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BIOGRAPHY

Petra Conti is an internationally renowned Principal Dancer.

Before moving to the US, Conti was holding the permanent position of Prima Ballerina at La Scala in Milan (Italy). 

She has been a Principal Dancer with the Boston Ballet from 2013 to 2017,

and a Principal Dancer with the Los Angeles Ballet from 2017 to 2023.

 

 Petra Conti was born in Italy in 1988 from an Italian father and a Polish mother.

 

She graduated with honors from the National Academy of Dance in Rome in 2006, coached by the legendary Maestro Zarko Prebil. 

When she was 15 years old, Petra appeared on Italian national television on an episode of “Sogni,”a TV show hosted by Italian TV star Raffaella Carrà: Petra flew to Saint Petersburg and was granted the wish to meet and dance a pas de deux with Italian ballet star Roberto Bolle.  

 

 At the age of 17 Conti has been invited by the Arena di Verona Ballet as an étoile guest to perform her first full length ballet, Cinderella.

 

In 2007 she joined the Mariinsky Ballet Theatre in St. Petersburg (Russia) as a trainee, and worked on major ballet roles with Honored Artist of Russia Elvira Tarasova. 

 

In 2008 she became part of the Bavarian State Ballet Company.

 

In 2009 she has been invited by former director Mahar Vaziev to join La Scala Ballet Company. She was appointed Prima Ballerina at La Scala in 2011. 

 

In 2013 Conti accepted the invitation from artistic director Mikko Nissinen to join Boston Ballet as a Principal Dancer.

 

Conti has been awarded with the title of Ambassador of the Italian Dance in the World in 2014. 

 

She is also a recipient of prestigious awards such as:

  • Premio Positano 2018,

  • Premio Capri 2017,

  • Antonio Fini’s “Extraordinary Dancer” award 2016,

  •  Premio Progetto Arkés  2014,

  •  Premio Danza Arenzano 2013, 

  •  Premio Ciociaria nel mondo 2013,

  •  Premio Roma in Danza 2012, 

  •  Premio Danza & Danza 2011 as Best Performer of the  Year,

  •  Premio Positano 2007, 

  •  Premio La Ginestra d'Oro 2007, 

  •  Premio delle Arti 2004.

She has been named the Anna Magnani of ballet (Panorama magazine, 2012) because of her exceptional acting skills.  

 

Conti has danced alongside worldwide famous dancers like Roberto Bolle, Ivan Vassiliev, Massimo Murru, Eris Nezha, Zachary Catazaro, Daniel Camargo… 

 

Conti studied drama with Kuniaki Ida from 2009 to 2011 at the Arsenale Theater in Milan.

 

In 2010 TV channel SKY Classica produced an entire documentary about Conti entitled "Dancers of tomorrow", highlighting her performances of Giselle, Romeo and Juliet and Don Quixote.

 

Conti is married to International Principal Dancer Eris Nezha.

 

She is also currently earning her bachelor’s degree in Science of Leadership at Northeastern University.

In the summers of 2017 and 2018 Conti has been invited back to her native Italy to perform the Slave in "Aida" on the enormous stage of Arena di Verona (chor. Susanna Egri; chor. Vladimir Vassiliev).  About 14.000 people attended every show...

She served as the Artistic Consultant for the Liceo Coreutico-- Educandato "agli Angeli" in Verona, Italy from 2017 to 2020. 

In the Autumn of 2018 Miss Conti has performed alongside Royal Ballet's First Soloist Fernando Montano at the 26th International Ballet Festival Alicia Alonso in Havana Cuba.

Conti has been acclaimed for her artistry and stage presence, and according to the most important Cuban ballet critics and aficionados, Conti has brought back to Cuba the greatest Italian Ballet, which has been missing since the days Carla Fracci last performed in Havana.

In the Spring of 2019 Miss Conti has been invited by the Great Russian Ballet to perform the title role of Giselle for 13 shows all around Canada. Conti has been acclaimed and greatly appreciated for her artistry and technical excellence by the Canadian audience.

On May 18th 2019, the first ever PETRA CONTI SHOW premiered in Downtown Los Angeles.

Alongside Conductor Daniel Suk and his Dream Orchestra, Petra Conti starred in I'M GONNA LIVE FOREVER, an original show that unites the beauty of performing arts ( dance, live music and vocals) to create an evening of pure artistry and unforgettable emotions.

This performance has generated so much momentum and success on its debut night, that the next Petra Conti Show has already entered the list of one of the most awaited shows in LA!

In the summer 2019 Conti has been asked by Arena di Verona to perform not only in the opera Aida for the 3rd consecutive year, but also in the new production of La Traviata -- the last majestic work of Franco Zeffirelli. The opening night of La Traviata has been broadcasted worldwide on June 21, 2019. 

In February 2020 the popular media-channel Freeda, in collaboration with the brand Furla, produced a video about Miss Conti called My Life as Petra Conti. 

In January 2023 Petra performed Nikiya (La Bayadere) as a guest principal dancer with the Istanbul Ballet.

Petra Conti served as Judge for YAGP, YBM and Milano Dance competitions. 

Her repertoire includes:

  • Giselle - Giselle (chor. Yvette Chauvirè)

  •  Kitri - Don Quixotte (chor. Rudolf Nureyev)

  • Juliet - Romeo and Juliet (chor. Kenneth Macmillan)

  •  Tatiana - Onegin (chor. John Cranko)

  •  Jewels - Emerald: I, II couple (chor. Balanchine)

  •  Raymonda, Clemence – Raymonda (chor. Petipa-Vicharev)

  •  Civilization, Folgore - Excelsior (chor. Dell'Ara)

  •  Titania - A Midsummer night dream (chor. Balanchine)

  • Aurora - Sleeping Beauty (chor. Christensen after Petipa)

  •  Albachiara - L'altra meta' del cielo (chor. Clarke, music Vasco Rossi)

  •  Marguerite - Marguerite and Armand (chor. Frederick Ashton)

  •  Principal Couple - Concerto DSCH (chor.Alexei Ratmansky)

  •  Juliette - Romèo et Juliette (chor. Sasha Waltz)

  •  Esmeralda - Notre-Dame de Paris (chor. Roland Petit)

  •  Odette/Odile - Swan Lake (chor. Rudolf Nureyev)

  •  In the Middle Somewhat Elevated (chor. William Forsythe)

  •  Odette/Odile -Swan Lake (chor. Mikko Nissinen)

  •  Prima Ballerina - Etudes (chor. Harald Lander) 

  •  Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen - Nutcracker (chor. Mikko Nissinen)

  •  The puppet couple - Bella Figura (chor. Jiri Kylian)

  •  Fairy Godmother - Cinderella (chor. Frederick Ashton)

  •  Belong Pas de Deux (chor. Norbert Vesak)

  •  Bach Cello Suites (chor. Jorma Elo)

  •  Eventide (chor. Helen Pickett)

  •  Glove seller - Gaîté Parisienne (chor. Leonide Massine)

  •  Posthorn - Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler (chor. John Neumeier)

  •  Pas de Quatre (chor. Leonid Yacobson)

  •  Cinderella - Cinderella (chor. Maria Grazia Garofoli)

  •  Giselle - Giselle (chor.Maria Grazia Garofoli)

  • The Slave - Aida (chor. Susanna Egri)

  • The Slave - Aida (chor. Vladimir Vassiliev)

  • Sanguinic - The Four Temperaments (chor. Balanchine)

  • Second to Last (chor. Alejandro Cerrudo)

  • This is You - (chor. Menghan Lou)

  • Marie, Rose, Arabian Queen - Nutcracker (chor. Thordal Christensen)

  • Odette/Odile - Swan Lake (chor. Thordal Christensen)

  • Second Movement - Western Symphony (chor. George Balanchine),

  • Les Chambres des Jacques (chor. Aszure Barton)

  • Serenade (chor. Balanchine)

  • La Sylphide (chor. Bournonville)

  • Aegina - Spartakus (chor. Anatoly Shekera)

  • Zingarella - La Traviata (chor. Giuseppe Picone)

  • Rusalka - Forest Song (chor. Vronsky Vakhtang)

  • Time (chor. Eris Nezha)

  • Blackstone (chor. Gianluca Schiavoni)

  • Agon (chor. George Balanchine)

  • Terpsichore - Apollo (chor. George Balanchine)

  • First Violin - Concerto Barocco (chor. George Balanchine)

  • Nikiya - La Bayadere (chor. M. Petipa)

  • Marguerite - Lady of the Camellias (chor. Val Caniparoli)

  • Ghosts - main couple (chor. Christopher Wheeldon)

  • Fool’s Paradise - slow couple (chor. Christopher Wheeldon)

International Performances and Galas:

  • Danza in Fiera (Firenze, 2023)

  • the Golden Swan Gala (Phoenix, 2022)

  • Comacchio in Danza (Comacchio, 2022)

  • Danza nel Vento (Santa Teresa di Gallura, 2022)

  • The Petra Conti Show (Los Angeles, 2019)

  • Ballet Open Space (Kyiv, Ukraine 2019)

  • The Global Ballet Holidays (Moscow, 2019)

  • Les Fleurs de Ballet (Toronto, Canada 2018)

  • Alicia Alonso 26th International Ballet Festival in Havana (Cuba, 2018)

  •  Kremlin Gala-Stars of the XXI Century (Moscow-Kremlin, 2015) 

  • Ballet Now Stars Gala (Los Angeles, 2015)

  • Bolle and Friends Summer Tour (Italy, 2014)

  • Les Hivernales de la Danse (Liège, Belgium, 2013)

  • Vogue Fashion Dubai Experience (Dubai, 2013) 

  • Spring & Winter Gala (Ekaterinburg, 2013, 2012) 

  • Gala des Etoiles (Goiania, Brazil, 2012) 

  • Vladimir Vassiliev Gala (Rome, 2011)

  • The150th anniversary of Unità d'Italia (Roma, 2011)

  • Nijinski Gala (Hamburg, 2009) 

  • Women on Music (Los Angeles, 2005) 

  • International Dance Festival (Bucharest, 2004).

Guesting and tours:

Freelance: 

  • Arena di Verona's Cinderella (2007),

  • Arena di Verona's Giselle (2008), 

  • Saint Petersburg, Russia, Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory's Swan Lake (2007), 

  • Tirana National Opera's Giselle (2014),

  • Arena di Verona's Aida (2017, 2018, 2019),

  • Kyiv National Opera's Swan Lake (2017)

  • Kyiv National Opera's Spartakus (2018)

  • Great Russian Ballet's Giselle, Canadian tour (2019)

  • Kiev National Opera's Swan Lake (2019)

  • Arena di Verona's La Traviata (2019)

  • Kyiv National Opera's Forest Song (2019)

  • Istanbul National Ballet’s La Bayadere (2023).

      With La Scala

  • 2011 Łódź -Poland in Emeralds (chor. Balanchine)

  • 2011 Muscat- Oman in Giselle (chor.  Chauviré) 

  • 2011 Moscow-Bolshoi Theatre in Excelsior (Dell'Ara)

  • 2011 Moscow-Bolshoi Theatre in A Midsummer Night Dream (Balanchine)

  • 2012 Brazil-Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo, Belo Horizonte in Giselle (I. Chauviré). 

     With Boston Ballet 

  • 2014 Washington - Kennedy Center in Bella Figura (chor. Jiri Kylian)

  • 2014 New York City -Koch Theater at Lincoln Center in Bella Figura (chor. Jiri Kylian).  

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