Sanremo 2022, Laccio: “The art of building a scene around an artist”

A memory that takes shape and color through many small stars that, slowly, begin to light up to compose a story; a framework first shrouded in darkness and then uncovered as if it were a box filled with dormant desires and unexpected wonders. This is the show to which Lace, born Emanuele Cristofoli, he thought to accompany the performance of Laura Pausini in Sanremo on the notes of Boxher latest hit written for her by Madame, a song through which the adult Laura meets the child Laura, suggesting the right way to go, making her way through the constellation of memories and emotions that, during the performance, managed to surround the its silhouette. “I told her that, instead of closing ourselves in a box, it would have been nice to imagine opening it, thinking of a Shanghai that has fallen harmoniously”, says Laccio, one of the most promising young artistic directors and choreographers on the square, on the phone from Sanremo, explaining that Pausini’s live performance did not follow her from the Ariston, but from the Green Room. The same place where, probably, thehomage to Raffaella Carrà that we will see in Sanremo during the final on Saturday 5th February.

How come?
«I didn’t want to go into the theater because it created tension in me: I preferred to watch it on TV as they would have watched it from home. A live performance is always a question mark, but the more the minutes went on, the more the anxiety turned into emotion ».

He played a lot on the idea of ​​the box opening.
«I am a lover of architecture and lights, so it was logical for me to imagine opening it, with these light bars that light up and tell a story. Laura’s story ».

Don’t you think that, after all, all live performances by an artist equate to opening a box?
«It is important to make it clear that we must not underestimate the aesthetic aspect of a performance and that you can work with your imagination to create emotions in a different way. In America they know it, and Laura caught this spirit: she wanted me to build around her a scene that belonged to her ».

In Italy something, in this sense, is slowly moving, don’t you think?
“TO X Factor I had the opportunity to play and test myself: it is a point of reference because it allows you to bring out that kind of language. As time passes, artists increasingly feel the need to approach this type of communication ».

Why did it take us so long, in your opinion?
“Maybe there was a lack of courage, and there was the fear of making a mistake. In the past, mistakes have been made and, perhaps, we were afraid to repeat them. However, it is a commitment: with Laura we said to ourselves that she will be an example to many. It can be done”.

Your first contact with Laura was in America, right?
“By coincidence I was in New York, I read that Laura was live at Radio City Music Hall and I went to see her. After the concert, I chose not to join her in the dressing room because I wanted to stay with this image etched in her eyes. When she called me to tell me that she was going to Sanremo and that she wanted to go there with my idea, I couldn’t believe it. “

In Sanremo he will have crossed paths with Måneskin: their staging at Saturday Night Live she took care of it.
“They needed a hand, they wanted to sign their performance somehow. I worked remotely, sending ideas, and we did it ».