La Scala dancers Petra Conti and Eris Nezha, a couple on and off-stage, are promoted to first dancers on the Bolshoi stage
Last night, after the final performance of the George Balanchine’s ballet A Midsummer Night’s Dream by the Teatro alla Scala company at the newly restored Bolshoi Theatre, two of the company’s youngest dancers were promoted to primi ballerini (first dancers).
La Scala ballet’s director Makhar Vaziev (ex-director of the Mariinsky) has been grooming the pair for a while, their first big break being a Giselle two seasons ago. The news is particularly touching as the dancers are a couple offstage as well as being partners frequently in front of an audience.
The photo was taken on stage as the pair took in the news, and Sig.na Conti placed it on her Facebook profile.
In bocca al lupo!
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
