Artist, Natural Scientist and Pedagogue,

Giovanni Fusetti

is a multi-disciplinary fool.

Giovanni Fusetti encountered theater while receiving his degree in Agriculture and Ecology at the University of Padova (1985-1989).  This encounter led to an artistic and pedagogic quest that has been unfolding for over three decades.

After attending a variety of workshops and projects involving Mime, Puppets, Street Theatre, Theatre of the Oppressed, Community Theatre, Storytelling and Clown, he trained at the École International de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq (1992-1994), where he subsequently returned to follow the pedagogic training (La Troiséme Année Pedagogique, 1997-1998) and the L.E.M. (Laboratoire d’Etude du Mouvement), after which he was invited by Jacques Lecoq to teach Improvisation at the School.  While in Paris, Giovanni also trained in Gestalt Therapy at the Ecole Parisienne de Gestalt (1992-1999).

After the death of Jacques Lecoq in 1999, he returned to Padua to co-found Kiklos Teatro, alongside Paola Coletto. This was an international theatre center devoted to theatre creation and pedagogy. Here Giovanni directed the Scuola Internazionale di Creazione KIKLOS for five years, developing the vision of a school both rooted in the lineage and free to create and re-create new poetic paths.

Kiklos School, 2003

After the end of the Kiklos experience in 2004, Giovanni Fusetti continued to work internationally as a teacher, pedagogue and director, during an artistic journey that led him to work as a guest teacher with leading theater companies, universities, schools and training centers in the field of Movement Based Theater, including LISPA (London International School of Performing Arts), Dell’Arte School of Physical Theatre (Blue Lake, California), Cabuia Teatro (Buenos Aires-Argentina), Pig Iron School for Advanced Performance Training (USA), Embodied Poetics (London UK), IIVVSS International Institute of Very Very Serious Studies (Beirut, Lebanon). Giovanni has been invited to teach or lecture at Accademia Teatrale Veneta (Venice), The University of London, Rosegarden Theatre House (Norway), Naropa University (Boulder, Colorado),  Centre Generation Tao (Paris), Princeton University, University of Auckland (NZ), Auckland Unitec (NZ), Toi Wakhaari / New Zealand Drama School (NZ), The University of Colorado (USA), Victoria College of the Arts, (Australia), Stockholm University of the Arts (Sweden).

He has been teaching a summer intensive training on Red Nose clown at The Boulder Circus Center (USA), over the last 15 years.

Giovanni Fusetti has worked as a trainer of Hospital Clowns with Fondazione Thedora (ITALY), New Zealand Clown Doctors, The Humor Foundation (Australia), RDEČI NOSKI (Slovenia), Klinikclowns, (Germany).

In 2010, the urge to reopening a long-term training process led Giovanni to settle in Florence, Tuscany in, becoming the Founding Director of HELIKOS International School of Theatre Creation. At Helikos Giovanni was the pedagogical director and the core teacher in the three-year training program, and he taught Movement Analysis, Improvisation, Theatre Creation and the PAPAS atelier (Personal Awareness Process in Altered States).
In 2015 Helikos moved to Padova, Italy where it offers international trainings and artistic residencies. Giovanni Fusetti currently spends parts of the year in Padova and the rest traveling in various countries teaching and directing.

Giovanni has taught in Italy, France, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia, Norway, Finland, Sweden, USA, Argentina, Lebanon, India, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Studying the Mimodynamic of Penguins, Cape Town , 2008

As a performer, Giovanni has explored movement-based theatre creation with various companies including Circo Crappo, Teatro Osvaldo, The Clod Ensemble (London), Tre Magi Teatro, Il Triangelo, and Larven Teatro. He has worked as movement coach and assistant director for the Commedia dell’Arte company Pantakin da Venezia, and has collaborated with Pig Iron Theatre Company in Philadelphia (US) as trainer and devising consultant. He has directed and co-written clown and bouffons shows with former students and alumni. Recent collaborations include the artistic and pedagogic work with Kimberley Twiner, at the Melbourne Physical Theatre School.

Currently Giovanni focuses mainly on pedagogic practice, research and transmission. He is deeply grateful to all the masters and teachers who has opened the path before him, as well as to all the students who have inspired and enriched his life and quest. His 25 years of pedagogical research include training and practice in Theater in Education, Conflict Resolution, Augusto Boal’s Theatre of the Oppressed, Gestalt Therapy, Body-oriented therapies (Reichian Analysis and Bionergetics) and Process Work.

THEATRE AS INITIATION

 

Since the beginnings of his quest, Giovanni has been integrating in his pedagogy, movement based theater with different practices of physical and emotional awareness, in particular Gestalt,  Reichian Analysis and Process Work, as well as his background in Natural Sciences and Ecology.  His desire is to explore the ancient vision of theatre as a way to individual and collective ecstasy.
Alongside his pedagogic work in training professional theatre artists, Giovanni has worked with children of all ages, homeless persons, activists, teachers, therapists, hospital clowns and human beings in research, using theatre as a pedagogic paradigm of personal healing and poetic awakenings. Red Nose Clown holds a special space in his heart and work: Giovanni is passionate about midwifing clowns and he has coached hundreds of clowns into existence in many countries of the world, both in professional artistic trainings and in healing processes through clown (Tao of Clown, Clown and Gestalt).
 
Trained Permaculture Designer, amateur gardener and ecstatic mushroom hunter, he seeks to be fully alive while on this powerful, fragile and beautiful planet.

The Journey of the Neutral Mask in Nature, Helikos School 2013