L'Italo-Americano

T h e F e s t i v a l N a p a V a l l e y r e o p e n e d i t s d o o r i n t h e beautiful wine c o u n t r y a f t e r t h e interruption caused by the p a n d e m i c l a s t y e a r . Together with local artists, the programming brought o n e o f t h e m o s t representative Italian ballet dancers, Roberto Bolle, to C a l i f o r n i a . A p r i n c i p a l dancer at American Ballet Theatre from 2009-2019, a principal dancer étoile at La Scala Theatre Ballet, and a guest artist with other top i n t e r n a t i o n a l c o m p a n i e s , Bolle is one of Italy's most beloved artists. Through the R o b e r t o B o l l e a n d F r i e n d s production, the a r t i s t b r o u g h t o n s t a g e internationally renowned dancers, like Osiel Gouneo, A n g e l o G r e c o , M e l i s s a Hamilton, Misa Kuranaga, and Skylar Brandt. The event, held on July 23rd at Charles Krug winery, f o l l o w e d b y t h e P a t r o n D i n n e r a t R a y m o n d Vineyards, had the support of the Italian Consulate G e n e r a l i n S a n F r a n c i s c o , t h e I t a l i a n Cultural Institute (IIC), J a n S h r e m a n d M a r i a M a n e t t i S h r e m , S u z a n n e Deal Booth, Romana Bracco, Sharon and Michael Dixon, P a m e l a a n d C . R i c h a r d K r a m l i c h , K a t h l e e n M a r t i n e z N a z a r a n d J o s é Luis Nazar, Yurie and Carl Pascarella, Megha and Nirav Tolia, and Steven Volpe. Annamaria di Giorgio, Director of the IIC in San Francisco, worked with all the partners involved to see the project come to life. And w e c a n f e e l a l l h e r e n t h u s i a s m w h e n t a l k i n g about it: "Finally, besides all the roadblocks we faced in the last year, we were able to contribute to this event with some budget; we are very happy to have helped bring the best of the Italian Dance in the Bay Area." Italian Consul General in S a n F r a n c i s c o , S e r g i o S t r o z z i , a t t e n d e d t h e performance as one of his first official events, feeling all emotions and vibe of the occasion. "The Festival Napa V a l l e y i s o n e o f t h e m o s t important cultural festivals and events of the Bay Area", h e s a i d . " A s C o n s u l a t e G e n e r a l o f I t a l y a n d t h e Italian Institute of Culture, w e a r e h o n o r e d t o h a v e supported it, together with t h e o t h e r F e s t i v a l ' s sponsors." And continued: " A f t e r t h e p a n d e m i c emergency, hosting Roberto Bolle and Friends ballet in N a p a m e a n s r e - o p e n i n g culture and starting to live a g a i n . W i t h a l l t h e d i f f i c u l t i e s a n d s o m u c h sorrow, cultural events like this help people get back to normality. Roberto Bolle is a l s o p a r t o f w h a t w e c a l l C u l t u r a l D i p l o m a c y , aiming at strengthening the relations between the US and Italy through cultural events and exchanges. For all these reasons, I was glad to attend the ballet in one of my first official activities as new Consul General of Italy in San Francisco. I am fully engaged to bring and have più Italia in San Francisco a n d t h e B a y A r e a i n t h e future." W e t a l k e d t o R o b e r t o Bolle after he landed in San F r a n c i s c o a n d w e t a l k e d about many things, like his c a r e e r , l i f e d u r i n g t h e pandemic, and more. Many are interested in learning about his career, however R o b e r t o ' s l i f e a n d a c h i e v e m e n t s a r e p a r t o f history books by now. So, for t h i s c o n v e r s a t i o n , w e decided to go straight into the present and his visit to California. First of all Roberto, how are you doing? To be totally honest, I am happy to be on stage again. L a s t m o n t h s h a v e b e e n t o u g h f o r e v e r y o n e a n d especially for artists. It has been a dark time for us all, I am just getting back to the first performances after the pandemic. Needless to say, it was hard to keep myself fit a n d a t t h e t o p . I t w a s c h a l l e n g i n g t o f i n d t h o s e feelings we were used to, to h a v e a g o a l i n l i f e a n d willing to work towards it. N o w , w i t h s o m e t o u r s around Italy, like Rome and Verona, I found motivation again. I am thrilled to be back on stage, feel it and feel the audience again. B o l l e a n d F r i e n d s tour, what is it and what does it mean to you? T h e i d e a b e h i n d t h i s p r o j e c t c a m e u p t w e n t y years ago, when I was much y o u n g e r . T h i s p r o j e c t allowed me to get on stage across Italy and the world, I w a s h o p i n g t o b e a b l e t o perform away from La Scala, my home, to work on some choreographies that I liked. This tour means freedom of choosing where, when, what, w h o t o b r i n g o n s t a g e . I t started small: we performed in little theaters before we m o v e d t o b i g g e r o n e s i n 2 0 0 8 , e n d i n g w i t h t h e C o l o s s e u m , P i a z z a d e l Plebiscito in Naples, Piazza Duomo in Milan, when we were welcomed almost like rock stars. We performed in Verona, Caracalla, in China, in the US - Los Angeles and New York - Paris, and some other big cities. This tour has brought lots of love and support from the audience, as these performances want t o t a l k t o e v e r y o n e , b y a l t e r n a t i n g c l a s s i c a n d contemporary music. Our a u d i e n c e c a n n o w e n j o y different ways of dancing, w i t h a r t i s t s a t t h e t o p o f their career. This year, the tour is more than all this, it is a symbol of renaissance. We want to start again after Roberto Bolle during the Patrons Dinner at Raymond Vineyards (Photo credits: Drew Altizer) THURSDAY, AUGUST 5, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY Roberto Bolle and Friends dancing under the stars of the Festival Napa Valley SERENA PERFETTO Continued to page 32

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