INTERVIEWS
Carlotta Storelli Artist / Eva San Juan Photography
INTERVIEW TO CARLOTTA STORELLI
Hello Carlotta, how are you? Could you introduce yourself?
Hello, Im very well, thank you. My name is Carlotta Storelli, I am 31 years old, I am a dancer, choreographer, actress/performer, I direct the international company Inervo and I have worked as a teacher.
As a Swiss-Italian artist, living in Madrid, how is your day to day?
Well, my day to day consists of training, rehearsing, teaching, dealing with the production and distribution of the various projects that we launch from Inervo and in collaboration with other entities such as Biomima and the Eyas company, among others.
When was the first time you were diagnosed with cancer?
I was 19 years old, I contracted a papilloma virus that developed very quickly and they had to proceed with the export of the cervix
What solutions did the doctors give you and how was the process?
In the first phase, they operated on me a few months after detecting it to save the entire uterus. Successively another papilloma was detected and I did a chemical cure by injection for six months.
It changed something in your life, after having cancer?
It changed my perspective on life and its value, as well as my determination to follow the path that I ultimately followed and continue to follow. It is also true that after the operation it is impossible for me to carry out a pregnancy naturally since one of my tubes is partially closed. Which has led me to have 3 spontaneous abortions due to ectopic pregnancy, one of which was very dangerous. Probably the idea of carrying out a pregnancy naturally is to be discarded. Even so, there are always other ways today to carry out a pregnancy or there is always the possibility of adoption if you want to be a mother.
Do you think you have developed your artistic facet with more impetus as a result of having cancer?
It may have had an influence.
Do you think Art Therapy is useful for people with cancer?
If I am totally in favor of people with cancer attending Art Therapy sessions.
As a dancer and stage artist, would you recommend people with cancer to approach dance?
Of course, dance has saved me, even so, depending on the degree of the disease or the treatment, the physical effort, if they are not professional athletes or dancers, (and even so) could be tiring and painful, so I always recommend that they consult and discuss with your doctor what type of dance or body discipline is the most appropriate in your situation.
Doctors assure that physical exercise reduces the chances of developing cancer and that physical exercise during treatments to cure cancer are also positive for patients. Do you think that dance can be a therapeutic tool for people with and without cancer?
Of course.
From Cancer Query we analyze ionizing radiation in the environment, do you know what ionizing radiation is?
Yes.
The increase in ionizing radiation increases the chances of developing cancer, this probability is double in the female population than in the male population. Do you think that feminist movements should talk about ionizing radiation contamination, since it affects women twice as much as men?
I think that feminists and non feminists, both, should talk about this concerning reality.
What do you think about the fact that the European Union has proposed that nuclear energy be considered as green energy?
That it is absurd and very risky and obviously an economic maneuver.
In Switzerland and Italy there are no nuclear power plants, how do your relatives and friends see that in France there are so many nuclear power plants?
I cannot speak for others but for my part I feel calm and proud that our country does not have nuclear power plants and I would love for France, as well as other countries that do, to follow our path in this regard.
What recommendations would you give to a young woman who is diagnosed with cancer?
First of all, assume it, accept it and do not give up, find something that you are passionate about and pour your energies into it because it will help you generate energy and positive strength to overcome it. That she surrounds herself with friends and family who love her, respecting her without overwhelming or pressuring her. That you combine traditional medicine with natural medicine and that you always ask for a double or third medical opinion, that you trust your instinct and your body regarding the decisions you make about treatments. That you spend time in nature and play sports and learn from a naturopathic dietitian about a diet that will help you be stronger and healthier in combination with the treatment you take.
In your artistic projects there is a marked environmental imprint, your Oceanida project questions the pollution of plastics in the oceans, you believe that chemical pollution has an impact on health?
Of course the relationship and impact is evident.
In the pandemic, many people with cancer have been neglected, how do you see the challenges of health care in a society with super bacteria, covid and cancer?
I consider it a shame that people with cancer and other diseases have been neglected and continue to be neglected in the covid era, I understand that the pandemic generated a large mass of work with a lack of personnel. What I think is that they should pay health personnel better, take on more medical and health personnel so that there is care for everyone.
Is there a book you want to recommend us?
Theo’s journey.
And any artist you admire that you want to share with us?
Kathe Kollwitz, Pina Baush, Laban, Rodin and Camille Claudel, Susanne Linke, Marina Abramovic, among many others.
After the pandemic, traveling has become more complicated, do you see yourself traveling soon?
Luckily I never stop traveling I have been quite lucky although it is true that the places I travel have been reduced and I hope to travel again in a few months.
As a dancer, you integrate a physical routine like elite athletes, why do you believe that dancers do not become as famous as soccer players and many other athletes?
Because there is no economic interest in popularizing dance, the sport moves in proportion much more money, so in an unbridled capitalist society they are of greater interest. On the other hand, the market is not interested in people consuming quality culture, it is sad but it has always been the condemnation of artists and intellectuals, even so we continue to help and change in our little spheres.
How do you think we could built, a society, where dance is as valued as sport?
In a healthy and utopian society where human value is above power and money.
What projects are you working on now?
Oceanida a dance theater work on the problem of plastics in the oceans
And live in Archive a feminist research and performance proposal on the acoustic testimonies of the feminist groups of the 70s and a dance theater proposal on the stories of Haruki murakami.
Do you have a park, garden or green area near your house?
Many live next to the seven tits, the azorin park among many others.
Do you have a favorite plant and/or tree?
passionflower and lemon.
A wish for the future?
Hoping that the rainforests and the oceans are protected and biodiversity can thrill again in the planet.
Carlotta Storelli Artist & Hibiscus Tree / Honevo Photography