Les Étoiles 2026 in Milan 11-12 April with 2 new guests: Natalia Osipova and Aurélie Dupont
Les Étoiles, the well-known gala format seen across Italy, returns to the Teatro degli Arcimboldi in Milan this weekend – on 11 April at 9 pm and on 12 April at 5 pm.
Unfortunately, Marianela Nuñez, who was to have danced with Patricio Revé, will not be present due to an injury sustained a few weeks ago on stage during a performance of Giselle. However, two new Étoiles will join the lineup: from the Paris Opera Ballet, Aurélie Dupont (11 April) and from The Royal Ballet in London, Natalia Osipova (12 April).
Aurélie Dupont will perform, alongside Hugo Marchand (who was already in the lineup), the ‘flying kiss’ pas de deux from Angelin Preljocaj‘s Le Parc. Natalia Osipova will perform Ashes, a moving solo tailored for her by the English choreographer Jason Kittelberger.
Nuñez said,
I am truly sorry I cannot participate in the Les Étoiles Gala this year. Following the fall I experienced a few weeks ago on stage during Giselle, I am still managing the inflammation in my back. On the advice of my medical team, I need to proceed cautiously and focus on one ballet at a time to prevent the injury from worsening. I will miss performing for my wonderful Italian audience very much and I look forward to returning to you all soon. To the Les Étoiles team and my wonderful partner for this gala, Patricio Revé, I extend my sincerest apologies for this last-minute change. I understand the impact this may have on each of you and I am very grateful for your understanding. With love, Nela x
The other dancers in the gala are Davide Dato (Vienna State Opera) and Cassandra Trenary (Vienna State Opera, former principal with American Ballet Theatre), Hugo Marchand (Opéra National de Paris), and Tatiana Melnik and Motomi Kiyota (Hungarian National Ballet). Alongside them are the Spanish star Sergio Bernal, an integral presence at the Les Étoiles galas, as well as Sasha Riva and Simone Repele (Riva & Repele, Geneva), the resident choreographers of Daniele Cipriani Entertainment. The cast is enriched by the exceptional participation of Luciana Savignano, a legendary name in Italian ballet.
Nineteenth and twentieth-century fare will be seen alongside contemporary works. Most dancers will perform in two contrasting pieces. Le Corsaire and The Talisman (Melnik/Kiyota), Marcelo Gomes’s AfterEffect (Trenary/Dato), a ballet never before seen in Italy, a pas de deux from Giselle (Trenary/Dato), and Jerome Robbins’ A Suite of Dances (Marchand with Bach’s Cello Suites played by Martina Lopez Smuraglia).
Sergio Bernal will dance two of his own creations: Racheo and Rodin. Riva & Repele – who created the ballet Amore e Psiche, which inaugurated the opening ceremony of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics – will reinterpret a classic in their White Swan Pas de Deux, a story of a meeting in old age between seasoned lovers who are passionate yet fragile, as well as a fun piece called DonQ. The pair have also created a piece for Luciana Savignano, Hymne à l’amour, sung not by Edith Piaf but by Celine Dion, recorded during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This 22nd edition of Les Étoiles is a tribute to Luciana Savignano, one of Italy’s greatest ballerinas, whose stage debut at La Scala dates back to the 1960s.
Les Étoiles 2027 returns to the Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone, Sala Santa Cecilia on
Saturday 13 March 2027 at 9 pm and Sunday 14 March 2027 at 5 pm.
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.
Let’s hope Osipova, who is dancing in Mayerling at Covent Garden on Saturday 11th, doesn’t fall foul of the newly-introduced EES border check arrangements on 12th or Milan’s in for a second Royal Ballet no-show
I’m sure Osipova is a frequent flyer and will have all that sorted by now. But I find performing in Mayerling in London, then catching an early plane to Milan for a matinee performance, quite a feat!