Matteo Levaggi

Matteo Levaggi, a former dancer for Aterballetto and the youngest rising talent in Italian postclassical ballet, likes to give his ballets philosophical-sounding titles such as “Canto bianco in un momento di orizzonte verticale” (White Singing in a Moment of Vertical Horizon), created for Balletto Teatro di Torino to music by Steve Reich. As resident choreographer, he works with eleven ballet dancers, who are ready to  experiment with the hard and sharp forms of movement.

This is pure dance, which reveal the form of the dancers’ muscles and the high quality of the extremely rigorous movement. There are several pas de deux, shaped in quick diagonals, and a plastic solo for Matteo Levaggi himself, who remains a charismatic performer. Off-balance, hot vertical lifts, strong wavelike motions for torsos and waists: the ensembles in Canto bianco  are constantly interrupted and varied using accumulation, suspensions and breaks, under elegantly pop lighting. It is a bravura piece performed by a cast where the partnering is perfect and outstanding personalities are a boon to the stage: Takashi Setoguchi, Elena Lozano Sáez, Luca Martini, Manuela Maugeri. While preparing a new piece – under ...