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...] about Pia Russo and the art of teaching ballet
Massimo Murru
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...] about Proscaenium’s Gran Gala with the best of Italy’s dancing talent
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...] about Massimo Murru to play Onegin for one last time? His fans are doing all they can.
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...] about Sylvie’s last dance: a tribute to Guillem, the artist and her career
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...] about My Big Fat Italian Ballet Gala
Full programme of la Scala’s Gala des Étoiles – 30 and 31 October
Below is the full programme of Gala des Étoiles, at La Scala on 30 and 31 October. The Gala will be transmitted live by Italian television, Rai, on Rai5, and in cinemas internationally both live and over the next two months. It can also be followed live from the wings via La Scala's site and its YouTube channel with Gramilano and Silvia Farina presenting this rare … [Read more...] about Full programme of la Scala’s Gala des Étoiles – 30 and 31 October
Ballet’s biggest names come to Milan for 4 days of dance
Milan is not like London or New York… there’s not a lot of dance going on. The resident company at La Scala will be performing six titles during the coming season. That’s S-I-X. And there will not be thirty Nutcrackers around Christmas either, there’ll be 12 Cinderellas; usually there are just nine performances of each title. So imagine everyone’s surprise when La Scala … [Read more...] about Ballet’s biggest names come to Milan for 4 days of dance
Ratmansky’s Sleeping Beauty in Milan casts its magic spell
Alexei Ratmansky’s ‘reconstruction’ of The Sleeping Beauty at La Scala made for one of the most interesting and satisfying evenings that I’ve had in the theatre for a long time. It is charming, it is theatrical, it is technically retro-innovative and also demanding for the dancers. Reintroducing some positions and movements, which have been gradually dropped from classical … [Read more...] about Ratmansky’s Sleeping Beauty in Milan casts its magic spell
Sergei Polunin replaces David Hallberg in Ratmansky’s Sleeping Beauty at La Scala
Sergei Polunin will replace David Hallberg in the performances of Alexei Ratmasky's The Sleeping Beauty at Milan's Teatro alla Scala. Polunin will partner Svetlana Zakharova for three performances on 26 September, 2 and 6 October, and will share the stage with Massimo Murru who will dance Carabosse for those performances. It was Polunin who stepped into Hallberg's shoes for … [Read more...] about Sergei Polunin replaces David Hallberg in Ratmansky’s Sleeping Beauty at La Scala
Carla Fracci 79 (today) to Roberto Bolle 40
Today Carla Fracci turns 79∗ and during August, she has been performing once again. Roberto Bolle is half her age and at 40 shows no sign of ending his career on stage. In 2007 Bolle famously criticised Fracci – at the time she was the director of the Rome Opera Ballet – saying that it was time for her to retire and leave space for younger dancers. She counter-attacked, saying … [Read more...] about Carla Fracci 79 (today) to Roberto Bolle 40