“The homeless who camp out and sleep under the arches of the San Carlo theatre, one of Naples' jewels, are emblematic of the degradation of this city”
And with this twittered comment, Italian dancer Roberto Bolle set off an avalanche of angry tweets yesterday. The temperatures throughout a snow-covered Italy are low, and many homeless (though not in Naples' milder climate) have died in the last week.
”It would be better if you danced and didn't speak” wrote one angry Neapolitan. Another added “Dear @RobertoBolle, the “degradation” of a city isn't its homeless people, but VIPs totally deaf to the real problems in a country that is going through hard times”.
Naples' Green party were angry because,
Bolle shows he cares only about the appearance of a city that has always given him a warm welcome.
The tweet was quickly eliminated from the timeline. Bolle responded, saying,
I am sorry to read that my words were misunderstood
and his press office tried to set things straight with a release,
Roberto has always been active on behalf of the needy and has taken part in many solidarity and charity initiatives. The message was misinterpreted. Bolle was struck by the deprived conditions of these less fortunate individuals, who at present are suffering more than anyone else from the snow and ice. Roberto's intention was simply to draw attention to them.
Bolle added,
My attack was not aimed at the homeless, who are most in need of help. This is not part of my sensibility, as I think I have always demonstrated.
The Mayor of Naples joined the fray. Luigi De Magistris assured tweeters,
We are monitoring the problem closely.
To which Bolle replied,
Good to read all the initiatives for the homeless. At this time of cold and crisis, these are more important than ever.
His last tweet was yesterday.
Certainly I expressed myself badly. And in 140 letters it isn't always easy.
Opinion?
It all seems a bit of a storm in a tea cup. Neapolitans themselves complain about the way their city is kept, and anyone who has been to Naples will have seen for themselves that this noble city is spoiled by uncollected rubbish, poorly kept roads and suspicious car park attendants. However a tweet is certainly not the best place to express such opinions, especially if someone is in the public eye. As for the homeless, it seems obvious that Bolle's comments didn't have anything to do with their plight.
So why all the indignation? Well nobody likes house-guest criticising their wallpaper, and Bolle has such a squeaky clean reputation that maybe it was just a good excuse to have a go at him. In a period when jobless levels are rising – especially in Italy's south – a beautiful, successful and well-paid dancer probably grates if you're a middle-aged man who has been made redundant.
Photo: Roberto Bolle's current Twitter profile pic
Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano') about dance, opera, music and photography for people “who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like”. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy.
His scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman's Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the ‘Danza in Italia' column for Dancing Times magazine.
RT @gramilano: Roberto Bolle’s Twitter comment on Naples and the homeless provokes an angry flood of tweets: http://t.co/QnXQGbGl #ballet
I’m not from Italy. So, I’m not entitled to talk about the problems of that country or about its politics. But there is something that caught my eye. Bolle wrote in his Twitter: “Certainly I expressed myself badly. And in 140 letters it isn’t always easy”.
What happen with this man every time he speaks? There is always a misunderstood around his words. Some years ago, a misunderstood about his private life. Now, a new misunderstood about his thoughts about the situation of homeless people. As I said before, I couldn’t opine about the problems of Italy and I won’t do it. But I can’t help noticing that Bolle always seems to end up tangled in his own words. Nobody could deny he’s talented and he’s involved in humanitarian causes but apparently, he can’t speak properly (in French or even in his own language). Maybe he should do only what he knows: dancing (and avoid speaking). Every time he speaks about something different from art, he ends up having problems. Silence about certain serious topics seems to be a better choice, for the sake of him.
Besides, Twitter is not the best setting to talk about poverty and the death of homeless people due to the cold of this winter.
He was only expressing the obvious….let`s face it , a lot of Italian cities look worse than some of our Negro slums in the United States. Went to Milan last October for the wonderful “Raymonda” by the La Scala Ballet – the city has become a run-down , graffiti-covered mess. Arriving by train from Munich and entering the vandalized Central Station , one is struck by the condition of the railway tracks…covered with junk and garbage…and what was worse was the behavior of the Milanese – snotty….unfriendly….and arrogant . How far the country of Michelangelo – the center of Western Culture has fallen…sad ! As for Mr. Bolle – it is time for him to hang up his dancing shoes – film and modeling calls…..
Hey , Gramilano……..I thought censorship went out with Il Duce ! Who cares…I just had some fun…your site is a waste of time – Spaghetti Boy !
What’s with the censorship? Glad you wasted your time on the site – your comments are bound to get some people worked up! Thanks. Oh yes, PS: I’m a Londoner so you’ll need to modify the Spaghetti Boy tag 😉
Garmilano,
Apologies for the Spaghetti remark…..
Waste of time ? Since I`m retired , I have a lot of time to waste…..and troll the net looking for sites on ballet and opera…….So sad to read about the state of ballet in Italy..and the lack of English dancers at the Royal Ballet…..one nutcase leaves…and they have to import a body-builder from ABT….what`s worse is the hype regarding such circus performers as Ivan Vasiliev…why doesn`t ABT just present evenings of such circus acts…and forget about giving their lousy versions of the classics…and the geriatric audience at the Met would awaken from their slumbers, as they have no interest in ballet as an art form……It could be worse – one could live in Hamburg and see wonderful dancers wasted on Neumeiers` latest tripe….But at least there is promise – Wheeldon . But his “Alice in Wonderland” seems like something from Neumeier , but one hopes…..