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- dance, opera, photography...

Stefania Ballone

A new Carmen at La Scala – Roberto Bolle and Nicoletta Manni star in Patrick de Bana’s new work

21 February 2025 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Nicoletta Manni and Roberto Bolle, photo by Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala (4)

Carmen is Patrick de Bana’s first work created for La Scala Ballet. De Bana delves into the mythology, culture, perfumes and icons of Spain filtered through his own personal experience, to reinforce … [Read more...] about A new Carmen at La Scala – Roberto Bolle and Nicoletta Manni star in Patrick de Bana’s new work

Photo Album: The Hidden Gaze – Dance Behind the Curtain, the Corps de Ballet of La Scala as photographed by Gérard Uféras

18 February 2025 by Gramilano 1 Comment

The Hidden Gaze exhibition photographed Vito Lorusso, Teatro alla Scala (7)

A book edited by Paola Calvetti and an exhibition curated by Paola Calvetti and Livia Corbò and designed by Margherita Palli at La Scala’s Museum – the dancers of La Scala observed though the lens of … [Read more...] about Photo Album: The Hidden Gaze – Dance Behind the Curtain, the Corps de Ballet of La Scala as photographed by Gérard Uféras

Review: the autobiography of Anna Maria Prina, director of La Scala Ballet School for more than three decades

11 August 2024 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Anna Maria Prina, photo by Franco Covi

The preface to Incontro con la danza (Encounters with Dance) is by writer Paola Calvetti, who opens with: “Anna Maria Prina has always been the ‘Director’,” the ‘direttrice’. ‘La’ Prina (as the … [Read more...] about Review: the autobiography of Anna Maria Prina, director of La Scala Ballet School for more than three decades

[Review] Romeo and Juliet at La Scala with Alice Mariani and Nicola Del Freo

16 July 2023 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Romeo and Juliet - Alice Mariani and NIcola Del Freo, photo by Brescia and Amisano, Teatro alla Scala crop

“We didn't need dialogue. We had faces,” said Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. One of the striking aspects of the final cast to be seen during the run of Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet at La … [Read more...] about [Review] Romeo and Juliet at La Scala with Alice Mariani and Nicola Del Freo

[Review] La Scala’s Bayadère was a race against time

30 December 2021 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

32 - La bayadère - Nicoletta Manni and Timofej Andrijashenko and corps de ballet, photo by Brescia and Amisano © Teatro alla Scala

A new production of La Bayadère opened at La Scala a week later than planned after a Covid outbreak forced cancellations of the first performances. The television cameras waited patiently for the … [Read more...] about [Review] La Scala’s Bayadère was a race against time

Photo Album: Rehearsal photos of La Scala’s new mixed bill with Roberto Bolle, Manni, Coviello, Arduino and company

17 January 2020 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Le Jeune homme et la Mort with Roberto Bolle and Nicoletta Manni, photo by Brescia e Amisano Teatro alla Scala (10)

Serata van Manen – Petit, (Van Manen and Petit Evening) opens at La Scala on 23 January. The evening consists of five gems from Hans van Manen and Roland Petit. The three van Manen pieces are Adagio … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Rehearsal photos of La Scala’s new mixed bill with Roberto Bolle, Manni, Coviello, Arduino and company

Save the best until last – La Scala’s triple bill shows a company in excellent form

6 December 2019 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Martina Arduino in Bolero, photo by Brescia e Amisano 2019 03

Save the best until last. Not a bad programming policy, and with La Scala’s recent triple bill, the last was Maurice Béjart’s Boléro. Obviously, with the first item on the programme being George … [Read more...] about Save the best until last – La Scala’s triple bill shows a company in excellent form

Winterreise at La Scala rejoices in Angelin Preljocaj’s sublimely melodic choreography

17 February 2019 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Winterreise by Angelin Preljocaj, photo by Brescia and Amisano with Marco Messina and Alessandra Vassallo

Winterreise is Angelin Preljocaj’s latest creation, danced to the complete Schubert cycle of Lieder. I stand by my arguments that a large theatre like La Scala is not the right theatre for a piece … [Read more...] about Winterreise at La Scala rejoices in Angelin Preljocaj’s sublimely melodic choreography

Photo Album: first look at Preljocaj’s new piece Winterreise for La Scala

22 January 2019 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Angelin Preljocaj's Winterreise , photo Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2019 05

Winterreise by Angelin Preljocaj New commission from Teatro alla Scala in Milan - runs from 24 January to 9 March 2019 Winterreise Franz Schubert Running Time: 1 hour 20 minutes Teatro alla … [Read more...] about Photo Album: first look at Preljocaj’s new piece Winterreise for La Scala

Premiere of “Mahler 10”, Aszure Barton’s new dance piece for La Scala, reveals a small treasure

28 April 2018 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Mahler 10 © Marco Brescia e Rudy Amisano, Teatro alla Scala 2018   2

Aszure Barton has created a gem of a ballet for Milan’s Teatro alla Scala. Mahler 10 uses the first movement of Gustav Mahler’s unfinished Tenth Symphony and above it, Barton fashions a small world … [Read more...] about Premiere of “Mahler 10”, Aszure Barton’s new dance piece for La Scala, reveals a small treasure

Béjart’s Boléro returns to La Scala with Roberto Bolle and others debuting on the red table

28 February 2018 by Gramilano 1 Comment

Bolero   Roberto Bolle © Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala, 2018 01

Maurice Béjart’s Boléro returns to La Scala in March, with Roberto Bolle dancing the La Mélodie for the first time. The 15-minute work was last seen in the theatre in 2003 when Sylvie Guillem danced … [Read more...] about Béjart’s Boléro returns to La Scala with Roberto Bolle and others debuting on the red table

Proscaenium’s Gran Gala with the best of Italy’s dancing talent

6 June 2017 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Gran Gala

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 … [Read more...] about Proscaenium’s Gran Gala with the best of Italy’s dancing talent

Mauro Bigonzetti’s Progetto Händel, with Zakharova and Bolle, wows La Scala

22 May 2017 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Progetto Haendel   Svetlana Zakharova and Roberto Bolle  photo Brescia e Amisano, Teatro alla Scala, 2017 3

Mauro Bigonzetti’s Progetto Händel is intimate, expressive and beautiful to watch. Yes, for La Scala at least, it is low-cost – an EasyJet ballet – and you could see something similar with another … [Read more...] about Mauro Bigonzetti’s Progetto Händel, with Zakharova and Bolle, wows La Scala

Balanchine saves the day – a triple bill at La Scala: La Valse, Symphony in C and Scheherazade

30 April 2017 by Gramilano 8 Comments

Symphony in C (3)

An odd evening at La Scala saw Balanchine’s pure, sparkling choreography for Symphony in C sandwiched between two new contemporary creations on music which has already had phenomenally successful … [Read more...] about Balanchine saves the day – a triple bill at La Scala: La Valse, Symphony in C and Scheherazade

First look at La valse – Symphony in C – Shéhérazade, opening tonight at La Scala

19 April 2017 by Gramilano 3 Comments

Shéhérazade with Virna Toppi and Gabriele Corrado

The new triple bill which opens at La Scala this evening is unique indeed! It features a new version of Ravel’s La valse by three choreographers, all dancers with the company. Stranger still is that … [Read more...] about First look at La valse – Symphony in C – Shéhérazade, opening tonight at La Scala

Martina Arduino in Ratmansky’s Swan Lake – a ballet star is born at La Scala?

14 July 2016 by Gramilano 15 Comments

If you visit NASA’s website, they define a protostar as the “hot core at the heart of the collapsing cloud that will one day become a star”. 19-year-old Martina Arduino, who graduated from La Scala’s … [Read more...] about Martina Arduino in Ratmansky’s Swan Lake – a ballet star is born at La Scala?

La Scala’s new Cinderella opens with Polina Semionova and Roberto Bolle

22 December 2015 by Gramilano 15 Comments

Mauro Bigonzetti’s new Cinderella, set to Prokofiev’s score, opened at La Scala with fine performances from Polina Semionova and Roberto Bolle as the eponymous heroine and her prince. Bolle is in … [Read more...] about La Scala’s new Cinderella opens with Polina Semionova and Roberto Bolle

The music of Italy’s n°1 rocker returns to La Scala

3 September 2013 by Gramilano Leave a Comment

Vasco Rossi is one of the most famous Italian rockers. The singer-songwriter has hit sixty, but continues to sell out stadiums. His most famous song, Vita spericolata (Daredevil Life) sums up his own … [Read more...] about The music of Italy’s n°1 rocker returns to La Scala

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Gramilano newsletter 2019

INTERVIEWS

Cecilia Bartoli and the Les Musiciens du Prince of Monte Carlo © 2018 Alain Hanel,OMC

[Interview] Cecilia Bartoli: Baroque music is for the soul

Jennie Muskett crop

Interview: Jennie Muskett – the Emmy-winning film composer seeking a new career writing music for dance

Cris Devil - Trash Dance - Zanini Arte

Interview: Italian artist Cris Devil – creating his artistic world with irony and passion

Lauren Cuthbertson by Clive Barda

Interview with The Royal Ballet’s Lauren Cuthbertson – so much passion

Hervé Koubi - photo by Véronique Chochon-01

[Interview] Choreographer Hervé Koubi – If we can dance together, we can live together

Christopher Marney, photo by ASH crop

Interview: Artistic Director Christopher Marney on reviving London City Ballet – small is beautiful

Ballet22 crop

Ballet22 – mxn en pointe

Juan Diego Flórez, phoyo by Manfred Baumann

Interview with Juan Diego Flórez who debuts in Ricciardo e Zoraide at Pesaro tonight

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GRAMILANO

Graham Spicer, aka 'Gramilano', is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. 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, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Carla Fracci.

Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.

He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.

Since 2022, Gramilano has been pleased to welcome guest authors: Paul Arrowsmith, Donatella Bertozzi, Georgina Butler, Kathrina Farrugia-Kriel, Jonathan Gray, Marina Harss, Ann Haskins, Lily Hyde, Marta Mele, Matthew Paluch, Jann Parry, Lucía Piquero, Graham Watts, Deborah Weiss, and Lydia Wharf.

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