This is an exciting time for The Royal Ballet, which has been on a roll for several years with an enthusiastic public for the sold-out performances at the Royal Opera House, the extremely popular live cinema relays, and the streamed events on the internet. The public and critical success has been mirrored by the various […]
Mara Galeazzi
Mara Galeazzi on Ferri, The Royal Ballet, Woolf Works and retiring
The Royal Ballet’s new few-length ballet, Woolf Works, brings two Italian ex-Royal Ballet dancers back to Covent Garden. Alessandra Ferri, who returned to dancing two years ago after seven years of being a full-time Mum, will appear in the first and third acts of Wayne McGregor’s new creation. Mara Galeazzi, who retired from the Royal […]
An interview with Vito Mazzeo who’s bringing his ballet ‘friends’ to Italy
Dutch National Ballet principal dancer Vito Mazzeo will bring a group of his colleagues from Amsterdam to Teatro Salieri in Legnago for a ‘Dutch Gala’ on 22 November. Mazzeo, who was formerly a principal with the San Francisco Ballet, will be joined by Igone de Jongh, Emilie Gallerani Tassinari, Wenting Guan, Victoria Ananyan, Cristiano Principato […]
More dancers decide to leave Italy… most never come back
Italy’s Got Talent. Lots of it. Sometimes that talent finds it difficult to emerge – it’s not always what you know but who you know – and sometimes there’s not enough room for everyone to show what they can do, but talent there is. Italy bursts at the seams with paintings and monuments – a reminder […]
From Lombardy to London: Interview with the Royal Ballet’s Valentino Zucchetti
Italian dancer Valentino Zucchetti is one of a large number of Italian dancers who go abroad to find work and realise their dreams. Italy has few ballet companies, and La Scala is the only one with an international profile, the others – Rome, Palermo, San Carlo – have few permanent dancers, drafting in extras to do […]
La Scala Ballet School’s director for 32 years on “Teaching Dance”
versione italiana Anna Maria Prina was the director of the La Scala Theatre Ballet School for thirty-two years, producing artists such as Mara Galeazzi, Massimo Murru, Roberto Bolle, Mick Zeni, Renata Caldarini, Alessio Carbone, Vito Mazzeo, Marco Pierin and Paola Cantalupo, among many, many others. I asked her what the requisites are to become a dance teacher: Teaching is an art, […]
Anna Maria Prina spiega l’insegnamento della danza
English version Insegnare è un’arte, una scienza e un dono. E’ il dono di saper lasciare il segno nella mente di chi si predispone all’apprendimento. L’insegnamento della danza non è per tutti; è indispensabile essere generosi, curiosi, autorevoli e armati di grande passione e pazienza. Bisogna saper trasmettere agli altri quanto si è appreso e […]
Birthday Book: 200 years of La Scala’s ballet school
A book celebrating the 200th birthday of La Scala’s Ballet School was launched at Milan’s iconic theatre yesterday: Album di compleanno. 1813-2013. La Scuola di Ballo dell’Accademia Teatro alla Scala. The volume traces the history of one of the world’s most prestigious dance institutions, which was founded in 1813. More than one hundred illustrations chart […]
Royal Ballet’s Steven McRae flirts with three new partners: Salenko, Obraztsova and Takada
After the planned retirement of Mara Galeazzi and Leanne Benjamin, and Alina Cojocaru surprising everyone after she downed pointe shoes in Tokyo and left, there were obviously some holes in the casting for the current season that new girl Natalia Osipova can’t fill alone. Steven McRae is the Prince Siegfried of this story, dancing with three different […]
160 photos of Royal Ballet dancers rehearsing now online
When I went to cover Mara Galeazzi’s farewell gala with Royal Ballet colleagues in Verona last month, I took my camera for a couple of backstage shots. Well I ended up taking hundreds of photos during the rehearsals, and 160 of these are now viewable on Flickr. Dodging the mosquitoes that arrived with dusk, I […]
