Dance and contemporary research
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Adeva is a word that appeared to me in a dream (in 2019), one of the most intense I've ever had. I remember that during this dream I was holding a note in my hands, and I felt as if it contained the "secret of the world." Once I opened it, I read the word Adeva. The feeling was like a shower of beauty, I felt the Infinity pass through me, and then I woke up.
The Adeva Collective was founded in 2026 as a tiny bud, with the dream of one day becoming a tree: an association with a larger, multidisciplinary team. Our primary focus is on choreographic creation, but we also aspire to organize a festival and other events in the future. Our mission is to share an original, creative, and expressive dance; to foster well-being and the contemplation of the invisible; to create inclusive environments and to stimulate a sensitive connection between human beings and nature.
Matteo Mascolo
founder - choreographer - researcher
In recent years, Matteo has followed his love about dance and trees by developing the Sequoia project, whose choreography has been performed at various contemporary dance festivals, including the Nutida Festival and the DAP Festival in Tuscany, Scena Natura in Emilia-Romagna, Rassegna Esplorare in Puglia and Pratiche Parallele in Milan. Thanks to Sequoia, he has enriched his research through collaborations with PlantsPlay, Olfattiva, Vaia, and the Settore Nazionale Forest Bathing. He holds labs, workshops and retreats in nature, including as part of wellness events.
Alessia Tagliabue
dancer
Alessia studied and deepened classical, modern, and contemporary dance. She's RAD certified and has participated in various professional programs, including the Rome International Dance Academy and the Modem PRO by Roberto Zappalà. In 2024, she won first place at the Vignale in Danza competition with the self-choreographed solo Sempre. During the 2024-2025 season, she joined the Balletto Nazionale Italiano for a European tour, dancing in the productions of The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. She has also worked with choreographers Caterina Basso, Amanda Piña and Chiara Taviani.
Maria Mangione
dancer
Maria began dancing from a young age and passionately studied classical, modern, and contemporary dance for many years. In 2018, she started a three-year professional program at the Centro di Alta Formazione per la Danza ArteMente, where she deepened her knowledge and discovered new dance-languages such as Release Technique, Floorwork, Contact Improvisation and Dance Theater. In July 2021, she graduated with the pièce Ballroom, a choreography by Nicolò Abbattista and Christian Consalvo, and Spring, a contemporary dance work created by Silvia Gribaudi.
Marinella Protopapa
food designer
Dance was Marinella’s first language, a deep part of her being that led her to the Accademia Nazionale di Danza in Rome. Driven by a desire to explore and connect different worlds, she subsequently pursued experiences in nursing, industrial design, and more, eventually discovering food design: for her, a narrative way through which to craft creative, sensory, and social experiences. As a multifaceted spirit, she is guided by the curiosity to cross various disciplines without rigid boundaries. Dance, health, design, and food are complementary parts of her story, components of a whole that is constantly evolving.
Nicoletta D'Andrea
photographer
Nicoletta has always cultivated a deep passion for photography. She trained at the CFP Bauer School in Milan and after that she had a twenty-year’s experience in publishing, first as an assistant photo editor for the Focus magazine and then as head of the photography department of Focus Junior, for which she oversaw iconographic research and photoshoot planning. Since 2018, she has worked as a freelance photographer for yoga and theatre. In 2024, she felt attraction to photograph the bodily expression in contemporary dance and began a professional course in Milan at the SFD - Scuola di Fotografia di Danza.
Giorgia Morena
photographer
Giorgia began dancing as a child, later continuing her studies at her hometown's dance high school. Photography has always been a passion of her too, and in 2022 she decided to start the photography program at the Libera Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze. Despite this, she didn't forget dance; rather, she has chosen to combine her passions and artistic knowledge, making this her strength. Currently, as in recent years, she collaborates with the Nutida Festival, with collectives and companies, and through photography she supports and gives voice to the dance of young emerging dancers.
