ŻfinMalta welcomes audiences back into theatres this summer with the restaging of this major work by renowned choreographer Roy Assaf. Following weeks of intensive rehearsals with Assaf and his team, and a long break from performing on stage, ŻfinMalta's company dancers will remind us of what it means to experience dance as a live audience. And to make the transition back into shared public cultural venues easier for audiences, Girls & Boys premieres as a collaboration with Pjazza Teatru Rjal, Valletta's iconic open-air theatre on 18, 19 and 20 June.

Through the potent language of choreography, Assaf highlights some of the attributes that make us human and how they are imposed upon the gender binary roles of masculine and feminine. Girls & Boys turns gender dynamics and roles on their head in a performance that is at once playful and provocative.

As Assaf describes the work: "Five girls in black, on a narrow white floor, dancing a dance, exposing themselves to stubborn cliches of femininity, which appear at every turn. Voices go up to please, to protest, to pacify. Gestures are minimal, flirtatious, as if taken from the catalogue of male fantasy. Kisses are thrown into the air, legs are spread, tushes rock from side to side - like men love.

"Five boys in black, on a narrow white floor, dancing a dance. Exposing themselves, too. Voices go up to plead, to berate, to pacify. Gestures are temperamental, familiar, as if taken from the cards of human history. Punches are thrown into the air, chests are puffed, legs drilled in a left-right-left march - like men love.

"Boys can be boys can be girls can be boys; girls can be girls can be boys can be girls, can be both can be neither and should be respected, regardless. More than a comment on gender stereotypes, or the current fluidity of gender roles, Girls and Boys targets the 'brainwashing' of males and females about how they should think, speak, dress and act.

"Five women and five men are gathered here in a complicated dialogue, with the expectations of society sitting invisibly, mightily, inescapably upon their shoulders."

For anyone who was used to traveling to large cities like Berlin or London for the best of contemporary dance, this production of Girls & Boys is a reminder of the high calibre of work being created right here in Malta through its National Dance Company.

"As a repertory company and the National Dance Company, it is critical for ŻfinMalta to expand its repertoire with works by choreographers of Roy Assaf's ilk, who are either established or fast making a name for themselves on the international dance stage. Thus, exposing the company dancers to a range of techniques and influences vital to their own professional development and bringing world-class dance to Maltese audiences," said Paolo Mangiola, artistic director, ŻfinMalta.

Note: Seats are limited due to reduced capacity for social distancing