Giuseppe Picone is appointed head of the Naples ballet company

Giuseppe Picone has been appointed the new Director of the Ballet Company of the prestigious Teatro San Carlo in Naples. A panel consisting of Anna Razzi, Mauricio Weinrot and Eric Vu-An chose Picone who, by elegant coincidence, was born in Naples. A homecoming.

40-year-old Picone seems precisely at the right point in his career to assume such a position after his years as principal dancer with the English National Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. The fact that the post is also in his hometown is a wonderful serendipity.

I asked him what it meant.

It is such a pleasure to be able to direct the corps de ballet of Teatro San Carlo. I was born in Naples and I took my first steps in this, the most beautiful theatre in the world.

So what are his plans?

Without doubt I will aim towards a high quality of work and move the theatre to have a higher national and international profile. I’m going home!!!

END

Gramilano Editor

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 Italian ballerina 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.