Syndesi (Connection) – Douglas Comley

Malta

The performance will be followed by an open discussion with the audience.

Syndesi is an exploratory, interdisciplinary performance. It is led by Angela Bettoni, a performer and writer with Down Syndrome, together with Kaylie Magri and Douglas Comley. The initial research stage in Malta included the participation of dancer Luke Bugeja Gauci and musician Noah Fabri as collaborators and was funded by Arts Council Malta.

The piece is based on writing by Angela and collaborators and explores intimacy in platonic friendships through dance and physical theatre, and audience response – especially to interactions between disabled and non-disabled performers. Research suggests attitudes are shaped by individual and societal values, and Syndesi aims to explore how Greek/international audiences perceive this through a site-responsive work. The work combines music, movement, dance, and physical theatre. The performance looks at how gesture, touch, and movement can communicate platonic affection on stage, and how audiences engage with these expressions.

Credits
Douglas Comley – choreographer
Angela Bettoni – writer and dancer
Kaylie Magri – writer and music/physical theatre

The Malta project prior to the festival includes dancer Luke Bugeja Gauci and musician Noah Fabri.

Duration: 25 min.
Trailer: 

Douglas Comley

Douglas Comley is an experienced performer, director, and choreographer whose career spans three decades across Malta, the UK, and Europe. As a performer, he has worked with a wide range of contemporary dance companies, including Theatre Anon Malta (2024), Bodies in Urban Spaces under Austrian director Willi Dorner (2012), Carlson Dance Company in Wales (2006), Welsh Independent Dance with Charlotte Vincent (2005), X-CELL Dance Company (2003), Vincent Dance Theatre (2000), Daghdha Dance Company in Ireland (1998), Diversions Dance Company for the television film Trodio Mesur Amser (1996), Attik Dance Company (1995), and Nexus Dance Company with choreographer Nigel Charnock (1995).
As a director and choreographer, Comley has led numerous long-term projects. He directed and choreographed integrated theatre productions for ŻiguŻajg in collaboration with Opening Doors between 2020 and 2025. He was the founding director of Dynion Male Dance (1996–2016) and led Fractal Dance Company (1996–2000), creating work for BBC Television with the National Orchestra of Wales and performing at Portugal’s Evento 98 festival. He also directed the County Youth Dance Company Wales from 2000 to 2015.
His large-scale choreography includes opening ceremonies for CHOGM Malta (2015), the World Gymnaestrada in Austria (2007), the Commonwealth Games in Manchester (2002), and the Rugby World Cup (1999).

Kaylie Magri

Kaylie Magri is a versatile Maltese performer whose work spans theatre, production management, and vocal performance. She developed her artistic practice through an Erasmus+ exchange at the University of Exeter, where she studied Drama and gained experience in contemporary theatre-making. During her time there, she served as Stage Manager for We Are Off to Find a Fairy, a puppetry production created within the Puppetry and Object Theatre module and assisted in production management for Kif Tgħallimt Insuq. She later continued this role with Dù Theatre’s 2025 staging of the same work.
Her training includes Studio18’s Acting Programme, Contemporary Theatre Making, and a Stanislavski workshop with Julian Jones. Alongside her theatre background, Kaylie has cultivated strong vocal foundations. She holds a Rockschool Trinity College Theory of Music Grade 3 (Distinction) and has studied singing since 2011, including ensemble work with Kor Għanja tal-Poplu, VocalBooth Choir, and harmony training with Joshua Alamu.
Her performance experience includes international competitions in Romania and Switzerland, the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, and the Ultimate Artists Gala Night in London. Most recently, she appeared as an ensemble member in Musical Matchup: The Who’s Who Cabaret?, continuing to expand her presence in Malta’s performance scene.

Angela Bettoni

Angela Bettoni is a performer, writer and advocate with Down Syndrome, whose work bridges artistic practice, disability advocacy, and international collaboration. She holds a BA in Creative Arts, where her dissertation examined how people with learning disabilities are represented within Malta’s performing arts landscape. She has an Advanced Diploma in Performing Arts (MCAST, Malta) and Diploma in Community Access for Disabled People (University of Malta). Her artistic development has been shaped by involvement with Opening Doors Association Malta, an organization that provides training in arts to disabled adults, and international training opportunities, including a five-week danceWEB scholarship to the ImpulsTanz Festival in Vienna, residencies and Erasmus programmes in Venice, London, Sweden and Greece, including with Skanes Dansteatre, and inclusive companies Chickenshed Theatre and Stopgap Dance Company, UK. Angela has performed in mixed-ability work across Malta, Italy, Germany, Sweden and Sri Lanka, appearing solo/duet/trio performances, and has performed at Dance Festival Malta and Venere in Teatro Dance Festival Italy. She received a University of Malta Social Commitment Award for contribution to the arts industry (2024) and a JCI Malta (Junior Chamber International) Ten Outstanding Young Persons (TOYP) Award for her advocacy work on inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities (2022).
www.angelabettoni.net