Photographer Kevin Rashid Giaquinto – Fashion Editor Matteo Greco – Talent Paolo Busti at Monster Management – Makeup by Alessia Stefano at Blend Management using Humanrace – Hair by Angelica Davanzo at Blend Management using Paul Mitchell – Casting by Isadora Banaudi – Photography Assistant Gianluca Pezzato – Fashion Assistants Melania Musci, Jacopo Doris and Eleonora Marinelli – Interview by Francesca Jude Fusetti
Tank Top Marc O’ Polo / Total Look Canali – Boots Timberland
Top and Shoes Jil Sander – Jeans Magliano / Tank Top Marc O’ Polo – Shorts Fila – Socks Louis Vuitton – Boots Timberland
You performed one of your first auditions when you were 14 at the San Carlo Theatre in Naples, but was there a crucial moment that made you realise that dance was more than just a passion, but also a way to make a living?
I believe that when you’re young, you’re willing to take more risks when it comes to life decisions, you’re less afraid or aware of the consequences. Dance made me happy then, just as it does now. What truly made the difference for me was curiosity; the desire to explore, to learn, to understand if this passion could become something more. This is what opened the possibility for me to turn a passion into a profession.
Dance is also a way to communicate feelings and express oneself. Dancers translate the language of music into movements of form, creating scenes and scenarios. Do you think that sometimes words are not enough and, as humans, we have the need to also communicate through our body?
I believe everybody is unique and different, and dance is extremely beautiful. Expressing the inner self is extremely personal and essential. In my case, I need movement even more than words. It’s just one of the many powerful tools we have to express ourselves.
What does it mean for you to dance? What emotions does dance evoke?
Dancing means feeling home, in my own world, and in my own space where I can find myself, where I can stay alone or invite people in, where I can reflect inwardly or express myself outwardly. No matter the space where I am, or whether it is daytime or nighttime, on a stage, or on a shooting set or in my private living room, dance is always evoking something special in me.
T-shirt Adidas – Jeans Ami Alexandre Mattiussi – Shoes Bally – Glasses L.G.R / Jeans Bally
What’s your favourite pièce to dance to and why?
One of my favourite pièces I’ve danced to was ‘Aeon’ by Luca Tassarini. It was created for Onegin Festival in Switzerland. We performed on a floating stage in an outstanding tower. I remember we were staying on the stage for the entire one and a half hour performance without ever leaving. It was a real journey and every night the show was slightly different and it pushed us to stay completely focused from the start until the end. Sharing this experience with a group of incredibly talented fellow artists made it really special, and it’s something I’ll forever cherish.
Fashion and dance go quite hand-in-hand, when you think about it. Each costume builds a character or helps to create movement, such as the Loie Fuller of 1905 showing the so-called Serpentine dance. What’s a costume you loved wearing during one of your shows?
One of my favourite costumes was ‘Le Faun’, inspired by Vaslav Nijinsky and designed by Stefano Canulli under the creative direction of Philip Treacy. I
remember this collaboration as the exact moment I discovered this world and really became curious about fashion. I still remember how impressed and fascinated I was when Philip took me to the Marlene Dietrich archive just outside Berlin. It was an intense introduction to how costumes can shape a performance.
Total Look Bally
Jacket Bally
What’s a dream collaboration that you’d like to create between fashion and dance?
I’m happy to say that we’ve already witnessed some great collaborations between fashion and dance by amazing brands like Miu Miu, Ferragamo, and Dior. Kim Jones, former creative director at Dior, took inspiration from the private clothes of Rudolf Nureyev and many others. Mixing fashion and dance is a good example of a collaboration where the past and the present come together to create something beautiful with a story. I also really like when creative directors design costumes specifically for dance pieces, as Raf Simons did for ‘Solo’ at New York City Ballet. And like him, others have done it too and I’d just love to see even more of that. It really has to be a different kind of approach when you design clothes that are meant for movement.
You’ve worked in different theaters: Naples, Milan, and Berlin, and you’ve participated to Italian show Amici. You’ve met many different people, but did you look up to anyone?
When you’re lucky enough to be an artist and to have passion for what you do, it’s easy to meet people you can look up to. In my case many of them became friends and I’m happy now to be able to say that I really look up to my friends who give me constant inspiration and motivation.
Total Look Louis Vuitton – Hat Alanui / Shirt MSGM – Earrings Louis Vuitton
Total Look Bally
Who, in your opinion, has given you the best advice? Who changed your perspective on things when you needed it most?
My brother gave me the best advice when I was living alone in Milan at the age of 17 and wanted to give up. And later, when I lost him and felt like my own life was over too, it was Alessandra Pasquali, my ballet master and friend in Berlin who stood in and changed everything. She refused to give up on me and brought me back by motivating and supporting me.
What advice would you give to young dancers who are just starting out in the world of professional dance?
Always remember that all the rules we learn in ballet school are essential and give us structure, discipline and technique, but we should never forget to actually dance. I personally realised this only when I started working outside of Italy and opened my eyes to different ways of expressing myself through movement. This reminded me of the joy and freedom that made me fall in love with dance when I was young, attending ballet classes in the small village in the south of Italy where I come from. At the end of the day, it’s not just about perfection, it’s about presence, emotions, and connection.
What would you say it is that you desire most from a life on the stage?
I couldn’t say what it is that I currently desire the most. I think we, as humans, have plenty of desires and aspirations. As an artist, my desire is to never lose my curiosity, my passion, and to be able to create my own path in this journey that is life. To be able to always see a bit further over the horizon and to try to reach it, without losing what I care the most along the way.
Polo Marc O’Polo – Shorts Adidas – Socks Louis Vuitton – Boots Bally / Short Fila
Polo Marc O’Polo – Shorts Adidas – Socks Louis Vuitton – Boots Bally / Jacket Onitsuka Tiger – Tank Top Marc O’ Polo – Shorts Fila