Q&A

When did you start dancing?
When I was 10 years old.

Why did you start dancing?
It was my mother's idea.

Which dancer inspired you most as a child?
Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Which dancer do you most admire?
Carlos Acosta.

What's your favourite role?
Basilio in Don Quixote.

What role have you never played but would like to?
Solor, in La Bayadère; Spartacus.

What's your favourite ballet to watch?
Giselle.

Who is your favourite choreographer?
Sir Kenneth MacMillan.

Who is your favourite writer?
Omero.

Who is your favourite theatre or cinema director?
Ridley Scott.

Who is your favourite actor?
Totò (Antonio de Curtis); Al Pacino.

Who is your favourite singer?
Jim Morrison

What is your favourite book?

Odissea.

What is your favourite film?
The Gladiator.

Which is your favourite city?
Rome or London.

What do you like most about yourself?
My tenacity.

What do you dislike about yourself?
My impatience.

What was your proudest moment?
During the final bows of Don Quixote, at Bucharest Opera, seeing all audience standing to applaud me for several minutes.

When and where were you happiest?
Graduation day at the Cuban National Ballet School.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
My daughter.

What is your greatest fear?
The fact of not being able to dance forever.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Jajaja, my bank account!!!

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
With my physical gifts? …becoming a ballet dancer.

What is your most treasured possession?
My movie collection.

What is your greatest extravagance?
In the wings, I touch the floor and make the sign of the cross before entering in stage.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Physical strength.

On what occasion do you lie?
When I don't want to do something that I do not like.

If you hadn't been a dancer what would you have liked to be?
An acclaimed chef!

What is your most marked characteristic?
Friendliness.

What quality do you most value in a friend?
Intelligence.

What quality do you most value in a colleague?
The determination and respect.

Which historical figure do you most admire?
Ulisse.

Which living person do you most admire?
Pope Francis (Jorge Mario Bergoglio).

What do you most dislike?
Arrogance.

What talent would you most like to have?
To be able to compose music.

What's your idea of perfect happiness?
It doesn't exist! For dancers there are more difficult moments than happy ones.

How would you like to die?
Dreaming!!!

What is your motto?
“I do not try to dance better than anyone else. I only try to dance better than myself.” – Mikhail Baryshnikov

Vittorio Galloro was born in Naples, and trained at the Teatro San Carlo school in Naples directed by Anna Razzi. In 1997 he transferred to the National Ballet School of Cuba where he graduated as a dancer and teacher.

In 1997 he took part in the International Ballet Competition in Havana and won the silver medal. In the same year he won the silver medal at the International Ballet Competition Vignale Danza (Italy). A year later, he took part again in the International Ballet Competition in Havana, where he won the silver medal in his category, and the best couple prize.

In 2001 he received the silver medal in the Premio Roma, and in 2003 he participated in the same competition gaining the bronze medal. In 2008 he participated in the Rudolf Nureyev Competition in Budapest where he received the special jury prize.

He has worked as a principal dancer with the National Ballet of Cuba, The European Ballet in London, and the Classical Ballet Company in Reggio Emilia; as a soloist with the Opera in Budapest, and Prague National Ballet, and principal guest soloist for Introdans Netherlands.

He has danced in more than one hundred theatres around the world, participating in galas in Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, Santo Domingo and Mongolia, and in 2008 he danced in Budapest Opera's Gala Tribute to Rudolf Nureyev.

Since 2010 Vittorio has appeared in the Glory of Ballet II gala in Erfurt Germany, the Gala of Dance Talent in Venice, Thank you Rudy gala in Milan and at the Versiliana, Gran Ballet Gala in Rome, Gala of Stars at the Spoleto Festival (directed by Alberto Testa and Alessandra Ferri), International Ballet Festival of Miami, Grand Gala of Dance in Salerno, Turin Ballet Gala, Dance Benefit Gala for the Ardt Foundation in Amsterdam, Gala di Stelle in Ascoli, Rome and Cremona (directed by Raffaele Paganini e Carla Fracci), Basilio in Don Quixote in a gala for Rome Opera Ballet, the Gala de Danza Brazil in Poulina, the closing gala of the International Ballet Competition in Spoleto 2012, the closing gala for the Bucharest International Competition 2013, the Levante Dance Festival, the Valencia International Ballet Gala, and the National Slovenian Ballet Gala .

For the Tenerife Ballet he danced the Nutcracker Prince and the third act pas de deux from Sleeping Beauty in Tchaikovsky Passion, Basilio in Don Quixote for the Bucharest Opera Ballet, Macedonian Opera and Ballet, Rousse State Opera Ballet in Bulgaria and National Ballet of Sofia, where he also appeared as Albrecht in Giselle.

In August 2013 Vittorio received the Career Award from Carla Fracci at the Premio Capri International 2013, and the Career Award during the Passi di Talento festival at Montecatini City in September.

He is currently an international guest principal dancer in many European Opera Houses: Rome, Bucharest, Sofia, Perm, Rousse and Macedonia.

Gramilano( Editor )

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.