Don Quixote

Balletto di Roma in Io, Don Chisciotte: compact yet powerful storytelling

16 March 2020 by gramilano Leave a Comment

The Balletto di Roma’s take on Don Quixote – Io, Don Chisciotte (I, Don Quixote) – is a thoroughly successful reimagining of the story that uses the Minkus ballet score for an hour of compact yet powerful storytelling. The Balletto di Roma is not to be confused with the Rome Opera Ballet: it is a contemporary dance group, founded sixty years ago in Italy’s capital.

The choreographer is Fabrizio Monteverde, who, at the age of 56 in 2014, surprisingly decided to retire to Cuba “in search of a new creative space”. His return was because he felt he had something to say with this tale of outsiders.

Eleonora Abbagnato: Rome Opera Ballet is at an international level through my enthusiasm and dedication

9 August 2019 by gramilano Leave a Comment

Of course, it was not a simple path and fraught with difficulties, which put everyone to the test, but which allowed the theatre to achieve undeniable results. After the surprising accusations from the unions representing the dancers at the Rome Opera Ballet about Eleonora Abbagnato’s bad behaviour, she has decided that it is time to […]

Rome Opera Ballet dancers accuse director Eleonora Abbagnato of “disrespectful” behaviour

5 August 2019 by gramilano 3 Comments

Unions representing the dancers at Rome Opera Ballet have sent a letter to the directors of the Rome Opera House complaining about the “disrespectful” behaviour of the director of the ballet company, Eleonora Abbagnato, and her “attitude”. The Italian news agency Adnkronos printed the letter in full. The company, which gave its last performance of […]

Photo album: Gala Les Étoiles at Ravenna Festival with international ballet stars

26 July 2019 by gramilano 1 Comment

Dorothée Gilbert and Hugo Marchand (Paris Opera Ballet), Jacopo Tissi and Alena Kovaleva (Bolshoi Ballet), Bakhtiyar Adamzhan (Astana Opera, Kazakhstan), Tatiana Melnik (Hungarian National Ballet), Constantine Allen, Anna Tsygankova, Young Gyu Choi and Rebecca Storani (Dutch National Ballet), Sergio Bernal (Spanish National Ballet) Daniele Cipriani’s galas, Les Étoiles, have become staples of the ballet stars’ calendar with top names participating from Russia, […]

The Royal Ballet in Japan and Los Angeles – dates and casting

6 June 2019 by gramilano 1 Comment

The Royal Ballet tours to Japan and Los Angeles this summer, presenting signature work from the Company’s repertory, a world premiere by Wayne McGregor and community engagement projects. Tokyo, Bunka Kaikan Carlos Acosta’s Don Quixote, 21 – 26 June Yokohama, Kanagawa Kenwin Hall Royal Ballet Gala, 29 – 30 June Los Angeles, The Music Center […]

Isaac Hernández answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dancers’ Edition

7 February 2019 by gramilano Leave a Comment

Q&A When did you start dancing? I was 8 years old. My father was teaching me in the backyard of our house. Why did you start dancing? We are a big family — 11 children — my parents had only what they knew to offer us at that point and Ballet was that gift. Which dancer […]

Jeffrey Cirio answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dancers’ Edition

11 January 2019 by gramilano Leave a Comment

Q&A When did you start dancing? I started dancing right around the age of nine. Why did you start dancing? My sister, Lia, was a student at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Our family had moved to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, so that she could study there. I had always enjoyed sports — soccer and karate especially […]

Illustrated look at La Scala’s visit to Australia with Don Quixote and Giselle

3 November 2018 by gramilano Leave a Comment

After almost a month touring China, La Scala’s ballet company popped back to Milan for a run of Manon performances, before popping off to Australia for thirteen performances in Brisbane, from 7 to 18 November. It is the company’s first time in Australia and they are taking two of their most popular productions: Don Quixote […]

Danza in Italia column returns in the latest issue of Dancing Times

25 October 2018 by gramilano Leave a Comment

The latest issue of Dancing Times magazine, November 2018, is being shipped to newstands as I write. The new Danza in Italia column looks at Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote at Teatro alla Scala, with important debut performances from Timofej Andrijashenko, Martina Arduino and Marco Agostino, and with Nicoletta Manni returning as Kitri; Jacopo Tissi comes […]

Photo album – fifteen evenings of La Scala Ballet in China

24 September 2018 by gramilano 2 Comments

La Scala’s Ballet Company have been touring China for almost a month, taking in four cities and dancing 15 performances of Don Quixote and Giselle. Last night’s performance of Giselle in the Grand Theatre in Tianjin marked the last performance and today the company heads home. The Milanese company didn’t take guests — not even […]