Ines Albertini studied at Ballettschule Theater Basel and graduated from Tanz Akademie Zuerich, Switzerland. She has danced, as a Soloist and Principal Dancer, all around the world. She had the privilege of performing a wide repertoire from iconic choreographers including Marius Petipa, Frederick Ashton, August Bournonville, Vasili Vainonen, Yury Grigorovich, George Balanchine, Jiří Kylián, Rudolf Nureyev and Leonid Lavrovsky. Her favorites roles include "Giselle" from the ballet of the same name, "Titania" from "The Dream", "Sugar Plum Fairy" from "The Nutcracker", "Ambrosia" from "Vampires". Ines Albertini, along with her husband Walter Angelini, was the Artistic Director and Principal Dancer of US International Ballet from 2017 to 2020. They brought to this position a gift for choreographing and for teaching, a dynamic vision, and the pursuit of excellence. Ines Albertini and Walter Angelini mesmerized audiences of all ages and backgrounds with their original ballet productions including "Vampires", "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Wizard of Oz". They are currently working on two new productions that "Étoile Ballet Theatre" will premiere during the 2020/2021 season: "Snow Maiden" and "The Seasons of Love". For the complete biography visit www.inesalbertini.it.

NADER HAMED

Ballet Guest Teacher

Nader Hamed was Russian-trained in Leningrad. He was a principal dancer with Berlin Opera, La Scala di Milan, and Colon Theatre in Buenos Aires. He was Artistic Manager and Ballet Master at Cairo Opera House. Nader worked with Rudolph Nureyev for four years in Europe.

GIANLUCA PETRUCCI

Music Guest Teacher

Gianluca Petrucci, free-lance pianist, graduated with full marks from the "Lucio Campiani" Conservatory of Mantova, and subsequently followed perfectioning piano courses at the "Franz Liszt" Academy in Budapest with pianist Balasz Szokolay and in Italy with Paul-Badura-Skoda, Mario Delli Ponti and Mario Gattoni. He played as a concert pianist (soloista and in chamber orchestra)  in Italy and in Europe, and then he focused on piano accompaniment of the lyrical and ballet repertoire, whilst collaborating alongside big names in the national and international scene in some of the most important theatres, opera houses and concert halls, music conservatories, dance academies and companies, in Italy and abroad including the Italian Opera and Concert Association A.S.L.I.C.O and the theatres of the Lombardy opera circuit, Cremona Concert Society, "F. Liszt" Academy of Budapest (H), New York City Center (Ny), Imperial Society Teachers of Dancing (Uk), International Vocal Arts (NY), Verona Arena Foundation, Arcimboldi Theatre Milan, Royal Academy of Dance of London, Ajkun Ballet Theater NY City,  Florence Maggio Musicale Theatre, Classical Ballet Cosi - Stefanescu, Scala Theatre Academy Milan, The Egg Albany (NY), Grande Theatre, Brescia, Aterballetto National Dance Foundation, Florence Opera Theatre, Rome Opera Theatre. As piano teacher, he can boast numerous collaborations with conservatories, academies, schools, opera and ballet associations.

Walter Angelini studied at Accademia Del Teatro Alla Scala Di Milano where he also gained performing experience with the ballet company of the same name. He was awarded a full scholarship for the JKO at American Ballet Theatre of New York City where he graduated. He has danced, as a Soloist and Principal Dancer, all around the world. He had the privilege of performing a wide repertoire from iconic choreographers including Marius Petipa, Frederick Ashton, August Bournonville, Vasili Vainonen, Yury Grigorovich, George Balanchine, Jiří Kylián, Rudolf Nureyev and Leonid Lavrovsky. His favorites roles include "Albrecht" from the ballet "Giselle", "Oberon" from "The Dream", "The Cavalier" from "The Nutcracker", "Dorion" from "Vampires". Walter Angelini, along with his wife Ines Albertini, was the Artistic Director and Principal Dancer of US International Ballet from 2017 to 2020. They brought to this position a gift for choreographing and for teaching, a dynamic vision, and the pursuit of excellence. Walter Angelini and Ines Albertini mesmerized audiences of all ages and backgrounds with their original ballet productions including "Vampires", "Alice in Wonderland" and "The Wizard of Oz". They are currently working on two new productions that "Étoile Ballet Theatre" will premiere during the 2020/2021 season: "Snow Maiden" and "The Seasons of Love". Read complete biography on Walter's website at www.walterangelini.it.

MICHELE ZANARDINI

Assistant

Michele Zanardini was born in a little town to the countryside south of Brescia in north of Italy. He starts learning dance at the age of 13 in a local school. After one year he is admitted at the third course of the Accademia Teatro Alla Scala in Milano where he studies for seven years, under the direction of Anna Maria Prina and later with Frédéric Olivieri. He graduates in May 2011. He participates in the performances of Giallo ’700 (2005 by Francesco Ventriglia), Symphony in D (2008 by Jiří Kylián), Raymonda (2009 Marius Petipa), Who Cares? and Theme and Variations (2011 by George Balanchine). He had the opportunity to work with “Teatro alla Scala di Milano” in the production Le Sacre du Printemps (2009 by Marius Bejart). After graduation, thanks to a scholarship, he continues his training with Hamburg Ballet Ballettschule of John Neumeier where he stays for two years. He graduates for the second time in June 2013. He performs in the shows Spring and Fall and Yondering (during a gala in the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg 2012), and with the company of Hamburg Ballet he takes part in the shows: The Dame aux Camellias, The Little Mermaid and Illusions Like Swan Lake. In September 2013, he starts working with Scottish Ballet in Glasgow. He dances in the show of Elite Syncopations (Kenneth MacMillan), Hansel & Gretel (Christopher Hampson) and Highland Fling (Matthew Bourne). After this experience he receives a contract with the Czech National Ballet of Praga in August 2014 where he dances for two years in many performances including: The Snow Queen (Michael Corder), La Bayadére (Javier Torres, Marius Petipa), Swan Lake (Kenneth Greve), The Nutcracker and the Cuddly Mouse (Petr Zuska), Krabat (Jan Kodet) and Decadance of Ohad Naharin. In September 2016 he accepted a collaboration with Balletto di Roma for the productions Giselle & Paradox (Chris Haring and Itamar Serussi Sahar), Otello (Fabrizio Monteverde), Futura and Nutcracker.

MINO MANNI

Actor Guest Teacher

Mino Manni was born in Piacenza on 4 March 1969. He graduated from Vittorio Gassman’s theatre workshop and worked with the greatest directors of prose in Italian and international theatre amongst whom Massimo Castri, Giancarlo Cobelli, Cesare Lievi, Antonio Calenda and Jerome Savary, director of the Comédie-Française, Paris. For five years he worked with Glauco Mauri, performing roles by authors like Goldoni, Shakespeare and Dostoevskij that took him on numerous tours even in Russia, in Moscow and Saint Petersburg in particular. He collaborated with actors like Alessandro Preziosi, Kim Rossi Stuart, Michele Placido, Silvio Orlando, Franco Branciaroli and Gabriele Ferzetti. He was awarded at the Montegrotto Theatre Festival as best actor by Vanessa Redgrave. In film he worked with Alessandro D’Alatri, Dario Argento and Michele Placido. On the small screen he appeared in various television series amongst which “Distretto di Polizia”, “Ris”, “Carabinieri”, “Casa Vianello” and “Il Commissario De Luca”.

FABIO MOLFESI

Ballet/Repertoire Guest Teacher

Fabio Molfesi even before finishing his studies, was awarded the 1st prize in the 1982 "International Nati per la Danza" promoted by Rai 3. The following year, once he had finished his diploma at Lyceum directed by Mara Fusco, he was taken on by Rai for the show Fantastico 4 in the role of primo ballerino alongside Heather Parisi. With the same Parisi he participated in other television productions like Serata d’Onore, Serata da Campioni, and Fantastico 9, with the choreographer Franco Miseria. Requested by Franco Brusati, celebrated cinema director, he would be in the cast of ”Il buon Soldato” in the supporting role alongside Mariangela Melato. Returning to Rai, he took up his task of primo ballerino again, this time as Beppe Grillo’s right hand man, in “Te lo do io il Brasile”. His natural talent for dance shows, would later bring him to collaborate with affirmed companies such as Ater Balletto, Ballet National de Zaragoza, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, for Swan Lake, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, Raymonda, Napoli, Paquita, La Bayadere and for modern productions by great choreographers including: G. Tetley, W. Forsythe, A. Amodio, A. Ailey and P. Bortoluzzi.

Invited by the Ballet Français de Nancy, he was the acclaimed performer of choreographed pieces by S. Lifar, A. De Mille, M. Petipa, J. Cranko, B. Cullberg, G. Balanchine, M. Bejart, J. Neumeier, J. Kyliàn. His continued rise as protagonist, was followed with interest internationally and in fact, requested by the Palladium Theatre, London, he performed alongside Rudolph Nureyev for “Canto di un compagno errante” with choreographer M. Bejart, later replicated in Europe, Japan, the United States, and Canada. In 1988, he starred in the ballet "Four Schumann Pieces”, with choreography by H. Van Manen, in the Theatre des Champs-Elysées, Paris.

But the rhythm of his already many commitments moved up a pace with invitations as “guest artist" first by Washington Ballet directed by Mrs. Mary Day and later by the Boston Ballet in productions of the classic and modern repertoire by Twyla Tharp and Ulysse Dove. As soon as he returned to his country, he was invited again, this time by the Connecticut Ballet Theatre, as Permanent Guest Artist to appear in acclaimed choreographical compositions linked to the name of G. Balanchine and, after, of B. Raphael. His long association with the American complex, lasting about 15 years, was occasionally interrupted for commitments that saw Fabio Molfesi connected to the productions of the Arena of Verona and the Teatro Nuovo of Turin for which, in 1991, he was at the side of Carla Fracci in Romeo and Juliet while in the 1995 season he was with the BdN in titles such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Il Candelaio and Pierino and the wolf of by Ricardo Nunez. His commitments with the Balletto del Sud directed by Fredy Franzutti for Romeo and Juliet, and later with the Cyprus National Ballet for which he played the lead role in the composition Renaissance by L. Lambrou, prepared him well for the career of teacher that he developed over the following years parallel to being a choreographer.  Nominated artistic director by Pomigliano Dance school from 2004 to October 2011, he continued his collaborations with the Connecticut Ballet Theatre, playing Les Silphides, choreographed by  M. Baryshnikov. He couldn’t miss a spell at the now affirmed Milan Ballet and in fact invitated by Carlo Pesta in 2007 he would be Choreographer and Maitre de ballet of the group, guest of the Teatro Coccia, Novara. His later commitments belong to recent history, and have seen him Artistic Director of the Choreographic Centre of National Art "DI DANZA" Casalnuovo di Napoli and later teacher and guest choreographer of Centro Studi Coreografici Teatro Carcano Milan. Among his recognitions there are the Premio Positano 1986, Danseur de l’année 1989 (Francia), Dance Magazine Prize 2000 (USA), R. Nureyev Prize 2002 (USA), Cultura Albatros Special prize 2009 (Italia), and later three special career prizes received from Unicef Campania, Teatro Nuovo, Turin, and Villaggio della Danza at Teatro Mediterraneo, Naples in 2012.

FRANCESCO CAPUANO

Jazz/Lyrical Guest Teacher

Francesco Capuano, dancer and choreographer, he was born and formed in Naples in the dance academy of the master Enzo Paolo Turchi, perfecting himself on the Modern Jazz dance technique Matt Mattox and Luigi. After his studies, he began his career as assistant choreographer and teacher. The in-depth study of contemporary, ballet and modern Jazz dance continues in Italy and England, where he has lived and studied for several years. Some of the masters with whom he perfected were: Alessandra Matarrelli, Francesco Nappa, Antony Heinl, Roland Price, Tory Jestyn, Roberto Salaorni, Fabrizio Mainini, Kay Smith, Tamas Geza Moricz, Jiry Pokorny. He participates as well as several television programs show as a dancer and starts working with several dance companies in Italy and abroad, including Evolution Dance Theater, Körper Company, Belinda King Production London, playing different roles as a dancer, choreographer, choreography assistant, manager of company and head ballet, having the opportunity to work alongside great professionals in the dance scene. In December 2016 wins with the choreography of "Glitch Project" the award "The Electronic Choreographer", international dance video competition and later in 2018 winner of "XL Danza Urbane" national call for young people emerging choreographers with tours in the best Italian dance festivals. For the choreographic center "Korper" of Naples he creates the choreography for "Dance Nations", an event produced on the occasion of the 2010 World Cup at the “Mostra d’Oltremare” in Naples and "Concerto" for the singer Valentina Stella directed by Massimo Andrei staged at the Bellini theater in Naples. Currently returned to Italy teaches Modern Jazz and collaborating for new choreographic projects and continuing to deepen his studies and his research on the territory.

ENRICO ANGELINI

Company Manager