29th edition 17-22 July at the Teatro Nuovo Gian Carlo Menotti
Dance returns to Spoleto and it does so in grand style with the 29th edition of the International Dance Competition, the only one in Italy to be part of the International Federation of Dance Competitions, which includes the world’s best dance competitions, including those in Varna, New York, Lausanne and Jacksonville.
In attendance and under the patronage of the City of Spoleto, the International Dance Competition will bring young dancers seeking affirmation, experience and training back to the stage of the Teatro Nuovo Gian Carlo Menotti.
The event, which revolves around the competition, is enriched every year with initiatives, prizes, opportunities and unique moments that participants can enjoy, such as the master classes held by teachers of classical and modern technique available to the students (even those eliminated in the various stages of the competition) for the duration of the event.
Danza Chi Come e Perché will be the new event, guided and conceived by Sara Zuccari, who will meet the young participants of the competition, before the classical classes held by maestro Francesco Ventriglia and the contemporary classes with maestro Lukas Timulac.
It will be a moment of reflection, discussion and comparison of dance history and life history, a chat with many voices, to help young people understand the world of dance not only technically but also culturally.
The event will be broadcast live on Facebook on the page of Giornale della Danza, the first online newspaper in Italy in the sector. The level of the participants has always been very high, as demonstrated by the international jury, the numerous scholarships awarded, the careers of many winners of the Spoleto Competition who today play important roles in the Italian dance scene and beyond.
And the city is eagerly awaiting the event which, because of the world health epidemic, could not be held last year and which, for the same reason, this year is winking at Italian academies and schools, which will be able to come to Spoleto without the restrictions imposed by some foreign countries.
International, however, will be the jury of the Competition, which from 2021 is twinned with the Chinese International Dance Competition Spoleto – China.
Irina Kashkova – Artistic Director
We are in the process of defining the Jury for this edition, as some members who confirmed their participation months ago find it difficult to travel from their country.
Maria Grazia Garofoli, President of the Jury, former étoile of the Teatro La Fenice in Venice and Director of the Corps de Ballet of the Arena di Verona, Lukas Timulak, internationally renowned choreographer, Francesco Ventriglia, Adjunto a la directión artística del Ballet Nacional Sodre, Uruguay, and Artistic Director of the Sidney Choreographic Center, will certainly be with us, Oleksy Bessmertni, Director of the National Academy of Dance in Kiev and General Manager of the Tanzolymp competition in Berlin, Sara Zuccari, journalist, historian, dance critic, director of the Giornale della Danza, creator and President of the jury that awards the “Critics’ Prize”, a prize that was conceived for the Spoleto competition and that everyone has since copied.
Guests for the gala evening include Margherita Parrilla, representing the International Federation Ballet Competition, Petra Conti Principal guest dancer of the Los Angeles Ballet and Giordana Granata, from the Teatro alla Scala in Milan who will perform a pas de deux with Gabriele Fornaciari, winner of the 2019 Fondazione Carispo Grand Prix.
Paolo Boncompagni – General Director
The winners of the past editions now tread the world stage and we hope that this 29th festival, although forced into a new form by the pandemic, will also be full of good surprises. We wanted it to be attended, in compliance with all the regulations imposed by the Government, because dance is pure emotion and must be experienced up close, not through a screen. We are therefore certain that the 2021 event will also be recognised by the participants and the city as being of great depth and satisfaction.
