LOS ANGELES, Jan 25th 2011. - Ballet Étoile Roberto Bolle and musician Stefano Bollani has been among the stars animating the 6° edition of the Los Angeles Italia - Film, Fashion and Art Fest (taken place at Hollywood’s Chinese Theatre from February 20th to 26th) dedicated to legendary film producer Dino De Laurentiis (who passed away last November). The announcement was made by Pascal Vicedomini, founder and producer of the event that since 2006 has been opening the week preceding the Oscar® Night.
The two artists, as well as film director Marco Bellocchio, received the Excellence Award, a special prize going to the ambassadors of Italian talent and cultural tradition all over the world. On that occasion, Roberto Bolle presented the documentary of the backstage of his show Onegin (produced by Classica and set between Milan’s La Scala and the Opera Theatre of Stoccarda) as well as a director’s cut of his show “Roberto Bolle and Friends”. Stefano Bollani, on his hand, performed at the piano in a tribute to Nino Rota’s music and Federico Fellini’s cinema.
Roberto Bolle, Onegin, the transformation of an étoile is the new documentary produced at the end of 2010 by Classica tv with the original idea and interviews by Francesca Pedroni, author of the Danza in Scena series for the channel, and directed by Simone Pera. Roberto Bolle spent his formative years at La Scala Theatre and is today the most internationally famous étoile in the ballet world. Last October Bolle, with the physique of a danseur noble and an exceptional technique, wanted to test himself when he took on Onegin, one of the most expressive and dramatic roles of twentieth-century ballet, for the choreography of John Cranko. This formidable ballet, performed by Bolle and the theatre ballet company at La Scala Theatre with his partner the guest star Maria Eichwald, prima ballerina of the Stuttgart Ballet, highlights perfectly the interpretative talent of its protagonists.
This ballet finds its origin in Puskin’s novel in verse by the same name about a man who is disillusioned with life and who misses his one chance to find happiness. In order to prepare for this ballet, Bolle went to study in Germany, at the Stuttgart Ballet, home to the Cranko tradition and where Onegin was created. Classica followed Bolle and his partner Maria Eichwald in the various phases of preparation for this brilliant role. It was a journey that revealed a complex as well as fascinating role, put together piece by piece, during the rehearsals at the Stuttgart Ballet and those at La Scala Theatre, from dressing room preparations to the performance on stage, also seen from behind the scenes. This portrait reveals the transformation of an étoile.
Documentary from the Danza in Scena series original idea and interviews Francesca Pedronidirecting Simone Pera
produced in Italy by Classica tv (channel 728, SKY) 2010
Broadcast on Classica tv (Sky, channel 728) from the 20th of December 2010 to the 11th of January 2011
Both artists made their debut in Hollywood on the occasion of the 6° edition of the Los Angeles-Italia Film Festival, taken place on the eve of the Oscar® night, in the same location that on Sunday Feb 27th hosted all the great stars of cinema. The Festival featured 40 free screenings (films and documentaries) as well the above cited retrospective of Marco Bellocchio’s film and a retrospective of film to celebrate the 150° anniversary of the Unification of Italy organized in association with Cinecitta' Luce.
LA, Italia is produced by Pascal Vicedomini for the Capri in the World Institute in association with Cim Group, Eni, Rai TV, and Alitalia, with the sponsorship of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Cinema of the Ministry of Culture and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, and with the special participation of the NIAF – National Italian American Foundation, the Consul General of Italy, the Italian Trade Commission, the Italian Institute of Culture in L.A., Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà-Luce and the U.S.C. – University of Southern California.
