June 4, 2025 ~ 6:30 pm
Together with EUNIC Member Countries, the Italian Cultural Institute of Washington presents “Rome Underground”, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Washington and Dupont Underground
Join us for a celebration of Italian culture and a powerful homage to human diversity in all its forms. The choreographer of The Washington Ballet Mimmo Miccolis presents an exclusive performance titled “HEROICA”. This danced act of remembrance merges Italian opera with bold contemporary music — from Verdi to Måneskin — and builds an emotional and symbolic bridge between past and present.
The evening is complemented by an original short movie dedicated to the first World Pride event, hosted by Rome in 2000. The unpublished archival videos and images bring to life the stories and struggles of the people who made that historic event possible.
This event is part of a program series at Dupont Underground by members of EUNIC DC – the European Union National Institutes for Culture – in connection with World Pride and the Berlin Underground exhibition. For all events visit Dupont Underground.
Registration required
LOCATION
📍Dupont Underground
19 Dupont Cir NW
Washington, DC 20036
Click on button below for availability
REGISTRATION REQUIRED AND ACCEPTED EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH EVENTBRITE
ABOUT MIMMO MICCOLIS
Mimmo Miccolis is an Italian freelance choreographer working between Europe and the United States, currently affiliated primarily with The Washington Ballet. His creations span from neoclassical to contemporary styles and often address social and civil themes with depth and sensitivity.
In 2019, he was awarded Excellence in Dance by the Italian Cultural Society of Washington. His works have been presented in prestigious venues including the Kennedy Center, the National Portrait Gallery, the World Bank, Carnegie Hall, and TEDx.
Miccolis has created numerous original works for international companies and institutions. His choreographic language blends technical rigor with emotional expressiveness and civic engagement. Through his work, he brings to the stage stories of identity, memory, and transformation — showing dance as a human and political act, capable of fostering awareness and change. More info: click here
MORE ABOUT HEROICA
HEROICA is a danced act of resistance, remembrance, and pride. A celebration of Italian culture and a powerful homage to human diversity in all its forms: gender, identity, expression, body, emotion, worldview.
Through a choreographic language that merges Italian opera with bold contemporary music — from Verdi to Måneskin — the work builds an emotional and symbolic bridge between past and present.
In a world that has forgotten freedom, a diva — dressed in velvet and truth — searches for herself among the ashes of a once-glorious past. Her solo, set to “Addio del Passato” from La Traviata by Giuseppe Verdi (in the iconic voice of Maria Callas), is a silent prayer — a farewell to the dream of being accepted.
But memory returns with force. With Måneskin’s “MAMMAMIA,” the stage bursts into light, color, and liberation — a vivid memory of a time when identity was celebration, uniqueness, richness.
As the choreography flows, a pair of dancers emerges — two souls in search of one another, finding support in their shared presence. Their duet is a caress and a cry, filled with hope and melancholy. They close their eyes in an act of silent resistance: remembering is the only way not to surrender.
When they open them again, they are no longer alone. A community surrounds them — vibrant, diverse, marginalized, strong. Together, they find the courage to rise, to dance, to shout that existence is political, that every movement is a spark of revolution.
The final image is simple yet powerful: an embrace. A gesture of trust, tenderness, and recognition. In the background, the diva reaches toward that embrace, toward a new chance at connection, toward hope… but her journey is not yet over.
ABOUT MARIO COLAMARINO
Lawyer, entrepreneur, and LGBTQIA+ activist, Mario Colamarino has been deeply involved in advocacy and civil rights work for many years. He currently serves as Chairman and spokesperson of Roma Pride and is the President of the “Mario Mieli” Homosexual Culture Club—one of the most influential LGBTQIA+ organizations in Italy. The association is committed to human rights advocacy, promotes cultural and social initiatives, operates one of the country’s largest LGBTQIA+ anti-discrimination centers, and organizes the iconic queer nightlife event Muccassassina.
Throughout his career, Colamarino has worked as a consultant in the field of Corporate Diversity & Inclusion, collaborating with a range of private companies and public institutions. His dedication to human rights has earned him multiple awards, and in both 2023 and 2024 he was named to Fortune Italia’s prestigious 40under40 list.
He is a regular contributor to various magazines and media outlets, actively engaging in public discourse on inclusion, social justice, and LGBTQIA+ rights.