Roberto Bolle and Friends
Roberto Bolle and Friends is a ballet spectacle like no other and one that is sure to impress in Florence when this extravaganza of dance comes to the Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino. A ballet show that has been touring for over two decades, this ensemble production features beloved choreography, including solo numbers and pas de deux ballet masterpieces, drawn from both classical and modern dance. The Italian dance sensation, Roberto Bolle, is the show's star, a man who treats ballet – and all the human movement it entails – as a true art form.
Roberto Bolle and Friends provides audiences with a journey through the beauty and magic of ballet. Bolle is not only a stellar dancer, but also the Artistic Director of the show, the driving creative force who has been wowing audiences around the world for so long. Alongside Bolle are a host of other talented dancers. Together, they create an amazing programme that captivates and entertains in equal measure. Indeed, Bolle's gala events have become an extraordinary means of spreading the enchantment that ballet can offer modern audiences. Thanks to the way his shows break with certain strict traditions often associated with classical ballet, he has almost single-handedly helped bring what might otherwise be regarded as a niche art form into the mainstream. Expect great classics, of course, but also innovative choreographies that offer fun, emotion and drama at almost every turn.
Bolle’s hugely successful career in ballet started at a very early age. He began pursuing his passion for dance as a child in his native Piedmont. Later, he attended the ballet school of the highly distinguished Teatro alla Scala in Milan, where he honed his skills. It was while he was a student there that the then-15-year-old Bolle came to the attention of one of the all-time ballet legends, Rudolf Nureyev. It was Nureyev who would shape the young dancer's early professional career, offering the sought-after role of Tadzio in his production of Death in Venice.
Since then, Bolle’s reputation has continued to grow, with leading roles at the Metropolitan Opera, Covent Garden, the Mariinsky Theatre, the Bolshoi Theatre and the Paris Opera, to name but a few prestigious venues. The Roberto Bolle and Friends gala was conceived in 2000 and it was performed for the first time that year. Its unique charm continues to captivate audiences today, not least at Florence's Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.