Roberto Bolle’s television specials Danza con me (Dance with Me) which over the last couple of years have welcomed in the New Year with their screenings on 1 January on Italy’s main TV channel, RAI1, mix classical dancers – Anna Tsygankova, Silvia Azzoni, and Virna Toppi this year – with pop stars, actors, comics, such as Roberto Benigni and Andrea Bocelli for the third edition … [Read more...] about Interview with Roberto Bolle – I am more confident now, not just as an artist but also as a person
Virna Toppi
Dancing Times, September edition – with Gramilano’s Danza in Italia column including Woolf Works at La Scala and a Glass triple bill in Rome
The latest issue of Dancing Times is out tomorrow. In September’s issue, I cover Wayne McGregor’s “amazing” Woolf Works at La Scala with Alessandra Ferri giving a “frighteningly intense” performance alongside an excellent cast from La Scala Ballet including “powerful and touching” performances from Timofej Andrijashenko as Septimus and Claudio Coviello as Evans, and Gioacchino … [Read more...] about Dancing Times, September edition – with Gramilano’s Danza in Italia column including Woolf Works at La Scala and a Glass triple bill in Rome
In with the old – La Scala returns to Nureyev’s Sleeping Beauty
If there is a ballet that belongs to La Scala, it’s Rudolf Nureyev’s production of The Sleeping Beauty, created for the ballet company in 1966 with Carla Fracci and Nureyev in the main roles. It was performed 152 times until 2007, when Tchaikovsky’s score fell silent for eight years until awoken by Alexei Ratmansky when he brought his reconstructed version to Milan in September … [Read more...] about In with the old – La Scala returns to Nureyev’s Sleeping Beauty
Rights group asks for Polunin ballet in Verona’s Arena to be cancelled
A full-page article in today’s Corriere della Sera, a major Italian newspaper, has the headline: Polunin, the bad boy of dance “is homophobic”. After recent Instagram postings which were widely discussed, Sergei Polunin found sponsors disappearing and an engagement at the Paris Opera Ballet cancelled. The most commentated post was the one where he urged male ballet dancers to … [Read more...] about Rights group asks for Polunin ballet in Verona’s Arena to be cancelled
First photos of Wayne McGregor’s Woolf Works at La Scala with Alessandra Ferri, Federico Bonelli and Company dancers
These are the first photos of La Scala's restaging of Wayne McGregor's Woolf Works created for The Royal Ballet in 2015. The work was seen again in London in 2017, and in Milan, two of the original interpreters- Alessandra Ferri and Federico Bonelli - reprise their roles. The photos are accompanied by extracts of a 2017 interview by The Royal Ballet with the work's composer … [Read more...] about First photos of Wayne McGregor’s Woolf Works at La Scala with Alessandra Ferri, Federico Bonelli and Company dancers
Roberto Bolle’s Dance with Me on New Year’s Day features Alessandra Ferri
Roberto Bolle’s programme Danza con me (Dance with Me) won the Rose D'Or for the Best European Entertainment programme at the 57th edition of the awards in Berlin in September. Not surprisingly, the Italian State Television (RAI) have decided to record another episode which will go out on New Year’s Day with actors, comedians, singers and dancers, some of whom will “dance with … [Read more...] about Roberto Bolle’s Dance with Me on New Year’s Day features Alessandra Ferri
Illustrated look at La Scala’s visit to Australia with Don Quixote and Giselle
After almost a month touring China, La Scala’s ballet company popped back to Milan for a run of Manon performances, before popping off to Australia for thirteen performances in Brisbane, from 7 to 18 November. It is the company’s first time in Australia and they are taking two of their most popular productions: Don Quixote and Giselle. Performances are at the Queensland … [Read more...] about Illustrated look at La Scala’s visit to Australia with Don Quixote and Giselle
Designer Luisa Spinatelli’s Le Corsaire team fêted in Milan
The Amici della Scala association (Friends of La Scala) are always ready to celebrate: maybe it's a question and answer session with Antonio Pappano, a talk by Placido Domingo, a presentation of one of the association's newly published books (they have an extensive collection) - whatever, evenings always finish with an upheld glass and the cutting of a cake. The occasion this … [Read more...] about Designer Luisa Spinatelli’s Le Corsaire team fêted in Milan
Photo album – fifteen evenings of La Scala Ballet in China
La Scala’s Ballet Company have been touring China for almost a month, taking in four cities and dancing 15 performances of Don Quixote and Giselle. Last night’s performance of Giselle in the Grand Theatre in Tianjin marked the last performance and today the company heads home. The Milanese company didn’t take guests — not even its resident Étoiles Svetlana Zakharova and … [Read more...] about Photo album – fifteen evenings of La Scala Ballet in China
Don Quixote shows off first-rate dancing by La Scala’s clutch of 20-somethings
Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote is a romp. From start to finish it zips along at a frenetic pace, with frenetic steps. That is, except the prologue — Don Quixote’s house — and a prolonged mime scene in the Act Three tavern scene. Unfortunately, for the revival at La Scala, these scenes seem to have been left as an afterthought in the rehearsal process for the dancing is very fine … [Read more...] about Don Quixote shows off first-rate dancing by La Scala’s clutch of 20-somethings