Toni Candeloro

Italian dancer and choreographer are one of the most recognised Italians in the world of dance. He began his career as a guest dancer in major international companies and theatres at a very young age including: Ballet of the Opera of Zurich, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Kirov Theatre of San Petersburg, Ballet of the Arena of Verona, Theatro Municipal de Rio de Janeiro, etc. His has partnered ballerinas such as Carla Fracci, Alessandra Ferri, Galina Panova, Luciana Savigano, Tamara Rojo, Lucía Lacarra and appeared with Rudolf Nureyev at his wish in Béjart’s “Le chant du compagnon errant”. In 1987 he won the “Premio Europa” as best dancer of the year for his performance of "Mercutio" in "Romeo and Juliet" by John Cranko alongside Marcia Haydée and Richard Cragun in the Opera of Zurich. His scenic charisma and his technique make him a complete dance performer ranging from the classical romantic repertoire up to modern and contemporary works. His has had the privilege to study under renowned teachers, inheritors of Russian émigrées, such as: Marika Besobrasova (student of Sedova), Ethéry Pagava (student of Egorova), Tatiana Granzeva (student of Kschesinska), Nina Tikhaonva (student of Preobrajenska). Performer of the choreographies by the great 20th century personalities such as Michel Fokine, Vaslav Nijinsky, George Balanchine, Bronislava Nijinska, Leonid Massine up to Hans van Manen, Jirí Kylián and Mats Ek. He has also created several roles with choreographers Birgit Cullberg, Alvin Ayley, Uwe Scholz and Thierry Malandain and others. The eclectics of his personality on stage leads him to be the ideal interpret of the repertory from the “Ballet Russes” of Diaghilev which lead him naturally to become one of the few reconstructors of this repertoire. He was handed down the legacy of the last generation of Diaghilev personalities such as Anton Dolin, Alicia Markova, Alexandra Danilova, Serge Lifar among others. He has staged from the Chatelet Theare in Paris to the Théâtre Municipal in Rio de Janeiro masterpieces such as "Pétrouchka", "the Spectre de la rose", "Scheherazade", "Polovtsian Dances" of Prince Igor, “L’ Après-midi d’un faune” ... Toni Candeloro is also recognized as a researcher on dance history and was the originator of scenic conferences combining word, gesture, documents, original works and dance presentation. After a conference in Rome on Marius Petipa "The Tsar of Classical Ballet" with the University of Tor Vergata, his last international conference was held in Paris, in collaboration with the universities of Paris 8 and Paris 13, the CNRS and the school of advanced studies in social sciences, on Marius Petipa "Between romanticism, orientalism and avant-garde", on the occasion of his bicentenary. Candeloro was also invited to give conferences about dance history the universities of Saint Petersburg, Milan, Bologna, Almati (Kazakhstan) and Madrid. He is the author of texts and video documentaries on the subject of Petipa to the “Ballets Russes”. Toni Candeloro has a rich collection on dance and ballet from the 17th century to the present day, which has led him to be just as much a curator. of exhibition that collaborator by the loan of works from his collection as at the Russian Museum of St Petersburg, the Theatrical Museum of La Scala in Milan, the Mart Museum of Rovereto, the Perm Museum and the Civici Museum in Venice...

Toni Candeloro is a guest professor at major international schools such as the National Conservatorie National de Music et Danse in Paris, the Academia Nazionale di Danza in Rome and the Vaganova Academy in St Petersburg.