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Ravenna Festival

[Review] Soirée Rachmaninoff – a sophisticated evening of music and dance at the Ravenna Festival

9 July 2023 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Parvaneh Scharafali and Sasha Riva in Alla fine del mondo, Nervi Festival, photo by Marcello Orselli-01

A sophisticated and poised evening of music and dance was proposed by Daniele Cipriani Entertainment for the Ravenna Festival 2023, having first been seen a couple of days earlier at the Nervi … [Read more...] about [Review] Soirée Rachmaninoff – a sophisticated evening of music and dance at the Ravenna Festival

Soirée Rachmaninoff – dance and music to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great composer

30 June 2023 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Riva and Repele in rehearsal, photo by Mongelli

The double anniversary of Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninoff (1873-1943), 150 years after his birth and 80 years after his death, is being celebrated all over the world. A tribute called Soirée … [Read more...] about Soirée Rachmaninoff – dance and music to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of the great composer

Sergio Bernal donates his gala fee to Italian flood victims

23 May 2023 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Sergio Bernal in Les Etoiles 2020 Rome, photo by Graham Spicer

With six months' worth of rain in 36 hours in the region of Emilia-Romagna – a region towards the north of Italy – more than 20 rivers have burst their banks causing widespread flooding and claiming … [Read more...] about Sergio Bernal donates his gala fee to Italian flood victims

Italy’s dance magazine Danza & Danza names winners of 2021 awards

10 January 2022 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Davide Dato in The Rite of Spring, Stravinsky's Love © Graham Spicer

The leading dance magazine in Italy, Danza & Danza, has announced its annual awards and, like last year, they are somewhat modified to include streams and videos of dance that have become new ways … [Read more...] about Italy’s dance magazine Danza & Danza names winners of 2021 awards

Sergei Polunin: 700 years of inferno, purgatory and paradise

5 September 2021 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Sergei Polunin in Paradiso, photo by Silvia Lelli

The Ravenna Festival has commissioned a new dance piece, Dante Metànoia, with choreography for Purgatory by Sergei Polunin, Inferno by Ross Freddie Ray and Paradiso by Jiří Bubeníček. The sole dancer … [Read more...] about Sergei Polunin: 700 years of inferno, purgatory and paradise

Choreographer Micha van Hoecke has died at 77

12 August 2021 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Micha van Hoecke

Choreographer and director Micha van Hoecke has died after a long illness, at 77. He was a leading figure in Italian and European dance from the early 1960s. He began as a dancer with Roland Petit, … [Read more...] about Choreographer Micha van Hoecke has died at 77

A captivating dance tribute to Stravinsky at Italy’s Nervi Festival

19 July 2021 by Gramilano 3 Comments

Davide Dato in The Rite of Spring, Stravinsky's Love © Graham Spicer

A programme of dance dedicated to Igor Stravinsky on the 50th anniversary of his death launched the dance season at this year’s Nervi Music Ballet Festival. The pieces on the programme for … [Read more...] about A captivating dance tribute to Stravinsky at Italy’s Nervi Festival

Davide Dato stars in the Italian premiere of Uwe Scholz’s The Rite of Spring

6 July 2021 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Davide Dato rehearses Uwe Scholz's Rite of Spring with Giovanni di Palma © Gabriele Schacherl (5)

Uwe Scholz's version of Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring) will be performed for the first time in Italy by Davide Dato, principal dancer at the Vienna State Ballet. The work is part of an … [Read more...] about Davide Dato stars in the Italian premiere of Uwe Scholz’s The Rite of Spring

A new John Neumeier work brings two Italian dancers back home

4 July 2021 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Jacopo Bellussi and Alessandro Frola in Peter and Igor, Nijinsky Gala, Hamburg 2021 38 © Kiran West

Jacopo Bellussi and Alessandro Frola return to Italy to perform John Neumeier’s new work Peter and Igor in Stravinsky’s Love – a show commemorating the 50th anniversary of Stravinsky’s … [Read more...] about A new John Neumeier work brings two Italian dancers back home

Stravinsky celebrated in music and dance at Nervi, Ravenna and Rome festivals

20 June 2021 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Simone Repele and Sasha Riva in Pulcinella suite italienne, photo by Paolo Laudicina

On 8 July at the Nervi Music Ballet Festival 2021, a new programme of music and dance called Stravinsky’s Love will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the composer’s death*. The celebrated Russian … [Read more...] about Stravinsky celebrated in music and dance at Nervi, Ravenna and Rome festivals

The Royal Opera House 2021-2022 ballet and dance season

2 June 2021 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Sarah Lamb as Odette and Ryoichi Hirano as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, The Royal Ballet © 2018 ROH. Photograph by Bill Cooper

The Royal Opera House has announced details of its 2021-22 Season, the first full Season since 2019. Opening on Monday 13 September, the Season includes five world premieres from The Royal … [Read more...] about The Royal Opera House 2021-2022 ballet and dance season

DANZA&DANZA names the winners of its 2020 Awards

15 January 2021 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Claudia D'Antonio in Don Quixote, photo by Francesco Squeglia

Italy's DANZA&DANZA magazine has announced its prize winners for 2020 with artists and productions from Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Teatro dell'Opera in Rome, Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Opéra … [Read more...] about DANZA&DANZA names the winners of its 2020 Awards

Ballet treats to view online during the holidays

24 December 2020 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

New York City Ballet’s The Nutcracker © Erin Baiano

Dance programming for the festive period from companies all over the world are many: free, subscription and pay-per-view. Here are some that have caught my eye. Please feel free to signal in the … [Read more...] about Ballet treats to view online during the holidays

Italy’s first post-lockdown dance event is announced

9 June 2020 by Gramilano 1 Comment

The Swan with Sergio Bernal © Graham Spicer, Daniele Cipriani Entertainment 4

After theatres were forced to close their doors three months ago, in Italy there is some tentative nudging to open them creating a chink of hope. As with the Arena in Verona, Pesaro and other summer … [Read more...] about Italy’s first post-lockdown dance event is announced

Les Étoiles Gala in Rome 2020 features the ballet world’s starriest names with some surprises

8 January 2020 by Gramilano 4 Comments

Oleg Ivenko © Dilius Gimadeyev

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 … [Read more...] about Les Étoiles Gala in Rome 2020 features the ballet world’s starriest names with some surprises

Rock ballet ‘SHINE Pink Floyd Moon’ by Micha van Hoecke tours Italy’s open air festivals

31 July 2019 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

SHINE at the Ravenna Festival © Malcolm Levinkind, Daniele Cipriani Entertainment 2019 06

Belgian choreographer, Micha van Hoecke, has collaborated extensively with conductor Riccardo Muti over the years, providing choreography for operas when the Maestro was head of La Scala, and then … [Read more...] about Rock ballet ‘SHINE Pink Floyd Moon’ by Micha van Hoecke tours Italy’s open air festivals

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

26 July 2019 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Diamonds (from Balanchine's Jewels) with Alena Kovaleva and Jacopo Tissi © Graham Spicer, Daniele Cipriani Entertainment 6

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), … [Read more...] about Photo album: Gala Les Étoiles at Ravenna Festival with international ballet stars

Les Étoiles dance gala closes the 2019 Ravenna Festival

15 July 2019 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Hugo Marchand © James Bort

The Ravenna Festival was founded in 1990 by Cristina Mazzavillani Muti, with a rich programme which includes symphonic and chamber music, opera, drama, dance, ballet, musical theatre, jazz, and ethnic … [Read more...] about Les Étoiles dance gala closes the 2019 Ravenna Festival

Interview with Riccardo Muti on the G7 Culture meeting as he asks, Who will guard the guardians?

27 March 2017 by Gramilano 3 Comments

Riccardo Muti, photo by Silvia Lelli

The first G7 of Culture will be held in Florence on 30 and 31 March 2017. Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States will participate in a meeting to discuss the … [Read more...] about Interview with Riccardo Muti on the G7 Culture meeting as he asks, Who will guard the guardians?

Twyla Tharp Dance brings ‘premiere’ of her latest creation to Italy

12 June 2016 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Italians, and visitors to il bel paese, have a rare opportunity to see Twyla Tharp Dance between 21 and 26 June when the company visits Florence, Ravenna and Rome. For the Italian tour the company … [Read more...] about Twyla Tharp Dance brings ‘premiere’ of her latest creation to Italy

Nicola Alaimo answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition

16 November 2015 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Q&A   in italiano When did you start singing? I started singing when I was very young, but seriously in 1996, together with literature and music. I was a 17-year-old full of hopes and … [Read more...] about Nicola Alaimo answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition

Barbara Frittoli answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition

4 May 2015 by Gramilano 3 Comments

Q&A   in italiano When did you start singing? From what I remember I've always sung: when I was seven I had emergency surgery for peritonitis and I sang throughout the operation. Why … [Read more...] about Barbara Frittoli answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition

Men in Motion at La Versiliana Festival: classics, premières and surprises

12 August 2014 by Gramilano 1 Comment

The latest incarnation of Ivan Putrov's Men in Motion comes to Italy's La Versiliana Festival. Men in Motion was first presented at Sadler's Wells in 2012 and has since been performed with great … [Read more...] about Men in Motion at La Versiliana Festival: classics, premières and surprises

Alessandra Ferri’s women: Cherì, Duse and Woolf… and heading La Scala?

23 May 2014 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Alessandra Ferri brings Martha Clarke's Chéri to the Ravenna Festival in two weeks, with the same cast that accompanied her for the piece's début at The Signature Theatre in New York: ABT's Herman … [Read more...] about Alessandra Ferri’s women: Cherì, Duse and Woolf… and heading La Scala?

La Famiglia: opera Italian-style with the Muti family

25 June 2012 by Gramilano 2 Comments

Riccardo Muti’s daughter is about to make her directing début: Chiara Muti will direct Hindemith’s Sancta Susanna, which her father will conduct, for the Ravenna Festival. Oh yes, her mother, Cristina … [Read more...] about La Famiglia: opera Italian-style with the Muti family

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GRAMILANO

Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan, aka ‘Gramilano’. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times. He wrote the ‘Danza in Italia’ column for Dancing Times magazine.

Since 2022, Gramilano is pleased to welcome guest authors: Alisa Alekseeva, Paul Arrowsmith, Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel, Jonathan Gray, Marina Harss, Matthew Paluch, Jann Parry, Graham Watts, and Deborah Weiss.

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