Q&A in italiano When did you start dancing? I started dancing when I was four. Why did you start dancing? My uncle was a dancer and ran a ballet school, so I’m sure that I began dancing because I was curious about his world. Also, I had slight scoliosis and was told I should try dancing. Which dancer inspired you most as a child? There were many, but Baryshnikov for … [Read more...] about Alessandro Macario answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Dancers’ Edition
Romeo and Juliet
Interview: Who is Jacopo Tissi? The Bolshoi’s enigmatic Italian star talks about Moscow, Milan and London, “It certainly wasn’t easy”
Three years ago, Jacopo Tissi left La Scala to join the Bolshoi Company in Moscow. Makhar Vaziev, the Company’s current director, was previously the director at La Scala and had seen Tissi’s work. It was Vaziev (on having to find a substitute for Sergei Polunin, who was himself a substitute for David Hallberg), who chose the young corps de ballet dancer to partner Svetlana … [Read more...] about Interview: Who is Jacopo Tissi? The Bolshoi’s enigmatic Italian star talks about Moscow, Milan and London, “It certainly wasn’t easy”
Interview with Sergei Polunin – Verona’s new Romeo
On the eve of the debut of a new Romeo and Juliet at Verona’s Arena with choreography by Johan Kobborg and with Sergei Polunin and Alina Cojocaru in the title roles, Polunin talked with Vogue Italia’s Valentina Bonelli. The classics can often seem dated and today it can be difficult to relate to them. Instead, we are putting on stage an understandable and exciting story, … [Read more...] about Interview with Sergei Polunin – Verona’s new Romeo
Matthew Bourne’s new Romeo and Juliet comes to cinema screens
Matthew Bourne’s contemporary re-imagining of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is set in the not-too-distant future in ‘The Verona Institute’. ‘Difficult’ young people are mysteriously confined by a society that seeks to divide and crush their youthful spirit and individuality. The two young lovers follow their hearts and risk everything to be together. The production – ‘One of … [Read more...] about Matthew Bourne’s new Romeo and Juliet comes to cinema screens
Interview with Johan Kobborg and Alina Cojocaru on the eve of their new Romeo and Juliet
Johan Kobborg asked David Umenoto to design the sets for his Romeo and Juliet which has its world premiere in Verona’s vast Arena on 26 August. The commission came about after Kobborg had seen an exhibition of Umenoto’s sculptures: His works are contemporary but respect the past – you can feel the importance of memory yet there is a profound break with it. After seeing his … [Read more...] about Interview with Johan Kobborg and Alina Cojocaru on the eve of their new Romeo and Juliet
Royal Ballet’s Valentino Zucchetti is Mercutio in the Kobborg-Polunin-Cojocaru Romeo and Juliet
On the 26 August, there will be a single performance only of Johan Kobborg’s new production of Romeo and Juliet with Sergei Polunin and Alina Cojocaru in the title roles. But when the theatre in Verona’s vast Arena with 30,000 seats it is the equivalent of a 15-performance run in an opera house. Joining them on stage will be The Royal Ballet’s First Soloist, Valentino … [Read more...] about Royal Ballet’s Valentino Zucchetti is Mercutio in the Kobborg-Polunin-Cojocaru Romeo and Juliet
Rome Opera Ballet dancers accuse director Eleonora Abbagnato of “disrespectful” behaviour
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 Romeo and Juliet at the … [Read more...] about Rome Opera Ballet dancers accuse director Eleonora Abbagnato of “disrespectful” behaviour
Sergei Polunin on sex change, his new girlfriend, and manning up
In an interview, before several appearances in the Italian peninsula over the next two months, Sergei Polunin said, I deeply believe in love. It’s a universal feeling; everyone wants to love and be loved. Today, I see a separation between men and women with too much aggressivity and competition between the sexes. For me, if I don’t have love in my life, I’m unable to do … [Read more...] about Sergei Polunin on sex change, his new girlfriend, and manning up
Backstage at The Royal Ballet: Francesca Hayward and Cesar Corrales
Dasa Wharton took her camera backstage to glimpse Francesca Hayward and Cesar Corrales preparing for a performance of Romeo and Juliet at The Royal Opera House. She was also there to capture moments of the ballet from the wings, and to take shots from behind the curtain during Hayward and Corrales’s triumphant curtain call. Romeo and Juliet 5 pm Getting ready Francesca … [Read more...] about Backstage at The Royal Ballet: Francesca Hayward and Cesar Corrales
Photos and full programme of Margot Fonteyn, A Celebration with The Royal Ballet
Last night, 8 June 2019, The Royal Ballet celebrated the centenary of the birth of its most famous ballerina, Dame Margot Fonteyn, who was born on 18 May 1919. A performance of The Firebird, currently in a triple bill, was followed by a gala of extracts from ballets representing some of Fonteyn’s most celebrated roles. Another dame, Dame Darcey Bussell, also appeared on stage … [Read more...] about Photos and full programme of Margot Fonteyn, A Celebration with The Royal Ballet