A brand-new initiative to celebrate Italian hospitality, adopted for the first time as part of the 2024 Vicenza NID Platform. It will be an informal event where international as well as national professionals and Italian choreographers can enjoy or a tasty aperitif. They will have a chance to create a dialogue that can lead to potential shared projects that would go beyond the mere co-production or programming of a show. This is the philosophy behind the Happy hours with the Artists, which will take place over a number of days at the upper foyer of the Teatro Comunale Città di Vicenza. After viewing the Open Studios, the shows in the Programming section and Out-of-Format, the professionals will therefore be able to personally talk with the Italian artists presented by the 2024 Vicenza NID Platform, thanks to a timeslot specifically dedicated to this. A pleasant break from the tight schedule of the platform, during which NIDgoers can take their time and get to know one another, and while having a drink they can ask the italian artists directly information on the creations showcased before and come up with new projects. The host Carmelo A. Zapparrata, dance critic and scholar who for many years has been following the NID Platform in its various editions, will be tasked with “breaking the ice” and helping the professionals and Italian artists in attendance get to know one another.