Italian Ballet info needed

[Guest ItalianBalletInfo]

I am a lifelong ballet student currently taking class in Westchester County NY. I am writing a paper for a college course and need information about Italian Ballet.

Are there any Italian Ballet dancers out there?

Has anyone danced in Italy?

Does anyone know any Italian dancers?

Any help would be appreciated.

[Victoria Leigh]

Hello ItalianBalletInfo, welcome to Ballet Talk for Dancers

 

Actually, Ballet Talk is a discussion forum, and while one can learn a lot here, we really prefer to recommend that one find the information needed for school work through the normal sources....like books! Even if some of our Italian dancers responded, I think your need for "some information" is way too vague and open ended. Perhaps if you tell us a bit more specifically what type of information you are looking for, we can help to point you in the right direction.

[chezdancer]

I am assuming that you want current information about Italian dancers and not a history. You might find the Italian ballet page helpful.... similar to this......only it is in Italian. So, you will either need to read Italian or to make use of a good translation aid. The site for the page is:

www.balletto.net

 

Roberto Bolle, Mara Galeazzi, and Viviana Durante are very poplular Italian dancers. All three of them have web pages which you can find through google or one of the search engines. If you look through the photos on balletto, you will see photos posted of other Italian dancers and you will be able to find some information about them too.

 

I hope that this has been some help to you.

 

Ciao

[Guest ItalianBalletInfo]

Thanks so much for the info. I will look up the bios on those dancers.

I can't read Italian so I am looking for American (or English speaking) dancers who have danced in Italy. Are the stages difficult to dance on? Do they use mylar flooring or the old wood floors? Are auditions to the companies open, are the dancers competitive? Was the audience different from American audiences in it's response to the performance?

Edited August 17, 2005 by ItalianBalletInfo

[Guest Kitri25]

Musn't forget Alessandra Ferri :-)

[vrsfanatic]

I am not quite sure if I fit into your criteria, but I lived and taught ballet in Florence, Italy for 3 1/2 years. I worked a bit in Teatro Comunale di Firenze (Maggio Musicale) and saw quite a few theatres from out front, rehearsals rooms and backstage. Let me know if I can help you.

[Mel Johnson]

And marley (marine linoleum) isn't mylar (polyester film).

[vagansmom]

My daughter performed on stages in Messina (Teatro di Messina) and Florence (Teatro Verdi Ghibellina) last year. Both had Marley floors. The theatre in Messina had a flat stage but the one in Florence was raked and the floor itself had "hills and dips" due to its age.

 

Daughter believes that many stages in Europe are being rebuilt as flat stages rather than raked. She stated that none of the theatres she danced on in France had raked stages.

 

Italian audiences are great! They were very responsive, laughed at everything the least bit funny, cheered and clapped really long and hard. The dancers were amazed at how appreciative the audiences were and how affectionately they showed their pleasure. Many waited backstage for autographs.

[ABT Wannabe]

Wasn't Checcetti Italian?

 

~ABTwannabe~

[Mel Johnson]

Seeing as Maestro Cavagliere Enrico Cecchetti was born in a dressing room of a theater in Rome, there is a school of thought in that general direction, yes.

[ABT Wannabe]

Okay then. Thanks for that.

[Mel Johnson]

Just remember, the name rhymes with "spaghetti"!

[Guest ItalianBalletInfo]

vagansmom,

 

Thank you so much for the information. It's just what I'm looking for. I'm interviewing a dancer who performed at La Scala tomorrow. Best of luck to your daughter in her career. It sounds like she's having the time of her life.

Edited August 23, 2005 by ItalianBalletInfo

[Guest ItalianBalletInfo]

vrsfanatic,

You absolutely fit my criteria! How wonderful to have lived and taught in Florence. How old are the dancers when they begin pointe? What are the names of the major ballet companies? Is there community support for local ballet productions? Are there many male dancers? Any interesting stories you have I could incorporate into my college paper.

Thanks for your input.

[Guest ItalianBalletInfo]

I am not quite sure if I fit into your criteria, but I lived and taught ballet in Florence, Italy for 3 1/2 years. I worked a bit in Teatro Comunale di Firenze (Maggio Musicale) and saw quite a few theatres from out front, rehearsals rooms and backstage. Let me know if I can help you.

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