A small but precious performance, organized by the Roberto Bolle Foundation for the detainees at the Cesare Beccaria Juvenile Detention Center, thanks to the collaboration with the PuntoZero Association.
In front of a packed audience of young inmates, several emerging talents in breakdancing and classical dance performed. Notably, two dancers from the Teatro Alla Scala Company, Rebecca Luca and Alessandro Francesconi, performed excerpts from The Nutcracker and Grand Pas Classique, along with Roy Ilagou—a dancer and choreographer from Central Africa—and his hip-hop and Afro dance crew.
The performance was introduced by Roberto Bolle himself, who spoke to the young audience from the stage to introduce the artists. He then took questions from the audience, urging the young detainees to remember to “nourish every day the beauty that is within all of us.”
At the end of the show, which was met with great enthusiasm from the audience, the performing artists shared their journeys, which were marked by sacrifice and passion. One of them, Filippo Pieroni, recounted how he went from the streets to performing as the lead breakdancer in the Cirque du Soleil Company, becoming the first Italian breakdancer to hold this role.
“I was very keen that one of the first steps of the Foundation would be this,” Bolle explained on the sidelines of the event. “I have always supported the educational value of dance, especially for the younger generations. In this place, dance can not only feel at home, but it can also be a valuable tool for education and rehabilitation, teaching respect, beauty, inclusion, and discipline—teaching that shortcuts cannot yield the same results as daily commitment, as sacrifice for personal growth. In addition, I believe dance can have a great therapeutic value in healing the wounds each of these young individuals carries with them.”
Roberto Bolle
Principal dancer étoile, Teatro Alla Scala, Milan.
The beginning
Roberto Bolle discovered his passion for dance at a very young age. He began his studies in Piedmont, his home region, until, at the age of 12, he decided to take part in auditions to enter the Scuola di Ballo (Ballet School of) del Teatro alla Scala. He passed them brilliantly and a few months later moved to Milan, where he began attending classes.
The meeting with Rudolf Nureyev
During his last appearance at Teatro alla Scala, Nureyev noticed Roberto in the rehearsal room and asked him to show him some exercises at the barre. After a few days, he told the Theatre that he wanted him for the role of Tazio in Morte a Venezia, a performance that he was about to bring to the Arena in Verona. La Scala did not allow 15-year-old Bolle to accept the great Russian dancer’s offer because of his immature age, but this meeting marked Roberto’s destiny forever.
Romeo and Jukiet cor. MacMillan
Teatro La Scala, Milan
At only twenty years of age, Roberto made his debut in the title role of Romeo. In this role, in July of the following year, he was promoted Primo Ballerino (Principal dancer) by Elisabetta Terabust, thus beginning an amazing international career.
Swan Lake
Royal Albert Hall, London
At just 22 years of age, Roberto performed for the first time in front of the British royal family, receiving applause from Princess Margaret and from late Lady Diana.
He danced alongside international star Altinai Asylmuratova on England’s most prestigious concert stage, the Royal Albert Hall, for a brand-new production by Derek Deane featuring 70 swans, acrobats and jugglers.
The Times and Aida
Giza Plateau, Cairo
On Valentine’s Day, The Times dedicated a front-page article to Roberto: it was the beginning of his international popularity. In the same year, Roberto danced in the triumphant Aida, which was performed in Cairo for the first time in fifty years. The stage was built on desert sand and had a one-of-a-kind and extraordinary backdrop: the pyramids of Keope and Kefren.
UNICEF and The Nutcracker
Covent Garden Royal Opera House, London
The Royal Opera House opened its ballet season with The Nutcracker to celebrate its reopening after three years of renovation. Roberto was invited to dance in the prestigious theatre for the first time with English ballet star Darcey Bussell. This was the beginning of a long and remarkable partnership that saw Roberto and Darcey starring in major classical and contemporary ballets. In 1999 Roberto Bolle was appointed Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF. The youngest of the NGO’s testimonials until then.
Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II
Buckingham Palace, London
The United Kingdom and the Commonwealth countries celebrated 50 years of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The celebrations reached their climax on Saturday, 1 June with a grand event at the Royal Palace. Here, Roberto, the only Italian artist invited, danced the Black Swan pas de deux with Zenaida Yanowsky in the fabulous Throne Room at Buckingham Palace.
Mariinsky, Bolshoi
Paris Opéra, Metropolitan Opera House
During these years, Roberto was invited to dance in all of the most renowned theatres in the world: Mariinsky, Bolshoi, Opera and Metropolitan Opera House.
Youth Day
St. Peter’s Square, Rome
On 1 April, Pope John Paul II met young people in St. Peter’s Square. Roberto was invited to perform on the parvis of St. Peter’s Square in a solo on Mozart’s Ave Verum, with choreography by Renato Zanella.
Winter Olympic Games and UNICEF
After fifty years, the Winter Olympic Games returned to Italy, in Turin.
During the thrilling opening ceremony, Roberto Bolle, Piedmontese by birth, danced a long solo, choreographed by Enzo Cosimi, in an extraordinary setting representing Italian art from Futurism to the Future. The performance was aired on television all over the world. 2006 also marked Bolle’s first trip as Goodwill Ambassador to southern Sudan (South Sudan) for Unicef.
Alessandra Ferri’s farewell to the stage
2007 was the year of Alessandra Ferri’s farewell to the stage and she called Roberto to join her on this long tour. The two stars performed together on many stages: from New York to Tokyo, from Milan to Rome via Hamburg, Ravello and Taormina.
Roberto Bolle and Friends
In 2008, with an increasingly large and enthusiastic following, the Roberto Bolle and Friends Gala – created eight years earlier – began to move out of the venues traditionally dedicated to dance, in search of larger and more unusual spaces.
This led to the creation of unique performances such as the Gala held on the parvis of Milan Cathedral, in Piazza Plebiscito in Naples, in St. Mark’s Square in Venice, in the Valley of the Temples in Agrigento, and in the Boboli Gardens in Florence. All in the presence of thousands of people. But also, evenings in unexpected places, never before contemplated by dance, such as the Colosseum in Rome, the Certosa in Capri and the Fènis Castle in Aosta. Everywhere breathtaking and sold-out evenings. In recent years, this highly successful formula has crossed national borders and has been exported abroad: from the Pallas Theatre in Athens to the Cemil Topuzlu Open Air Theatre in Istanbul, and most recently to New York at the prestigious New York City Center.
American Ballet Theatre
young global leader per Davos e Bruce Weber
Roberto Bolle was appointed Principal Dancer at ABT, the first Italian dancer to be awarded this title at the same time as étoile at La Scala in Milan. In the same year, the World Economic Forum in Davos elected Roberto Young Global Leader 2009. Finally, in December, Bruce Weber’s photo book on Bolle was published, entitled: Roberto Bolle – An Athlete in Tights.
Robert Wilson, Peter Greenway and UNICEF
The famous artist created a series of Voom Portraits dedicated to Roberto Bolle. In the same year, these portraits were featured in a New York exhibition entitled Perchance to Dream. Some of these images were then projected on the big screens in New York’s Times Square in 2012. 2010 was also the year of his meeting with Peter Greenway, who called him to interpret the symbol of Italian art in his installation ‘Italy of cities’, created for the Italian pavilion at the Shanghai Expo 2010. This year also marked Roberto’s second trip as Goodwill Ambassador to see for himself the vaccination and schooling work carried out by Unicef volunteers in the Central African Republic.
Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic and Arena di Verona
2012 was another crucial year in Roberto Bolle’s career. In November, he was awarded the prestigious title of Cavaliere dell’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (Knight of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic) by the President of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, for the merits acquired in promoting the Italian culture. In July, the Roberto Bolle and Friends Gala was staged at the Arena di Verona, which had not hosted a dance performance for over nineteen years. It was an incredible success, in front of an enthusiastic sell-out audience, which brought ballet back into the great Verona institution and into the centre of public attention.
New York City Center
His Roberto Bolle and Friends Gala debuted in New York, as part of the ‘2013 Year of Italian Culture in the United States’ project promoted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Paris, UNESCO Medal and Rethink Energy
In 2014, he was awarded the UNESCO Medal in Paris for the universal cultural value of his artistic work, in ‘recognition of his contribution to the promotion of UNESCO’s ideas through dance as a living cultural expression and as a vector of dialogue’. Also in 2014, Bolle was chosen as the star of ENI’s new ‘Rethink Energy’ campaign for which he made an incredible commercial directed by Fabrizio Ferri.
Voyage into Beauty and Milan 2015
In April 2015, the photographic book ‘Viaggio nella Bellezza’ (Voyage into Beauty) was published by Rizzoli, with images by Luciano Romano and Fabrizio Ferri. Roberto was portrayed in some of the iconic places of Italy’s artistic heritage, such as the ruins of Pompeii, Piazza San Marco in Agrigento, the Colosseum and the Baths of Caracalla. The harmony of gestures and the balance between the dancer and the places allow giving deep thought to art and to the extraordinary nature of our heritage. Again in 2015, Roberto Bolle approached cinema for the first time in the role of director by participating in the collaborative project ‘Milano 2015’ a documentary film divided into six episodes with as many directors. The film was successfully presented at the Venice Film Festival.
Roberto Bolle – My Free Dance
In October 2016, Raiuno dedicated a Saturday prime time to the event show ‘Roberto Bolle – La Mia Danza Libera’, a tribute to his art with the participation of international ballet stars alongside musicians, actors and singers.
Roberto Bolle – The Art of Dance
‘Roberto Bolle – L’Arte della Danza’, the documentary film from the 2015 summer tour of the show ‘Roberto Bolle and Friends’ through some of Italy’s iconic cultural heritage venues was released in Italian cinemas in 2016 also. Amongst the venues: the Arena in Verona, the Teatro Grande in Pompeii and the Terme di Caracalla in Rome.
Roberto Bolle – Danza con me (Dance with me)
On 1 January 2018, a new evening of great dance ‘Roberto Bolle – Danza con me’ was broadcast, on Raiuno: a successful event watched by around 5 million people, which continued for no less than 5 more editions.
World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Davos
In January, he also performed in the world premiere of ‘The Seasons’ at the opening night of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2018 in Davos (Switzerland).
OnDance | Let’s light up the dance
Roberto was Artistic Director and performer for the first edition of OnDance | Let’s turn dance on, the dance festival that was held in Milan in June 2018. In September, he was awarded the honour of ‘Ufficiale all’Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana’.
Roberto Bolle – Danza Con Me and Questa notte mi ha aperto gli occhi (This night opened my eyes)
The beginning of 2019 saw him once again starring in Raiuno’s event show ‘Danza con me’, a triumph with both critics and the public, as were the 2020, 2021 and 2022 editions. In March 2019, he aired the TV documentary ‘This night opened my eyes’, which was broadcast by Sky Arte.
ABT – Farewell
On Thursday 20 June 2019, Roberto Bolle – together with his partner Hee Seo – bid farewell to New York’s ABT stage, performing one of his most beloved ballets: Kenneth MacMillan’s L’Histoire de Manon.
Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
In June 2021, he received the honour of Grande Ufficiale dell’Ordine ‘Al merito della Repubblica italiana’ from the President of the Republic.
The Opera Meravigliosa. Roberto Bolle for the Duomo of Milan
On 7 September 2021, Roberto Bolle was the star of the evening ‘L’Opera Meravigliosa. Roberto Bolle per il Duomo di Milano’ in support of the restoration of the Duomo’s ‘Guglia Maggiore’.
Roberto Bolle and Friends’ Gala in Dubai and Abu Dhabi
In February and March 2022, he performed in the Roberto Bolle and Friends Gala in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, respectively on the stage of the Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre during EXPO2020 and at the Emirates Palace Auditorium.
Boléro at the Cirque Royal in Brussels and Apollo at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles
On 18 and 19 March, he danced on the red table of Boléro at the Cirque Royal in Brussels with the Béjart Ballet Lausanne company, and on 3 June he performed ‘Apollo’ at the Opening Night of the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Roberto Bolle and Friends Gala | BIG – Ballet International Gala
The 2022 summer tour of the Roberto Bolle and Friends Gala opened with eight dates at the Teatro degli Arcimboldi in Milan. It continued in July in the traditional venues in Rome, Florence, Verona and two new ones: the Parchi di Nervi in Genoa and the Teatro Antico in Taormina. In August he flew for the first time to Brisbane, Australia, where he was a guest at the BIG – Ballet International Gala.
OnDance | Let’s light up the dance
At the beginning of September, the fifth edition of OnDance was back in Milan with the incredible BalloinBianco in Piazza Duomo, a barre lesson held by Bolle himself joined in by 1607 dancers from all over Italy. An event that reminded us once again that dance must be protected and supported.
Cuba, Zagabria and Muscat, Oman
Two major events took place in October and November – the 27th Festival Internacional de Ballet de La Habana ‘Alicia Alonso’ in Cuba and the Ballet Gala Concert in Zagreb. In December he was at the Royal Opera House in Muscat with the Roberto Bolle and Friends Gala.
Boléro at the Teatro Arcimboldi in Milan and Caravaggio at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires
In May 2023, Roberto was at Milan’s Teatro Arcimboldi with 7 dates/performances of the ‘Roberto Bolle and Béjart Ballet Lausanne’ show where he starred in ‘Boléro’. Still in May, an international stop at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires for Mauro Bigonzetti’s ballet ‘Caravaggio’.
Baalbeck International Festival and Ballet International Gala
In July, he opened the 2023 edition of the Baalbeck International Festival (Lebanon) with his Roberto Bolle and Friends Gala, and then travelled back to Australia in August for the Ballet International Gala in Adelaide, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
Viva la Danza and the Roberto Bolle Foundation
On 29 April 2024, Roberto Bolle celebrated the ‘Festa Internazionale della Danza’ for the first time on television. He created a TV programme – ‘Viva la Danza’ – which aired on Rai 1 in prime time, receiving both critical and public acclaim. Roberto is also the creator and artistic director of OnDance, a dance festival which staged its seventh edition in Milan in 2024: through a packed calendar of workshops, open classes, flash mobs and performances, the festival brings dance closer to people. This is the first initiative conceived and developed by the Roberto Bolle Foundation.
