Review: Don Quixote at La Scala with Alice Mariani and Mattia Semperboni
Graham Spicer sees La Scala Ballet in Nureyev’s production of Don Quixote featuring sparkling performances under the magical baton of Gavriel Heine.
Alice Mariani
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(A few) International Dance Day events – 29 April 2026
Emails about many initiatives have arrived in gramilano’s inbox over the last few days for International Dance Day – 29 April 2026. Here is a selection.
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Navrin Turnbull is appointed Principal Dancer at Teatro alla Scala
After last night’s performance of Sleeping Beauty at La Scala, soloist Navrin Turnbull was promoted to the role of Principal Dancer in the company.
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Review: The Magnificent Return of Serata William Forsythe at La Scala – Blake Works V
Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel and Graham Spicer see performances of William Forsythe’s Blake Works V at La Scala – a truly magnificent production.
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Review: English National Ballet’s R:Evolution – a beautiful dance down memory lane
Lucía Piquero sees English National Ballet’s mixed bill with a “company full of energy and vision, galvanised through dancers you cannot stop looking at”.
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Review: Nureyev’s Swan Lake at La Scala with Alice Mariani and Navrin Turnbull
Graham Spicer sees Swan Lake at La Scala – one of Rudolf Nureyev’s most successful choreographies.
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Review: La Scala Ballet in Pierre Lacotte’s Paquita – a triumph for Nicoletta Manni
Graham Spicer sees Paquita at La Scala – a tribute to choreographer Pierre Lacotte, who died in 2023, but it was Nicoletta Manni’s night.
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Review: From Cacti to Angelic Forms, an Evening of Contemporary Authors at the Rome Opera
Marta Mele sees Dawson / León-Lightoot / Ekman at the Rome Opera House, a choreographic journey that seems to go backwards in time, asking us to question the ultimate nature of dance.
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Review: Gala Fracci 2025 – Marianela Nuñez and Reece Clarke join La Scala Ballet to celebrate Carla Fracci
Graham Spicer sees Gala Fracci, La Scala’s annual festa to celebrate the great Italian ballerina Carla Fracci who died in 2021, now in its fourth edition.
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Review: Peer Gynt at La Scala – an outstanding, spellbinding performance
Graham Spicer sees La Scala Ballet in Edward Clug’s Peer Gynt that demonstrates the breadth of the company’s talent, with an impressive Navrin Turnbull in the title role.
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Review: Alice Marini and Roberto Bolle in a new Carmen in ‘Kratz / Preljocaj / De Bana’, La Scala’s contemporary triple bill
Graham Spicer sees works by Philippe Kratz, Angelin Preljocaj, and Patrick de Bana in an uneven triple bill.
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A new Carmen at La Scala – Roberto Bolle and Nicoletta Manni star in Patrick de Bana’s new work
Carmen is Patrick de Bana’s first work created for La Scala Ballet and has Nicoletta Manni as Carmen and Roberto Bolle as Don José.
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Review: Rudolf Nureyev’s The Nutcracker at La Scala – outstanding five-star dancing
Graham Spicer sees Rudolf Nureyev’s The Nutcracker at La Scala – some odd dramatic choices but the company has never looked so good.
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Review: La Scala dances Balanchine and Robbins – mesmerising beauty and charm
Graham Spicer sees La Scala Ballet’s triple bill with George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations and Dances at a Gathering and The Concert by Jerome Robbins.
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news | dance | recordings
Two ballets by Jerome Robbins to be live-streamed from La Scala on 12 November
Jerome Robbins’ ballets Dances at a Gathering and The Concert will be live-streamed from La Scala.
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Review: La Dame aux camélias at La Scala – Cojocaru, Coviello, Manni, Bolle
Graham Spicer sees John Neumeier’s La Dame aux camélias with wonderful performances from two casts but gets itchy for it to end.
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Reece Clarke and Myriam Ould-Braham are last-minute guests at La Scala
After injuries during La Bayadère at La Scala, the company has had to invite last-minute guests to complete the casting in Manon.
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Review – La Bayadère at La Scala with Nicoletta Manni and Kimin Kim
Kimin Kim debuts as Solor in La Bayadère at La Scala, with étoile Nicoletta Manni, to thunderous applause.
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[Review] La Scala’s Gala Fracci shows a company in spectacular form
Gala Fracci at La Scala has reached its third edition – an annual gala dedicated to the great Italian ballerina Carla Fracci who died in 2021.
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Rudolf Nureyev’s Bayadère returns to La Scala with Kimin Kim guesting
Rudolf Nureyev’s production of La Bayadère returns to La Scala for 10 performances from 26 May to 21 June, with Kimin Kim making a guest appearance.
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La Scala Ballet returns to China – on tour to Hong Kong and Shanghai
La Scala Ballet returns to China with eight performances of two ballets from 15 to 24 March.
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[Review] Contemporary dance triple bill at La Scala – Simone Valastro’s spectacular Memento will not be forgotten
Graham Spicer sees La Scala’s “Smith/León and Lightfoot/Valastro” contemporary dance triple bill in Milan [Review + photo album].
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A new triple bill of contemporary choreographers at La Scala
From 7 to 18 February, a new triple bill of contemporary choreographers at La Scala: Garrett Smith, Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, and Simone Valastro.
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[Review] Alexei Ratmansky’s Coppélia for La Scala Ballet – endlessly inventive with extraordinarily good storytelling
Alexei Ratmansky’s beautifully judged version of Coppélia for La Scala Ballet is traditional but with many delightful surprises [review + 100-photo album]
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Alexei Ratmansky’s new Coppélia opens La Scala’s Ballet Season (in streaming)
A large gallery of photographs from the dress rehearsal of Alexei Ratmansky’s new version of Coppélia for La Scala with Jérôme Kaplan’s set and costume designs.
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[Review] Romeo and Juliet at La Scala with Alice Mariani and Nicola Del Freo
A gripping revival of Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet at La Scala with Alice Mariani (an intense actress) and Nicola Del Freo (on top form).
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The second edition of the Carla Fracci gala arrives at La Scala
After the resounding success of the Gala Carla Fracci now, two years after her death, comes the second edition of what will be an annual gala in her honour.
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[Review] Le Corsaire at La Scala – if it ain’t broke, why try to fix it?
La Scala replaces Anna-Marie Holmes’s version of Le Corsaire with that of the Milanese company’s director, Manuel Legris.
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[Review] An avalanche of debuts in Onegin at La Scala
Many debuts in Onegin at La Scala saw some exciting and many promising performances, even if many of the dancers lack the magic spark.
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[Photo Album] Onegin at La Scala with Roberto Bolle and Marianela Nuñez
Photo album of this year’s rehearsals for Onegin at La Scala and the last production onstage in 2019.
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