Choreographer, teacher, author and consultant for TV programmes on ballet, Paola Jorio is today the Artistic director of the School of Balletto di Roma. She began her dance training at Balletto di Roma with the teachers Franca Bartolomei and Walter Zappolini and it was there that, between 1956 and 1965, she began her professional career as a dancer by taking part in the classical repertoire performances at Ninfeo di Villa Giulia in Rome, Teatro Massimo in Palermo, Teatro Moderno in Cagliari, Teatro Massimo in Catania and many other cities. She further trained at the École Supérieure d’Études Chorégraphiques in Paris, from which she graduated in 1964 with a degree as “Professeur de Danse Académique”. In Paris, she also attended the Académie Volinine and the classical repertoire course with Madame Madeleine Lafone, in addition to the improvers seminars with Madame Vyroubova, Monsieur Trailine, Madame Trofimova, Monsieur Zovski and Madame Nora. In the ‘70s and ‘80s she attended theory and technical courses at the Accademia Nazionale di Danza. From 1972 to 1992 she was the director of studies for the school of Balletto di Roma, the same school in which she began her career as a dancer, teacher and choreographer. She took part, together with her students, in many national contests and received a number of important awards and recognitions, such as the prestigious “Tersicore d’oro”, Città di Lucca (19966-1968) and the awards for choreography (1970-1971) with the works Jeux d’enfants by G. Bizet, Filastrocche Italiane, Carillons and Italiana by F. Mendelssohn. In 1977, after being awarded with choreography prizes by the director Giuliana Penzi, she worked as teacher of academic technique at the Accademia Nazionale di Danza until 1993. In that same year, Elisabetta Terabust invited her to the Dance School of Teatro dell’Opera di Roma as Acting director. In 2000 she was appointed director of the Dance School of Teatro dell’Opera di Roma until 2011. During these years, Paola Jorio actively strived to promote dance for young people and to increase the interest towards ballet by creating performances for schools and demonstrations tailored for the schools of Rome and the whole region together with her students from Scuola del Teatro dell’Opera. Because of such endeavours, in September 2011, she was awarded with the “Premio Alta Formazione” dedicated to Luca Vespoli in Positano. She also received many recognitions such as: Special Prize “Anita Bucchi” for the excellence in dance training (May 2009), International prize “Ginestra D’Oro” for dance (September 2010), Merit prize “Giovani Talenti” (February 2011), Prize “Roma in Danza” for her career (January 2011), plaque for the artistic direction of “H.O.P.E.” (Human Opportunities Pro Everybody) presented by the President of the Camera dei deputati Gianfranco Fini (December 2011). She also worked as a choreographer for the film industry in the episode directed by Federico Fellini of the film Spirits of the Dead (1968). She worked as an author and consultant in television in “D… come Danza” Rai3 (1992), “Itinerario danza” Rai 3 (1991), “uno e due” for GBR (1971), “Oggi parliamo di… danza” Rai 3, “Ricordi della Scala” for the Delia Scala Show (1969), “Ritmo e Movimento” for Telescuola. Upon the invitation of maestro Walter Zappolini, current artistic director of the Balletto di Roma dance company and for more than 15 years head of the dance school of Balletto di Roma, since 2012 Paola Jorio has been the artistic director of the new School of Balletto di Roma.
