The Positano Léonide Massine Prize for the art of dance, the world's oldest award of its kind, is about to kick off. It will celebrate its 51st anniversary on the starlit stage of Spiaggia Grande on Saturday, September 2nd at 8:30 pm, with an exceptional program of classical and contemporary dance and an ever-growing list of award winners.
Entirely financed and organized by the Municipality of Positano, with the artistic direction of Laura Valente, who has led it since 2016, the 51st edition of Léonide Massine awards the lifetime achievement prize “A Life for Dance” to the international étoile Luciana Savignano, one of the most interesting and versatile protagonists of Italian dance in the world, a dancer who has always been oriented towards modernity.
Famous “muse” of Maurice Béjart, beloved by the public and international critics, Savignano will be, from the 2024 edition, the patroness of the Massine dance award, a role previously held exclusively by Carla Fracci. For the first time, the special award of the Municipality of Positano, “for the transversality and versatility of his career”, goes to Benjamin Millepied, French dancer and choreographer, first performer, then choreographer, director of prestigious ballet companies (Opéra de Paris), acclaimed star also on the big screen thanks to his choreography for the film Black Swan by Darren Aronofsky which earned the protagonist Natalie Portman an Oscar. Millepied bravely returned to the stage after ten years last July at the Festival dei Due Mondi, in an acclaimed performance of body and music.
In the exceptional palmares of “Positano 51” the awarded artists from all over the world, coming from the most prestigious companies, will present a special performance, as per Massine tradition. These are the winners in the various categories: Dancers of the Year 2023: Ludmila Pagliero and Guillaume Diop Ballet de l'Opéra National de Paris-Argentina/France; Sarah Lamb and Steven McRae The Royal Ballet of London-Ireland/UK; International Dancers of the Year 2023: Anastasia Hurska Ballet de l'Opéra National d'Ukraine – Ukraine Mario Galindo Monterrubio Compañía Nacional de Danza – Spain Emily Suzuki and Fernando Carratala Coloma English National Ballet – Japan/Spain Emma Riis-Kofoed and Ryan Tomash The Royal Danish Ballet – Canada/Denmark International Contemporary Dancer of the Year 2023: Clyde Emmanuel Archer The Royal Swedish Ballet – LEV Dance Company United States/Sweden/Israel National Dancers of the Year 2023: Danilo Notaro and Anna Chiara Amirante, Teatro di San Carlo Ballet Company – Italy.
They are joined by Nicoletta Manni and Timofejs Andrijanshenko, Teatro alla Scala Ballet Company – Italy/Latvia (dancers on the international scene 2019): awarded during the pandemic, when the Positano Léonide Massine Prize took place without the possibility of performing Fede, the two La Scala artists are collecting their award in this edition, dancing. The Luca Vespoli Prize for the dissemination, support and promotion of the Arts goes to Bertrand Du Vignaud de Villefort.
In the spirit of Massine, this significant recognition is awarded to personalities who have distinguished themselves in the promotion of art and dance throughout the world. Descendant of the great painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Bertrand Du Vignaud is a patron and art historian. Passionate about dance, for years he has supported independent companies, composed of many Italian dancers who also live abroad.
Positano Prize for Dance Léonide Massine Scientific Board Born This year, after the half-century mark, the jury changes skin becoming a scientific board composed of directors of international companies and festivals, as well as dance professionals, who will alternate ensuring an ever-changing perspective in the selection of the winners. The board is composed of: Susan Jaffe, Artistic Director of the American Ballet Theatre (United States) Joaquín De Luz Artistic Director Compañía Nacional de Danza (Spain) Clotilde Vayer, Director of the Ballet Company Teatro di San Carlo (Italy/France) Ana Laguna, Dancer and Trainer (Spain/Sweden) José Carlos Martínez Directeur de la Danse de l'Opéra National de Paris (France/Spain), Laura Valente Artistic Director of the Massine Prize since 2016 (Italy). Starting from this edition, Alfio Agostini, the director of Ballet2000 – the historic and solid leader of the jury of journalists – has agreed to become honorary president of the Award (a role previously held only by Alberto Testa) and Alessio Carbone, who has won the Positano Award several times during his career, will take on the role of coordinator in the Artistic Direction staff.
PARCHMENT SYMBOL
In particular, this year the collaboration with the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples is renewed, which boasts the first dance school of an Italian opera house, founded in 1812: courtesy of the Museum and Historical Archive of the Fondazione Teatro di San Carlo, since 2017 the symbol of the event has been a sketch of the scene by Paolo Ricci created for the ballet “Petrushka”, reproduced on parchment paper. The painting of the multifaceted artist active in Naples, author of many works for the theater, met one of the most significant titles of the season of the Ballets Russes, and more generally of contemporary dance and music, already choreographed by Massine and of which Nureyev was among the ideal interpreters.
As regards the historic twinning with the Prix Benois of the Bolshoi/Moscow, with which the Massine/Benois/Moscow/Positano prize is traditionally awarded in Positano, last year it was decided to suspend institutional dialogue without discriminating against the many Russian artists who work in the most important companies in the world, and who adhere to an idea of dance that does not contemplate persecution and war.
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