Artist talk – Angela Bettoni
Malta
My Art, My Voice: Rethinking How We See Disability on Stage
In this presentation, Angela Bettoni, a Malta-based performer, writer and advocate with Down Syndrome, will talk about her journey in navigating the stage as an artist with an intellectual disability. She will also share some experiences of international training/performing opportunities she has had in Germany, Greece, Italy, Sri Lanka, Sweden and UK, and lessons learned, which can be valuable for those wishing to integrate dancers/movers with learning disabilities. Angela will also share some findings from her BA degree dissertation research on “Representation for people with learning disabilities in the performing arts in Malta”, together with learning gained from her current course of study at the University of Malta, the Higher Diploma in Community Access for Disabled People. She will conclude with some recommendations on what is needed to empower people with learning disabilities and increase their opportunities for professional work in the performing arts, encouraging the audience to ask themselves how emphasizing shared values and an ethics of care can create more inclusive access for practitioners with varied needs and experiences, resulting in improved equity.
The talk will be held in English
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