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Eleonora Abbagnato,_ étoile _of the Paris Opera and director of the Corps de Ballet of theOpera in Rome, returns to the Spoleto Festival and stars in a dance performance dedicated to the divine Maria Callas, the absolute prima donna of the 20th century, whose 40th death anniversary falls.
Even today, as the available images and videos show, Callas induces the face and body to the deep feeling of the action, builds her own vocal and gestural lexicon that resolves reasons and peculiarities of the part into unparalleled cognition.
Indeed, in the program presented shines Tosca (a work by French choreographer Julien Lestel) in which Eleonora Abbagnato, in the role of the passionate actress who was one of the great soprano's workhorses, pays tribute to Callas' sublime art and the charisma of her voice, an ever-living presence in the listening, in the magisterium, in the memory that cancels Time.
It might seem an odd pairing, that between the Greek-American opera singer and the Italian-French ballerina, brunette and dramatic features the former, blond and ethereal the latter; yet a thin thread unites the two stars. On a personal level: the Mediterranean origins, belonging to more cultures (with a special place for the Italian one, a land that gave birth to both opera and ballet) and having chosen Paris as her city of life; on an artistic level: the veneration for Art, seen as a goddess to to whom to dedicate, almost religiously, one's existence. French by training, but proudly Palermo-born, Eleonora Abbagnato dances with intensity the character and the singer whose "hidden harmonies" she seeks to capture, dedicating "her" Tosca also to that marvelous Greekness of Callas that also runs through the veins of every son and daughter of Sicily.
Not to case both French and Italian dancers are participating to this evening dedicated to Maria Callas: from the Paris Opéra,étoile Benjamin Pech and principal dancer Audric Bézard, as well as from a cast of sixteen Italian dancers including principal dancers from the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome, Rebecca Bianchi and Claudio Cocino and Federica Maine.
choreography
Eleonora Abbagnato
Julien Lestel
Benjamin Pech
Angelin Preljocaj
dance
Eleonora Abbagnato
Audric Bezard
Rebecca Bianchi
Giorgia Calenda
Federica Maine
Benjamin Pech
with
Elena Bidini
Virginia Giovanetti
Flavia Morgante
Flavia Stocchi
Arianna Tiberi
John Castles
James Castellana
Claudio Cocino
James Lights
Marco Marangio
Alessio Rezza
Michele Satriano
Alexander Vinci
production
Daniele Cipriani Entertainment
program
_Stabat Mater _
music Antonio Vivaldi
choreography **Benjamin Pech **
lights Alessandro Caso
dance
main pair
Eleonora Abbagnato, Benjamin Pech
step to two
Elena Bidini, Claudio Cocino
pitch to four
Federica Maine, Alessio Rezza
Giorgia Calenda, Giacomo Luci
step to two
Arianna Tiberi, James Castellana
_Madama Butterfly Un bel dì vedremo _
(premiere)
music Giacomo Puccini
choreography **Eleonora Abbagnato **
dance
Rebecca Bianchi and Audric Bezard
_Tosca _
(Italian premiere)
music Giacomo Puccini
choreography **Julien Lestel **
costumes Patrick Murru
lights **Lo Ammy Vaimatapako **.
dance
Tosca_ _**Eleonora Abbagnato **.
Scarpia_ _AudricBezard
Mario_ _ClaudioCocino
The Trioo_ _RebeccaBianchi, Audric Bezard, Giacomo Castellana
4 women Giorgia Calenda, Flavia Stocchi, Flavia Morgante, Virginia Giovanetti
2 men Alessandro Vinci, Michele Satriano
_Annonciation _
music Stéphane Roy (Crystal Music), **Antonio Vivaldi **(Magnificat)
choreography Angelin Preljocaj
scenes Angelin Preljocaj
costumes Nathalie Sanson
lights** Jacques Chatelet**
dance
The angel Federica Maine
Maria Giorgia Calenda
_Le Parc _
music Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
sound creation Goran Vejvoda
choreography **Angelin Preljocaj **
costumes Hervé Pierre
lights Jacques Chatelet
dance
main pair
Eleonora Abbagnato, Benjamin Pech
The Gardeners Giovanni Castelli, Giacomo Luci, Marco Marangio, Alessio Rezza
Born to Palermo, she began to studying ballet at the age of 4 with Marisa Benassai. She continued her studies to Monte Carlo, Cannes and, to 14 years old, she was the first Italian to be admitted to the prestigious school of the Paris Opéra, where, thanks to an overwhelming passion and an iron will, to only 22 years old she became Première Danseuse, interpreting the creations of the greatest masters of choreography such as Roland Petit, Pina Bausch, William Forsythe, John Neumeier, who favored her for her versatility and interpretative intelligence. She made her television debut to 12 years old in a program hosted from Pippo Baudo. She later appeared in several television shows, in 2007 she made her debut as a lead actress in the film _Il 7 e l'8 _di Ficarra e Picone, and in 2009 she joined Paolo Bonolis in hosting the Sanremo Festival. In the fall of the same year, Vasco Rossi chose her as the ideal performer to evoke the different facets of the female figure in his new video "Ad ogni costo," which became a cult hit in just a few weeks. Rizzoli Publishing House presents to November 2009 her autobiography Un angelo sulle punte, in which Eleonora recounts her extraordinary path built with enthusiasm and tenacity that "led her right where she wanted to be." The book quickly reached its third edition. On Dec. 31, 2009, Eleonora crowns another dream: dancing at the to Vienna New Year's Eve concert broadcast worldwide with costumes designed especially for her from Valentino. Curious and eclectic she is from also involved in the fashion world for years: discovered from Karl Lagerfeld as a photographer, she is linked from a friendship with fashion designers Dolce & Gabbana. President Sarkozy appointed her in May 2010 by decree "Chevalier dans l'ordre national du mérite" to reward her for her commitment to the service of the Opéra and France. On March 27, 2013, at the suggestion of Brigitte Lefèvre Director of Dance, Nicolas Joel Director of l'Opéra National de Paris appointed her Danseuse Etoile de l'Opéra de Paris, on the occasion of the last performance of Roland Petit's Carmen, precisely a creation by the great choreographer who had chosen her to 12 years old to be Aurora as a child in The Sleeping Beauty. In April 2015 she was appointed Director of the Corps de Ballet of the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome.