Inside La Scala Academy: Where Ballet’s Next Generation Takes Flight

MILAN, ITALY — The forward march of creativity continues unabated at Milan’s La Scala Academy, where each year a hotbed of talent flourishes, giving rise to a wealth of riveting performances that transcend convention.

Dance has a curious relationship with its own history. No other art form looks back so intently, striving to preserve the details of past performances by passing them on to new generations of gifted artists. Yet nowhere is it more difficult to safeguard exactly what a dancer intended. Styles evolve, tastes shift, steps are forgotten, and embellishments inevitably find their way into the repertoire.

_{Michele, Clara and Maria Vittoria. Photograph: Vito Lorusso}

At the heart of the Dance Department—directed since 2003 by Frédéric Olivieri, who also serves as Director of La Scala’s Ballet Company—lies the Ballet School, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious institutions for dance training. It is one of the Academy’s four principal departments, alongside music, stagecraft and management.

Founded in 1813 by Francesco Benedetto Ricci as the Imperial Royal Academy of Dance, the school has been guided by a succession of celebrated dancers and distinguished teachers, including Carlo Blasis, Esmée Bulnes, John Field and Anna Maria Prina, among many others.

_{Gabriele, Jorge V and Jorge G. Photograph: Vito Lorusso}

Over the course of its distinguished history, the school has trained some of ballet’s most celebrated artists, including Carla Fracci, Luciana Savignano, Oriella Dorella, Roberto Bolle, Massimo Murru, Nicoletta Manni, Rebecca Bianchi, Jacopo Tissi and Alice Mariani.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Academy stands as a truly unique centre of artistic education, distinguished by its close ties to Teatro alla Scala, the breadth of its curriculum and a faculty composed of internationally renowned professionals.

_{Left: Michele and Riccardo | Right: Saule, Maria Clara and Allegra. Photograph: Vito Lorusso}

_{Vittoria, Clara, Maria Vittoria and Maria Clara. Photograph: Vito Lorusso}

The Ballet School offers an intensive eight-year programme culminating in a diploma with dual specialisation in classical-academic ballet and modern-contemporary dance. The curriculum reflects the demands of today’s leading international companies, where professional dancers are expected to master an increasingly broad and versatile repertoire. Throughout their studies, students perform in productions during the Teatro alla Scala season and appear on prestigious stages across Italy and around the world.

_{Clockwise: Michele, Vittoria, RIccardo, Gabriele, Maria Clara, Maria Vittoria, Clara, Saule, Jorge Vela, Jorge Grau and Allegra. Photograph: Vito Lorusso}

“The past 22 years at the Academy have been immensely rewarding,” reflects Olivieri. “Many talented students have come here from all over the world and developed into outstanding artists. I’ve travelled with the Academy to the United States, Japan, India and many other countries, and that makes me very happy. They leave fully prepared to join major ballet companies and take on important roles across both the classical and contemporary repertoire,” he concludes with unmistakable enthusiasm.

by Chidozie Obasi