Press

“A veteran of message-based performance in unconventional places, Cattaneo dances beside fuel pumps for unsuspecting motorists who compose her surprised audience. “If I set up my art in front of people’s TVs, then that’s one way that maybe they’d see it. A gas station is the next best thing,” Cattaneo explains. The message is consciousness. The method is movement and music in and around a trashcan.”
Juliane Poirier/ Bohemian August 2009

“Touching, poignant.” “When she stared up at the balloons attached to her wrists and ankles, you wished for her to rise and float home or to wherever she longed to go.”
Kris Eitland/Dance Review San Diego Dot Com April 2008

“Beautiful, grotesque, culminating with an enlightenment that grabs hold of the viewer to allow retrospection and therefore, to grapple with a new understanding of being.” “It is this network in the making that I believe will arouse others to speak up, stand up, and cease to look the other way as we have entered our fifth year in the war. The arts, however sparsely funded, can transcend and bring people together, urging them to form a community or produce a voice of their own. The performance and company calls attention to the
fact that this generation is beginning to awaken from our spoon fed reality TV coma and our technology culture is moving towards becoming apart of something that may be the beginning of a socially active
community that echo the counter cultures of the past. A noble step towards a generation that will not be pacified by our fancy cars and ipods, but urge the masses to use our resources to point our fingers and shout, that’s not right.”
April Joseph/Dance Review SF WCities March 2008

“Watching was like reading a poem that I knew had complex layers of meaning and yet realizing that I was barely scratching the surface of understanding. Cattaneo’s choreography was progressive and beautiful, the
movements evocative and strong. The costumes and backdrops selected were very simple and sparse, so as not to detract any attention away from the artists.”
Amabel Poblador/ Dance Review SF WCities March 2008

“Thoughtful, fun and nuanced by beautiful movers who know what they are doing. The pieces themselves are quite distinct, and each one grapples with different choreographic and emotional issues. The use of props makes sense and they don’t take the place of physical invention.”
Rita Felciano/ Dance Critic San Francisco Bay Guardian February 2008

“Creepy but unforgettable.” “Guests provided the most finished dances and the most memorable performances, starting with Liliana Cattaneo’s solo “Cocytus”, which found her rising from inside a plastic trash barrel, dripping wet, her tattooed limbs gleaming as they led her into ever more amazing contortions.”
Lewis Segal/ Los Angeles Times Dance Review June 2006

“Gasps of awe and even a few shivers.”
Barbara Henry/ North County Times March 2006

” San Diego’s East Village experienced a revitalization of sorts, and it wasn’t another high-rise condo building. The idea behind Off the Grid, is to advance art through collaboration across genres. The resulting synergy from this interdisciplinary approach of visual artists, dancers and musicians all coming together under one roof promotes the exchange of ideas and emergence of new work. The location of the performance, The Transmission Garage, is literally off the grid- referring in engineer speak, to being taken out of the system of power lines and energy. All of the lighting and power needed for the event was imported, supplied by generators. The event was a last hurrah of sorts for the building that, like so many in the East Village that have shared the same fate, is slated for demolition and redevelopment. The event overall was successful in promoting the arts in San Diego, said Cattaneo, who warns of the consequences of artists not coming together to support one another. “These days, where there is no art funding or cultural value system that places art above other commodities, it is critical that artists collectively gather in support of art’s existence. Freedom. Revolution. These words are long gone in a town that’s building condos instead of art. Artists are moving out of town, or can’t find the resources to create. We have to work together more than ever. It’s been blood, sweat and tears to put on a show like this that lasted merely two nights. But if we don’t do it, who else will?” continued Cattaneo.”
Loralee Olejnik/ San Diego Downtown News November 2005

“Edgy, eerily disturbing, totally engrossing, and the audience loved it. Cattaneo’s distinctive style of choreography makes for a dance performance that is often raw, captivating and visceral.”
Jennifer Chung/ San Diego Daily Transcript February 2004

“Cattaneo isn’t the kind of dancer who’d end up, in say, a proper ballet company. She’s too tall, too exotic and too tattooed. On stage, performances unfold fluidly, flawlessly, effortlessly, every detail perfectly choreographed. Lavish sets and costumes were nowhere to be found. Yet with no superfluous assistance they told a story wrought with emotion. At the end, the audience cheered enthusiastically. The dancers,
sweaty and exhausted, looked absolutely elated. But even without this nod of public approval, they’d keep dancing. It’s just what they do.”
N. Reed/ Fahrenheit February 2004

“Cattaneo’s work really stood out.”
Jennifer de Poyen/ The San Diego Union Tribune September 2004

“The movement is beautiful and risky, but never tips into the gimmicky realm of so much contemporary aerial performance. This show confirms the impression that Cattaneo is a burgeoning talent to be watched and nurtured as she continues to discover her choreographic identity.”
Jennifer de Poyen/ San Diego Union Tribune October 2004

“Cattaneo’s choreography is mesmerizing. At 25, her choreography already has a distinct style that is all her own. A style that seems to be exciting dance audiences throughout San Diego.”
Kendall Klug/ SD Theatre Scene Dot Com September 2004

“An ingenious use of a shoestring-budget set.”
Janice Steinberg/ The San Diego Union Tribune February 2002

One of ‘The Top Five’ choreographers to watch this year
Jennifer de Poyen/ San Diego Union Tribune March 2001

“At such a young age, Cattaneo’s future in dance is wide open.”
Rebecca Kimitch/ The Beacon March 2001

“Interesting work from this dance-maker on the make. Cattaneo displayed a fresh choreographic voice. Her developing style, which, at its best, exhibits a refreshing irreverence.”
Jennifer Poyen/ The San Diego Union Tribune March 2000

“Cattaneo’s talents lay in being able to go embark on theatrical tangents without losing the impact of her message, or the fluidity and cohesion of the performance.”
Pat Sherman/ Gay & Lesbian Times March 2000

“Cattaneo is of the newest breed of San Diego talent that is emerging from a place of incubation and into its place in the sun.”"
Jennifer Griffith/ Downtown Magazine February 2000

“I was particularly struck by the athleticism and imagination in the dances performed by Cattaneo.”
Brian McMahon/ The Beacon October 1997