When the classic fairy tale meets contemporary creativity, a new imagery, fascinating, engaging, full of amazement, begins to take shape. And so, on a magical winter evening, between hypnotic and refined settings, movements of masterful execution and exhilarating moments I witnessed an elegant, innovative, lively Cinderella, a two-act ballet staged at the Teatro Comunale in Bologna from 28 to 31 December. Inspired by the famous work of Charles Perrault, according to the version of the choreographer Giorgio Madia it was performed by the Milan Ballet dancers already appreciated since 2011 for this work which has received important international awards including the “Gold Critics Award” and the ” Bucchi “. Dance, the universal language par excellence together with the whole world of art, shows us through this show the skill and harmony of these young dancers and, to return to the Cinderella fairy tale, to the hope that a good and kind heart can win always. I met behind the scenes the shining Marta Orsi and Giulia Cella, the dancers who took turns in the rôle-titre to discover the commitment and dreams that lie behind this wonderful work.


How did your passion for dance start and what made you decide to pursue this career?
Marta Orsi: my older sister danced and I followed her. I am Tuscany and I attended a private school there. Then I participated in an internship in the summer at the Aida Training Center in Milan, they took me for the year and I moved. My sister is now a doctor and I am a dancer.
Giulia Cella: I liked to dance around the house since I was a child but initially I was swimming. I hadn’t contemplated dance. Then at the age of ten I decided to do this. My teacher advised me to take a path. So I left home at 15. I’m from Piacenza and I moved to Tuscany in Florence.
What were the greatest satisfactions?
Marta: one of the greatest satisfactions was finishing both the Academy and the Linguistic High School. Carrying out the two things in parallel is tiring and therefore this was certainly a first goal achieved. Subsequently being able to enter the world of work which I was not convinced at all. Then I had the opportunity to get to know this company, one thing leads to another and now I’m here. Who’d have thought it?
Giulia: my biggest dream was to make this dream of mine a job. Especially in Italy. I was very worried. Then I was lucky enough to start working and a world other than the Academy opened up.

There is this myth of sacrifice in classical dance related to lifestyle and nutrition. How do you live it?
Marta: when I was in the Academy there was a more rigid environment. I was chubby and often had to be on a diet. There was really a blockage in my body and I wasn’t downing a pound. Starting to work then the physique has changed. Generally we try to eat healthy but we also eat pizza. Also because with everything we do we need energy. We are fortunate to work in a peaceful environment where there is no pressure.
Dance, like any other art form, is a universal language that unites cultures. Have you ever had an experience on this?
Marta: I spent a month in San Francisco. There were people from all over America and the world. Some did not know Italian or English very well but we were all there for the same reason and the same passion. Everything turned out to be easy enough, to approach, to be together. The centerpiece was dance. Words are not needed, the body is enough.
Giulia: with this company we are often abroad. We shot many places. You can find yourself doing a show in Italy as well as in Russia which has a different culture but the result is that. Body language is that.
What is the best compliment you received after a show?
Marta: that we are a very united and close-knit group. And indeed it is so. We are not many, this allows you to create good ties and the public perceives it.


What is it like to interpret a classic like Cinderella?
Marta: it’s the first role I made my debut in this company and then it’s every girl’s dream to find the Prince Charming. It is like being inside a fairy tale with the addition that you then laugh out loud. It is pleasant, fun, satisfying. It’s nice to do it. You are inside a small all-pink dream.
Giulia: it is the favorite cartoon of when you are a child, seen and reviewed. I try to interpret it in my own way with a different maturity but also remaining faithful to that girl who seeks her first love.

Have you played other characters you are fond of?
Marta: Clara in the Nutcracker, the magic of Christmas is relived every year. That’s another type of show, certainly much more demanding. I too am fond of good and bad. It is less fun, the story is different as well as the show but it was a great satisfaction to have this role and I carry it on jealously. It’s a responsibility and that’s nice too. We need to have a little pepper in our work, then challenge and grow. It is the side of the coin. Having to constantly improve and grow.
What are your future dreams?
Marta: being able to dance as much time as possible and, since a dancer’s career cannot last too long because at a certain point the body no longer holds up, remain in the environment of dance and theater. There are many other figures that revolve around a show and therefore I would like to stay within this area.
Giulia: finding a situation in the future that allows me to do what I like. Find a middle ground in creating a family and something in this area. It is heavy work but I like it.
A character you would like to play?
Marta: Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.
Giulia: I don’t know. I would like to discover other characters that I do not have in mind now to try something different and test myself in something that is not really my thing.
If you were to encourage a girl or girl younger than you to undertake this career, what would you recommend?
Marta: to move forward with your head held high, always. Because it is not easy. Every now and then take a joke, lighten situations and have self-confidence. And that in life there is also others beautiful things.
Giulia: I recommend having as much passion as possible. Finding such serenity in oneself to put everything one has in this work. Enjoy it, have fun, don’t be too critical. It is a beautiful world with its pros and cons but you have to enjoy it.


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