Founded in 1813 by Francesco Benedetto Ricci as the ‘Imperial Regia Accademia di Ballo’ (Imperial Royal Ballet Academy), the La Scala School has seen famous dancers and prestigious maestros such as Carlo Blasis, Enrico Cecchetti, Ettorina Mazzucchelli, Esmée Bulnes, Elide Bonagiunta, John Field, Anna Maria Prina, to name but a few, take over the direction.
The School has trained artists such as Carla Fracci, Liliana Cosi, Luciana Savignano, Oriella Dorella, Roberto Fascilla, Roberto Bolle, Massimo Murru, Nicoletta Manni, Gilda Gelati, Mara Galeazzi, Marta Romagna, Gabriele Corrado, Alessio Carbone, Rebecca Bianchi, Sara Renda, Angelo Greco, Jacopo Tissi, Virna Toppi, Martina Arduino, Alice Mariani.
Articulated in eight years of course (between 11 and 18 years of age), it allows students to obtain a diploma with a double specialisation in classical-academic dance and modern-contemporary dance, in line with the needs of the great international companies that require professional dancers to master an increasingly broad and diversified repertoire. The School constitutes the heart of the Dance Department, directed since 2003 by Frédéric Olivieri, former director of the Corps de Ballet of the Teatro alla Scala from 2000 to 2007 and from 2017 to 2020.
During their studies, the students participate in several titles of the Teatro alla Scala season and perform on important stages in Italy and abroad. Fundamental to their artistic growth is the interpretation of the most famous choreographies by the masters of the past and present such as Marius Petipa (Paquita, La Bayadère), August de Bournonville (Napoli), George Balanchine (Serenade, Theme and Variations, Who cares?, Tarantella), Maurice Béjart (Gaîté parisienne suite, La luna), Anton Dolin (Variations for Four), Mats Ek (Sleeping Beauty), William Forsythe (The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated), Jiří Kylián (Symphony in D, Evening Songs, Un ballo), José Limón (The Unsung), Roland Petit (Gymnopédie), Angelin Preljocaj (Larmes blanches, La Stravaganza).
