The annual orgy of dance that kicks off the year in Rome, known as Les Étoiles, began in 2015 with an evening in the Auditorium della Conciliazione near the Vatican with its 1,700 seats. The gala has grown to occupy three days in the Auditorium Parco della Musica with its 2,800 seats. The reason for its astounding popularity is that it never disappoints. From the first outing, … [Read more...] about Les Étoiles for three days shone over Rome
Alicia Alonso
Les Étoiles Gala in Rome 2020 features the ballet world’s starriest names with some surprises
The annual appointment with Les Étoiles in Rome is certainly a chance to enjoy a thrilling ballet gala, but the producer Daniele Cipriani also finds interesting twists to make each edition unique, so it never becomes a clichéd evening of ballet’s greatest hits. Such was the popularity last year, that the gala will spread over three days to satisfy those who were turned away … [Read more...] about Les Étoiles Gala in Rome 2020 features the ballet world’s starriest names with some surprises
Interview with Alicia Alonso at 95: my dancing is my most eloquent testament
I was fascinated by dance when I was very young, and after my first lesson I said to my mother, “This is what I want to do!” From that moment on it has been my life. I have had problems with my sight throughout my career, though it has never been total blindness. I found ways to dance so that audiences were not aware of it… I didn’t want their sympathy. I had the first … [Read more...] about Interview with Alicia Alonso at 95: my dancing is my most eloquent testament
Ek, Laguna, Mercy and Linke in Rome: over 200 years of dance experience
For two nights from tomorrow in Rome there is the possibility to attend a most unusual dance gala. While there are only four taking part, their ages combined total 266 years. The dancers are Mats Ek, Ana Laguna, Susanne Linke and Dominique Mercy, Laguna being the youngest of the quartet at just sixty. Playing on the politically correct term “differently abled”, the programme … [Read more...] about Ek, Laguna, Mercy and Linke in Rome: over 200 years of dance experience
Russian ballerina Maya Plisetskaya dies at 89
Maya Plisetskaya died of a heart attack today in Munich. She was 89. The director of the Bolshoi Ballet, Vladimir Urin, said, She died of a severe heart attack. The doctors tried everything, but there was nothing they could do. Mikhail Shvydkoi, former Russian Minister of Culture, said, I always thought that Plisetskaya would live forever. We were preparing to celebrate her … [Read more...] about Russian ballerina Maya Plisetskaya dies at 89