Lanfranco, Anna Maria Bernieri.

Since 1991 I have been teaching dance and theater schools, sports centers, institutes for education, therapeutic communities, ASL, family houses, fefresher courses for teachers in collaboration with municipalities, provinces, member structures - public and private education. In 2016, I inaugurated the Centro Studi DanzArte - Movimento e ArtiTerapie in Livorno, where we provide training activities for students in the psycho-corporeal, artistic and educational fields.

I am included in several catalogs of Contemporary Art and in the following publications: GUIDE TO DANCE IN TUSCANY (Florence Art Edizioni), TEATRI 90 - Shipyard of the New Italian Choreography (Milan Theater Research Center), THE DEBUT OF AMLETO (Tuscany Region, ETI, Teatro della Pergola Florence), INVISIBLE THEATERS AND NEW THEATRICAL GENERATIONS. Broadcast from 2006 to 2010 on SKY Arcoiris TV channel with the television version of the show "A Voce Alta" by Marco Sisi.

I have been a featured speaker in various conferences on DanceMotion-Therapy and gender issues.

I am the author of "Dancing the Symbol, Danza Movimento Terapia: in the world of the drug addict" (Edizioni Creativa, 2011) and "Disancorati" (novel, Edizioni Creativa 2017), both presented at the Pisa Book Festival.