Commedia Divina – The tragedy of nature by Dancers of North Dance Company

The interpretation of Dante’s Divine Comedy by the Dancers of North stages the poet’s journey through the three transitional realms of Hell, Purgatory, and Paradise through the lens of climate change.

Dante’s iconic literary work Commedia Divina constitutes a contemporary and haunting environmental allegory, reflecting the tragedy of nature. The performance masterfully depicts humanity’s inextricable connection with the natural world. The poet’s journey through the three kingdoms of the dead in the Catholic cosmology includes “exploratory” descriptions of the afterlife. In parallel, modern communities today feel the weight of environmental pressure and seek a way forward, just as the poet seeks his exit. Transitioning from the overheated Hell to Purgatory, where nature “normalizes,” the journey culminates in Paradise—the ultimate harmony and the reconnection of humanity with nature.