The Garden

- Origin and Landscape of Perception

The Iceland Dance Company presents The Garden / Birds of Paradise, an evening in which a live dance performance and a dance film come together in a shared meditation on the relationship between body, nature, and perception.

In the dance work The Garden, by Antonio de Rosa and Mattia Russo, the main stage of the Reykjavík City Theatre is transformed into a grass-covered garden. The choreographers reimagine the Garden as a landscape of perception, where experiences merge with universal consciousness. Landscapes of the body and human micro-stories appear and vanish in a continuous flow that reflects fragile humanity, connection, and intimacy. Universal narratives in miniature form, where life exists in every cell and an entire world in every drop.

Antonio de Rosa and Mattia Russo are leading figures of the arts collective Kor’sia (Madrid). They are known for visually powerful works in which dance is given space to fully unfold, and The Garden is no exception.

The Garden shares the evening with the dance film Birds of Paradise by Vikram Pradhan, and together these two works form a single, cohesive experience in which the garden and the forest become spaces for contemplation, sensitivity, and connection. The Garden / Birds of Paradise is an invitation to step into a living landscape and experience new ways of being together.

Performance by Icelandic Dance Company

Premiere: February 7, 2026, on the main stage of the Reykjavík City Theatre.

Buy Tickets

Note: The performance contains sections with flickering lights.

Antonio de Rosa & Mattia Russo

Antonio de Rosa and Mattia Russo studied at the Accademia Nazionale di Roma and the Scuola di Ballo Teatro Alla Scala.

Antonio de Rosa first worked with Maggio Fiorentino, Arena di Verona, and Teatro alla Scala. In 2011, he joined the Compañía Nacional de Danza de España (CND).

Mattia Russo was part of the Generalitat Valenciana Ballet and later Introdans, where he created several works as a choreographer, including Frates and Behind Me. In 2012, he joined the Compañía Nacional de Danza de España.

Both have danced leading roles in works by choreographers such as Johan Inger, Mats Ek, Goyo Montero, Rudolf Nureyev, George Balanchine, Maurice Béjart, Roland Petit, Jiří Kylián, Itzik Galili, José Carlos Martinez, Ramon Oller, Marcos Morau, Ohad Naharin, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Robert Battle, Hans van Manen, Angelin Preljocaj, and William Forsythe.

As choreographers, they have both created works for dance companies and institutions such as the Compañía Nacional de Danza, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Victor Ullate Ballet, Konzert Theater Bern, Opéra du Rhin Ballet, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, and for their own dance collective: KOR’SIA, founded in 2015 together with Giuseppe Dagostino. KOR’SIA received the “Young Talent” award from the international dance festival Positano Leonide Massine in 2016.

The Garden

Choreographers:
Antonio de Rosa og Mattia Russo

Assistant choreographer:
Matteo Marfoglia

Light Design:
Pálmi Jónsson

Stage Design:
Kor'sia

Costumes:
Kor'sia og Karen Briem

Music:
Caterina Barbieri, Arca, Rival Consoles, Rone feat. Camelia Jordana

Dancers:
Andrean Sigurgeirsson, Diljá Sveinsdóttir, Elín Signý W. Ragnarsdóttir, Emilía Benedikta Gísladóttir, Erna Gunnarsdóttir, Eydís Rose Vilmundardóttir, Hiroki Ichinose, Ísabella Tara Antonsdóttir, Jaakko Fagerberg, Matthea Lára Pedersen, Sara Lind Guðnadóttir, Shota Inoue

Shows 2025-2026

Birds of Paradise

The Orphic Circles

Flodreka

Christmas Dreams

The Garden

- Origin and Landscape of Perception

Note: The performance contains sections with flickering lights.

Performance by Icelandic Dance Company

Premiere: February 7, 2026, on the main stage of the Reykjavík City Theatre.

Buy Tickets

Antonio de Rosa & Mattia Russo

Antonio de Rosa and Mattia Russo studied at the Accademia Nazionale di Roma and the Scuola di Ballo Teatro Alla Scala.

Antonio de Rosa first worked with Maggio Fiorentino, Arena di Verona, and Teatro alla Scala. In 2011, he joined the Compañía Nacional de Danza de España (CND).