Press Office17/07/2017

ROBERTO BOLLE AND FRIENDS

Arena di Verona

17th July 2017 – 10:00 pm

On Monday 17th July at 10:00 pm, the Roberto Bolle and Friends tour returns to the Arena di Verona for the fourth time on the program of the historical Opera Festival, the first of the three special evenings of the 95th edition of the Opera Festival.

The eagerly awaited gala dedicated to the contemporary dance and ballet repertoire, organized by the Fondazione Arena di Verona in collaboration with Artedanza s.r.l., brings the world’s dance stars back to the suggestive setting of the Verona amphitheatre (already almost entirely sold out) in front of international spectators once again ready to express the enthusiasm and participation of the previous four editions.The star of the evening is the world’s best known and most acclaimed dancer, Roberto Bolle, étoile of the Teatro alla Scala and the American Ballet Theatre, who will stage the “dance of emotions” at the Arena di Verona, almost like a rock concert, along with his Friends from some of the most important European and American companies.In fact, he will be joined by dancers with great talent and top artistic and technical quality, such as Herman Cornejo, at New York American Ballet Theatre since 1999, where he was promoted to the role of Principal Dancer in 2003; an eagerly awaited return to the Arena for Melissa Hamilton, first soloist of London’s Royal Ballet, dancing three spectacular performances precisely with Bolle; Misa Kuranaga, Boston Ballet’s Principal Dancer since 2009; from Amsterdam’sDutch National Ballet Anna Ol, Principal dancer since 2015, and Young Gyu Choi,Principalsince2016; Polina Semionova very recently returned to distinguish herself in Europe as a guest in Staatsballett Berlin’s corps de ballet, and spectators were already able to appreciate her in the 2014 show, like Daniil Simkin, Principal Dancer with New York’s ABT, adored by fans for his amazing, almost acrobatic technique and brilliant stage presence who, as well as a 19th century repertoire choreography, is once again proposing the piece that impassioned the Arena di Verona in 2014.

The 2017 edition of Roberto Bolle and Friends therefore features a program personally prepared by the étoile, to ensure his public of fans and newcomers to the dance world the widest possible insight on the marvellous world of dance:“I love experimenting, creating new synergies”, stated Bolle in an interview by Valentina Clemente, “not closing myself in a niche that suffocates art and those who follow it. In fact, the evening’s program opens with Ballet 101, a unique choreography created by Eric Gauthier for Roberto Bolle, which also features the extraordinary participation of actor and dubber Francesco Pannofino.The audience will also appreciate other not-to-be-missed neoclassical and contemporary creations, such as the highly refined pas de deux Caravaggio by Mauro Bigonzetti, with Bolle and Hamilton, who will also dance in Take me with you by Robert Bondara to music by Radiohead; as well as Penumbra by RemiWörtmeyer, performed by Ol with Choi, and then the incredible Les Bourgeois, with Simkin’s movements in the spotlight.

“However, classical repertoire must never be left out”, adds Bolle.In fact, alongside contemporary dance masterpieces, there are the cornerstones of classical ballet, such as Don Quixote, La Bayadère, Esmeralda, and the more recent twentieth century works that can already be considered part of ballet repertoire to all effects, such as Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux by George Balanchine and Carmen by Roland Petit.

The show ends with a special treat, which recently debuted in Florence at the beginning of July:Rencontre, a new choreography created specially for Roberto Bolle by Massimiliano Volpini to music by René Aubry and with visual effects by Staff s.a.s., a new multimedia ballet following Prototype and Through the light, in which the Italian étoile will again dance with Irish ballerina Melissa Hamilton.

The special evening thus shows its intention of making what is considered as a “niche” art popular, thanks to a combination of dance, music and spectacular technical effects, as well as the suggestive atmosphere of the theatre under the stars.An unmissable event.

PROGRAM

ACT I

Ballet 101

Choreography:EricGauthier

Music:EricGauthier and Jens-Peter Abele

Artist:Roberto Bolle

with the special participation
of Francesco Pannofino

Don Quixote

Act III - Pas de deux

Choreography:Marius Petipa

Music:Ludwig Minkus

Artists:MisaKuranaga,DaniilSimkin

Caravaggio

Pas de deux

Choreography:MauroBigonzetti

Music:BrunoMoretti

(based on music by ClaudioMonteverdi)

Artists:Melissa Hamilton, Roberto Bolle

Penumbra

Choreography:RemiWörtmeyer

Music:Sergej Rachmaninov

Artists:Anna Ol,YoungGyuChoi

LaBayadère

Pas de deux

Choreography:Marius Petipa

Music:Ludwig Minkus

Artists:PolinaSemionova,RobertoBolle
ACT II

Take me with you

Choreography:RobertBondara

Music:Radiohead

Artists:Melissa Hamilton, Roberto Bolle

Esmeralda

Pas de deux

Choreography:Marius Petipa

Music:CesarePugni

Artists:Anna Ol, Young Gyu Choi

Carmen

Pas de deux

Ballet by Roland Petit

Music:Georges Bizet

Artists:Polina Semionova, Roberto Bolle

LesBourgeois

Choreography:BenVanCauwenbergh

Music:JacquesBrel

Artist:DaniilSimkin

Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux

Choreography:GeorgeBalanchine

Music:PëtrIl'ič Čajkovskij

Artists:MisaKuranaga,HermanCornejo

Rencontre

Choreography:Massimiliano Volpini

Musiccomposed and performed
by René Aubry

Visual effects:Staff s.a.s.

Artists:Melissa Hamilton, Roberto Bolle

Info

Fondazione Arena di Verona Press Office – Via Roma 7/D, 37121 Verona

tel.(+39) 045 805.1861-1905-1891-1939 - fax (+39) 045 803.1443

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Ticket Office – Via Dietro Anfiteatro 6/B, 37121 Verona

tel.(+39) 045 59.65.17 – fax (+39) 045 801.3287 - email

Call center (+39) 045 800.51.51 - - Advance ticket sales Geticket

Prices:from € 19.00 to € 169.00

OUR THANKS GO TO THE SUPPORTERS OF THE 2017 ARENA DI VERONA OPERA FESTIVAL

Thanks go to all the supporters of the 2017 Arena di Verona Opera Festival, in particular to UniCredit, leading European banking group, Major Partnerof the Opera Festival for over twenty years, Special PartnerAGSM, Official Sponsors Intimissimi and Veronafiere, Automotive Partner Volkswagen Group Italia, Mobility Partner DB Bahn Italia and Media PartnerRadio Monte Carlo.