Just entered the 55th year of activity, Balletto di Roma announces a major change at the top of the artistic structure. In 2015, Walter Zappolini, étoile, choreographer and founder in 1960 of the Roman company along with Franca Bartolomei, leaves the artistic direction of the historical group. In line with the recent organizational restructuring of the company, the general manager Luciano Carratoni entrusts today the artistic guidance of Balletto di Roma to Roberto Casarotto, one of the most interesting artistic figures of the current national and international scene of contemporary dance.
This is a change of course long due and a necessary generational change in view of the new achievements of one of the largest, stable and prolific Italian dance companies. The newly appointed director will have both the challenge and the task to convey the contents and values of an ever changing contemporary world in line with a modern and international artistic scene.
First goal of an innovation process launched in 2014, the change of artistic direction is in line with the international opening of the company inaugurated last July with the choreographic residency in London at Royal Opera House for the creation of We/Part by choreographer Paolo Mangiola. It is therefore a challenge across Europe one that awaits in the next few years both the artistic director Roberto Casarotto and Balletto di Roma, showing in this way they have captured the spirit of the new guidelines contained in the MiBACT decrees for the period 2015/17.
The artistic direction by Roberto Casarotto will be joined by two associate choreographers who represent, respectively, the recent history of the company’s repertoire and new choreographic research initiated in the last two years: Fabrizio Monteverde, author of the most successful production of Balletto di Roma (Giulietta e Romeo, Bolero, Cenerentola, Il lago dei cigni, ovvero Il canto) and Paolo Mangiola, of prolific international experience with Wayne McGregor | Random Dance and Royal Ballet and and currently teacher of choreography at the English National Ballet School.
Officially introduced yesterday to the dancers and to the team of Balletto di Roma, Roberto Casarotto said he was excited to embark on this new experience that inaugurates in Italy the trend already in place abroad to entrust the leadership of the ballet companies to artistic directors with multiple wide-ranging skills. Roberto Casarotto has managed to build important European networks, putting into dialogue national and international cultural institutions such as Operaestate Festival Veneto and CSC Casa della Danza Bassano del Grappa, Teatro Pubblico Pugliese, Gender Bender Festival, Anticorpi XL, European Dancehouse Network, Aerowaves – promoting new artistic development opportunities for Italian talents and encouraging the international spread of original creations.
A different way of production and training for the coming years have been therefore proposed by the team of Balletto di Roma and the newly renovated Scuola del Balletto di Roma directed by Paola Jorio: special attention to contemporary choreographic languages, research and innovation, maintaining and strengthening the historical repertoire, dialogue with the public and with the international scene and especially the creation of new opportunities for the development of dance culture becoming a “house” where the comparison and sharing are the core values for the growth of future generations of dancers and choreographers .