• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • HOME
  • POPULAR POSTS
    • DANCE
    • MUSIC & OPERA
    • PHOTOGRAPHY
  • QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
    • DANCERS
    • SINGERS
  • MY PHOTOS
  • CONTACT
gramilano logo

Gramilano

- dance, opera, photography...

Sergio Bernal

Les Étoiles – the starry Rome gala at the end of January, now with two programmes

8 January 2023 by Gramilano 2 Comments

Anna Rose O'Sullivan and Marcelino Sambé in Romeo and Juliet - photo by Helen Maybanks, ROH 2019

On 28 and 29 January 2023 at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome the latest edition of the annual Les Étoiles gala will offer two programmes for the first time. This gives the possibility of … [Read more...] about Les Étoiles – the starry Rome gala at the end of January, now with two programmes

Attimo, sei bello! in Rome – a photographic exhibition celebrating the beauty of dance

12 December 2022 by Gramilano 1 Comment

LES ETOILES 2022 Vadim Muntagirov with Fumi Kaneko as the white swan, photo by Graham Spicer

“Fragments of eternity that tell of beauty, strength, even pain. Shots snatched from the fluid and passionate movement of dance and framed to become 'forever'.” So runs the blurb of the … [Read more...] about Attimo, sei bello! in Rome – a photographic exhibition celebrating the beauty of dance

Les Étoiles 2023 – the cast of the annual Rome dance gala is announced

20 October 2022 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Marianela Nunez and Vadim Muntagirov, Le Corsaire, photo © Graham Spicer

Producer Daniele Cipriani’s annual international gala of dance returns to Rome’s Auditorium Parco della Musica on 28 (eve) and 29 January (mat, eve) 2023. “Virtuosismi in volo e sulle punte” … [Read more...] about Les Étoiles 2023 – the cast of the annual Rome dance gala is announced

Dancing Times, May 2022 issue

1 May 2022 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

LES ÉTOILES 2022 - Sergio Bernal and Calvin Royal III in Touché © Graham Spicer - 2947

In the May issue of Dancing Times, I write in the Danza in Italia column about the Rome performance of Touché, a lockdown creation for American Ballet Theatre by Christopher Rudd. The European … [Read more...] about Dancing Times, May 2022 issue

Free stream of Les Étoiles ballet gala in Rome from Friday 29 April

28 April 2022 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

LES ÉTOILES 2022 - Daniil Simkin and Maia Makhateli in Don Quixote © Graham Spicer - 4597

A free streaming of the Les Étoiles gala from Rome, filmed earlier this year, will be available from tomorrow, 29 April, on ITsART – the streaming platform for Italian art and culture. ITsART … [Read more...] about Free stream of Les Étoiles ballet gala in Rome from Friday 29 April

Extraordinary dancers will dance for Ukraine in Naples and Milan

26 March 2022 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Ballet for Peace

Some of the dance names that have been making headlines recently will dance for Ukraine in two upcoming galas in Italy: Olga Smirnova, Victor Caixeta, Jacopo Tissi, Iana Salenko, Anastasia Matvienko … [Read more...] about Extraordinary dancers will dance for Ukraine in Naples and Milan

Top dancers provided thrills and emotion for Les Étoiles gala in a time of pandemic

15 February 2022 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

LES ÉTOILES 2022 - Sergio Bernal and Calvin Royal III in Touché © Graham Spicer - 2947

The annual Les Étoiles gala in Rome invites top dancers from all over the world to give the Italian public a taste of what can be found outside Italy’s borders. Rarely are Italian dancers included in … [Read more...] about Top dancers provided thrills and emotion for Les Étoiles gala in a time of pandemic

Touché! Les Étoiles gala features a homosexual pas de deux

27 January 2022 by Gramilano 3 Comments

João Menegussi and Calvin Royal III in Touché - photo Rosalie O’Connor, courtesy American Ballet Theatre

The Les Ètoiles gala in Rome (30 and 31 January 2022) will present some usual gala fare with the Don Quixote and Swan Lake pas de deux, and as always with this annual event there will be contemporary … [Read more...] about Touché! Les Étoiles gala features a homosexual pas de deux

Les Étoiles ballet gala in Rome at the end of January, now booking

8 January 2022 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Calvin Royal III and João Menegussi

After the doom and gloom with the many announcements of theatre events being cancelled or postponed, here is some good news from Rome. The annual Les Étoiles ballet gala evening in Rome which was … [Read more...] about Les Étoiles ballet gala in Rome at the end of January, now booking

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

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

Les Étoiles online: Nuñez, Muntagirov, Salenko, Kim, Shklyarov et al

9 June 2021 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Marianela Nunez and Vadim Muntagirov, Le Corsaire, photo © Graham Spicer

ITsART is a new virtual platform dedicated to the digital dissemination of artistic and cultural content from or about Italy. Free content includes journeys through museums, libraries, archaeological … [Read more...] about Les Étoiles online: Nuñez, Muntagirov, Salenko, Kim, Shklyarov et al

Italian dance impresario offers takeaway theatre shows

7 April 2021 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Daniele Cipriani, photo by Massimo Danza

Takeaway culture was an idea that came to Italian impresario Daniele Cipriani one morning on his way to his local bar in Rome: By now we are used to taking everything away, from dinner to coffee, … [Read more...] about Italian dance impresario offers takeaway theatre shows

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

All male dance gala of ‘Duets and Solos’ streaming free from Modena

5 December 2020 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Sergio Bernal in Ricardo Cue's The Swan

Duets and Solos is a Covid-safe dance gala idea devised by Italian producer Daniele Cipriani when the pandemic crippled the programming plans of the Italian open-air festivals. Social distancing for … [Read more...] about All male dance gala of ‘Duets and Solos’ streaming free from Modena

Sergio Bernal on his new Dance Company “This is not just a show, it is the new Sergio”

28 October 2020 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Sergio Bernal Dance Company

How were dancer Sergio Bernal and choreographer Ricardo Cué to know that their plans to form a new company would coincide with a global pandemic. A company based in Madrid too, one of the world’s … [Read more...] about Sergio Bernal on his new Dance Company “This is not just a show, it is the new Sergio”

[Review] Beethoven’s ballet The Creatures of Prometheus with striking Capucci costumes

11 August 2020 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Roberto Lori in The Creatures of Prometheus The Creatures of Capucci, photo by Graham Spicer

Italian producer Daniele Cipriani seems to be resuscitating dance in Italy almost singlehandedly. The first main dance event in the country was conceived by him and presented in mid-July to open the … [Read more...] about [Review] Beethoven’s ballet The Creatures of Prometheus with striking Capucci costumes

Duets and solos in the open-air – live dance returns to Italy

23 July 2020 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Hugo Marchand, happy to be back, dancing A Suite of Dances © Graham Spicer

The first live dance event in Italy took place at the Nervi International Festival of Ballet and Music, opening the two-week festival in Nervi’s coastal park with a backdrop to the stage of palm trees … [Read more...] about Duets and solos in the open-air – live dance returns to Italy

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 for three days shone over Rome

16 February 2020 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Denis Rodkin and Eleonora Sevenard in Les Etoiles 2020 Rome, photo by Graham Spicer

The annual orgy of dance that kicks off the year in Rome, known as Les Étoiles, began in 2015 with an evening in the Auditorium della Conciliazione near the Vatican with its 1,700 seats. The gala has … [Read more...] about Les Étoiles for three days shone over Rome

Costume fitting: Roberto Capucci’s costumes for Sergio Bernal and Young Gyu Choi for Les Étoiles

24 January 2020 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Fitting for Roberto Capucci's costumes for Les Étoiles © Cristiano Castaldi 15

Roberto Capucci, the creator of the most exquisite gowns, now at the age of 90, has designed costumes for the dancers Sergio Bernal and Young Gyu Choi. They will go on stage for three galas, Les … [Read more...] about Costume fitting: Roberto Capucci’s costumes for Sergio Bernal and Young Gyu Choi for Les Étoiles

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

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

Les Étoiles in Rome – Nuñez, Muntagirov, Novikova, Sarafanov, Alexandrova, Lantratov, Semionova…

14 February 2019 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Marianela Nuñez and Vadim Muntagirov, Sylvia, photo by Graham Spicer

Les Étoiles in Rome - Marianela Nuñez, Vadim Muntagirov, Olesya Novikova, Leonid Sarafanov, Maria Alexandrova, Vladislav Lantratov, Polina Semionova, Dmitry Semionov, Tatiana Melnik, Bakhtiyar … [Read more...] about Les Étoiles in Rome – Nuñez, Muntagirov, Novikova, Sarafanov, Alexandrova, Lantratov, Semionova…

The world’s ballet Étoiles army arrives in Rome, conquering with its art

7 January 2019 by Gramilano 3 Comments

La Bayadère by Alexei Ratmansky withPolina Semionova, photo by Yan Revazov, Staatsballett Berlin

It’s become an annual event in Rome – after the Christmas holidays and the last bite of panettone, comes the Daniele Cipriani Entertainment dance gala with some of the best and biggest names in ballet … [Read more...] about The world’s ballet Étoiles army arrives in Rome, conquering with its art

BALLET2000’s Special New Year Issue… in English, Italian and French Editions

8 February 2017 by Gramilano 2 Comments

Ballet2000, Fracci

BALLET2000’s Special New Year Issue, is on the newsstands now. It looks back on a year in dance with, says editor Alfio Agostini, …the best shows, trendiest dancers, most significant companies and … [Read more...] about BALLET2000’s Special New Year Issue… in English, Italian and French Editions

BALLET2000 Prix presents Maya Plisetskaya Awards in Cannes

3 August 2016 by Gramilano 2 Comments

The first edition of the Awards handed out by the dance magazine BALLET2000 were in 2004 when Maya Plisetskaya was presented with the main Prix for her career and during which she danced Ave Maya … [Read more...] about BALLET2000 Prix presents Maya Plisetskaya Awards in Cannes

BALLET2000 Prix dedicates Cannes gala to Maya Plisetskaya

24 July 2016 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

In a week's time, the BALLET2000 Prix will host its annual event in Cannes, this year dedicated to the memory of Maya Plisetskaya. When the prize was launched, in 2004, then known as Les Étoiles de … [Read more...] about BALLET2000 Prix dedicates Cannes gala to Maya Plisetskaya

Primary Sidebar

SUBSCRIBE

Gramilano newsletter 2019

CATEGORIES

FOLLOW

  • 20,900 Subscribers
  • 26,149 Followers
  • 236k Followers
  • 602 Subscribers
  • 3,390 Followers
  • 19,798 Followers

NEWS

Pam Tanowitz’s Secret Things, her second world premiere for The Royal Ballet this season

Prix de Lausanne 2023 – the full lineup

Principal dancer Jared Angle to give final performance with NYCB

The Australian Ballet will tour to the Royal Opera House in August 2023

Les Étoiles – the starry Rome gala at the end of January, now with two programmes

Alexei Ratmansky joins New York City Ballet as Artist in Residence

Ballet dancer Denis Vieira dies in Cyprus at 31

Bruno Vescovo, former principal dancer with the La Scala Ballet, has died at 73

In Memoriam 2022: Singers, Dancers, Actors, Writers, Directors

Sergei Polunin’s Rasputin show in Milan is cancelled

FEATURED POSTS

Vittorio Grigolo’s new women’s shoes and a song for Hillary Clinton

Nunez headshot cropped

In conversation with Marianela Nuñez

Joyce DiDonato answers the Gramilano Questionnaire… Singers’ Edition

Coppélia with Vadim Muntagirov and Marianela Nunez, photo by Bill Cooper ROH

Interview: The Royal Ballet’s Ballet Master, Christopher Carr, on mounting Coppélia, the company’s dancers and technique

Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov in cover art for the Romanza album

Interview with Anna Netrebko on her son, his autism and his abandonment by his father Erwin Schrott

Grand Pas Classique at English National Ballet, photo by Laurent Liotardo

Introducing 19-year-old Canadian dancer Shale Wagman: from Lausanne to ENB to the Mariinsky

How to stage a ballet… Maina Gielgud explains

Yasmine Naghdi in rehearsal for Tarantella, The Royal Ballet © 2017 ROH. Photograph by Bill Cooper

[Interview] The Royal Ballet’s Yasmine Naghdi: a time to reflect

You choose it out of Love! Dancing with the Khan-MacKay family

Romeo and Juliet with Sergei Polunin

Sergei Polunin on sex change, his new girlfriend, and manning up

GRAHAM SPICER

Writer, director and photographer in Milan, blogging (under the name ‘Gramilano’) about dance, opera, music and photography for people who are a bit like me and like some of the things I like. I was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. My scribblings have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times. I write the ‘Danza in Italia’ column for Dancing Times magazine.

You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, or follow my Facebook page.

Referred-to-by

SEARCH

Copyright © 2023 · Gramilano · All rights reserved

about me · contact me · privacy and cookies

Would you like to receive an email whenever we publish a new post?

SUBSCRIBE