Pia Russo is a highly respected Italian ballet teacher, currently working at the Ballet School of Teatro San Carlo in Naples, one of the world’s oldest ballet schools, founded in 1812 by Salvatore Taglioni, uncle of the celebrated Maria. She is known for her passion, dedication and meticulous preparation. After her dancing career ended, she studied ballet pedagogy for two … [Read more...]
Proscaenium’s Gran Gala with the best of Italy’s dancing talent
Gramilano has already written about Cincia Puricelli’s dancing school Proscaenium, which is based in Gallarate, a town near Milan’s Malpensa airport. An ordinary town, and on the surface an ordinary dancing school, yet it is bravely run with ambitious goals. Last year Puricelli’s conceit was to invite Carla Fracci (for her first public masterclass) together with Pompea Santoro … [Read more...]
Massimo Murru to play Onegin for one last time? His fans are doing all they can.
Massimo Murru has always had a very faithful following due to his thoughtful and rigorous approach to every role he has tackled in his career, and his artistic honesty, almost to the point of intransigence. It is a quality appreciated by Sylvie Guillem, among many other colleagues, who have wanted to work alongside him. He is now approaching retirement and several of his … [Read more...]
Sylvie’s last dance: a tribute to Guillem, the artist and her career
A tribute by Ioannides Yiannakis In 29 December 1984, after a memorable performance of Swan Lake at the Paris Opera, the great Rudolf Nureyev named an extraordinary 19-year-old étoile. Her name was Sylvie Guillem. Nureyev’s instincts were as usually right. He may have been difficult at times, but he was also generous and had a true vision about the dance world, something … [Read more...]
My Big Fat Italian Ballet Gala
The Gala des Étoiles at La Scala made me feel as though I’d eaten all the icing on the cake: happy, but a little woozy. Don Q? Check! Corsaire? Check! Manon and Romeo and Juliet? Check! Spartacus? Check! As you can see if you scroll down to the programme, it wasn’t all hoary favourites, and when the interpreters are some of the best dancers in the world it would be churlish … [Read more...]