Frida: My Two Accidents, performed by Moveo Dance Company with choreography by Diane Portelli, tells the story of Frida Kahlo's incredible strength in the face of tragedy.

Best known for her art and her striking appearance, Mexican artist Frida Kahlo only lived to be 47 and her short life was full of pain, but her body of work will forever immortalise her. Kahlo was an influential figure in Surrealism, and her self-portraits are as riveting in their detail as they are emotionally charged. Her complicated life story is just as compelling and directly impacted her art - a story presented through dance at Pjazza Teatru Rjal. The Broken Column, one of her more striking pieces, is the inspiration behind the dance production.

Moveo Dance Company Director and Choreographer Diane Portelli was inspired by the painting of a naked Kahlo, her body split in half and revealing a crumbling column instead of her spinal cord. Frida painted this piece when she was 44, following a series of spinal surgeries to correct ongoing problems resulting from a serious traffic accident when she was 18. "I was very intrigued by the contrast of beauty and horror in that painting, and it sparked the idea of playing with her duality," shares Portelli. "She showed enormous emotional strength despite having a broken body and heart."

Kahlo's turbulent relationship with fellow artist Diego Rivera, whom she married twice, was another source of pain for her. She famously stated that she endured two major accidents in her life, the traffic accident and her on-again-off-again-husband, Diego. To Kahlo, Diego was by far worse. "Nothing was straightforward with Frida, which makes her life story so relatable and timeless," says Portelli. "Her relationship with Diego was filled with as much turmoil as it was passionate. Our show will feature Kahlo herself, her sister Christina, and Diego. Both Diego and Christina were pivotal to her life story, especially because their affair caused Frida great anguish, which is one of the themes tackled in the performance."

Pain is a thread that ran through Kahlo's life, but passion was another. "The dancers will also be playing other very important roles - extensions of Kahlo's pain and broken body, the foetuses she lost in her miscarriages, the brushstrokes of her paintings, and the Mexican people starting the revolution," Portelli explains. "Frida endured 32 surgeries which were excruciatingly painful and might have led to her having multiple miscarriages."

Another aspect of Kahlo's life which Portelli didn't ignore is the artist's pride in her Mexican heritage. "For most of her adult life, she insisted on wearing traditional Tehuana dresses, partly to cover her deformed right leg, but also to make a strong political statement," Portelli says. "These elements are also captured in the performance, through Ritianne Zammit's costume design and the music composed by Albert Garzia."

The performance was staged last year, in 2022, receiving critical acclaim with audiences and is back this year by popular demand.

 

Frida: My Two Accidents will be performed at Pjazza Teatru Rjal on 9 & 10 June. Tickets can be purchased at www.showshappening.com

 

For further information, visit www.moveodancecompany.com