Roberto Bolle

Biography

Roberto Bolle has been hailed by the Italian media as the "Pride of Milan" and the "most exciting star at La Scala".
The dancer was born in Casale Monferrato and entered at La Scala Ballet School when he was just a youngster.
The first person to notice his talent was the legendary Rudolf Nureyev who chose Roberto to perform the role of Tadzio in Flemming Flindt’s opera Death in Venice.
In 1994, he graduated from the School and immediately joined the La Scala Company where he began to perform soloist roles.
In 1995 he was given in Italy two awards: Danza & Danza and the Positano prize as best dancer of the year and in 96 he was appointed "Principal Dancer" immediately after his performance of Romeo and Juliet by MacMillan.
As a mark of his infinite diversity as a dancer, he has performed the Prince in classical bravura ballets such as Nutcracker, Makarova's Bayadere, Nureyev's productions of Swan lake, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Don Quixote; Etudes, Paquita, in Ashton's Ondine, Rendevous and Thais, Albrecht in Giselle as well as in Sylvie Guillem's version, James in Schaufuss's Silphide, Romeo and De Grieux in MacMillan's production, Lensky in Cranko's Onegin, Phoebus in Roland Petit's Notre Dame de Paris, Danilo in Hynd's The Merry Widow, as well as Forsythe's In the middle..." and neo classical roles in Ben Stevenson's Three Preludes, Balanchine's Ciajkovski Pas de deux, Night Shadow, Agon and Apollo. For this role he was nominated for the Prize "Benois de la danse" in 1998 and performed at the Kremlin Palace in Moscow.
His international career started at the age of 21 when he was invited by the National Ballet of Canada to perform the opening night of Sleeping Beauty and later by Derek Deane, Artistic Director of the English National Ballet, where he created the role of Siegfried in the new version of Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Since then he has been Guest Artist with the Royal Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet (Hommage a John Cranko partnering Carla Fracci in Fokine's Spectre de la Rose), Bolshoi Theatre (to celebrate Maya Plitseskaia's 75th Anniversary) and Kirov Theatre, English National Ballet, Staatsoper Berlin, Tokyo Ballet, Rome Opera House, Teatro San Carlo of Neaples, Teatro Comunale of Florence, Wiesbaden Festival, The International Baltic Ballet Festival, the 8th, 9th and 10th "World Ballet Festival" in Japan where he represented Teatro alla Scala, Semper Oper in Dresden (to celebrate Derevianko's 20th anniversary) and in Japan for a number of gala with a group of Etoiles of Paris Opera. On the occasion of the Tenth Anniversary of the new Cairo Opera House (october 98) Roberto Bolle was invited to perform in the opera Aida in his original setting, at the foot of the Pyramids of Giza and in the new Aida's version by Pizzi at the Arena di Verona which was broadcast all over the world (June 99) and the Athens Concert Hall (May 2001) for Verdi's celebration.
In 2000 Roberto Zanella created for him a solo on the music Ave Verum by Mozart.
His partners include: Asylmuratova, Benjamin, Bussell, Cullum, Durante, Ferri, Fracci, Glasco, Guérin, Guillem, Hodgkinson, Illmann, Jaffe, Knop, Kohoutkova, Lacarra, Letestu, Noja, Nunez, Pankova, Pasaric, Pavlenko, Pujol, Rojo, Semionova, Tapper, Vallo, Vishneva, Yanowsky, Cojocaru, Sologub.
His awards include the "Positano Prize" (1995), a nomination for the "Benois de la danse" (1998) for Apollo, the "Tani Award" (1999), the "Golden Pentagramme" (2000) and the "Dance Critics Prize" (Danza & Danza 2001). In June 2002 Roberto danced at Buckingham Palace, in the presence of Queen Elisabeth, to celebrate the Golden Jubilee. The event was broadcast live by BBC throughout the Commonwealth.
In October 2002 he partnered Alessandra Ferri at the Bolshoi with La Scala Ballet in Mac Millan's Romeo and Juliet.
In March 2003 he opens with Darcey Bussel, Makarova's new production of Sleeping Beauty at Covent Garden, while in July in St. Petersburg to celebrate the 300 years of the town he danced Swan Lake, again with the Royal Ballet, at Mariinsky Theatre. In July, to welcome the return of the Dancing Faun to Mazara del Vallo, Sicily, Roberto Bolle danced l'Aprés-Midi d'un Faune by Amedeo Amodio.
On the 1st of April 2004 he has danced in the presence of his Holiness John Paul II on the churchyard of St Peter's Square on the occasion of the Youth Day.
From the beginning of the season 2003-2004 Roberto Bolle is nominated étoile at La Scala.
As a practioner of the Italian style of ballet, one who is as handsome as technical, Roberto uses the magnificent proportions of his body to create perfect placement.
Apart from being lyrical, graceful and completely expressing, his stage presentation is considered a model of efficiency and economy.
He is a joy to watch on stage.
Since April 99 Roberto Bolle has been "Goodwill Ambassador" for Unicef.