Ballet teacher Marcello Raciti - short biography

I started my ballet education at The International Dance Centre in Rome and Ballet School of Rome. After that I was admitted at The National Dance Academy of Rome. I decided then to move on and left Italy for continuing at The Hungarian State Dance Academy of Budapest, after that, I moved to West Germany at The John Cranko Schule of Stuttgart and then I was admitted, after audition with a scholarship from Soviet Union at The Bolshoi Theatre Ballet Academy of Moscow (M.A.X.Y.) with great ballet pedagogue A.Y. Bondarenko. After almost three years I come back to Germany at The John Cranko Schule of Stuttgart and during that period I danced the premiere "Mann in Schatten by Renato Zanella" with the Stuttgart Ballet and in other Ballet and Opera productions with the Stuttgart State Theatre. Later on I moved at the National Ballet Company of Portugal where I danced in different productions and in the premieres "The wedding" of B. Nijinskaya and "Sacre" of Vaslav Nijinsky by the Joffrey Ballet.

Later on, I decided to devote myself to ballet education and graduated as Ballet Pedagogue with excellence at the Hungarian State Dance Academy of Budapest, under the guidance of Master Ehn Eva who inherited the Russian academical method from Lipinskaya / Kostrosvkaya / Vaganova. My final thesis "psychosomatic approach to teaching for the dance teacher”.

In the last 24 years I have been teaching and choreographing for many private and state ballet academies and companies. Beside I continued my work as freelance performer/choreographer. I have developed my pedagogical method and a performing technique based on the Russian ballet methodology influenced by the theatricality of Moscow performing technique and the strict academic Russian methodology both from Moscow and Budapest ballet state academies. I want to take the chance to thank all the ballet pedagogues, choreographers, colleagues and professionals of movement who enrich my path and knowledge in all these years.

Since August 2011 I moved in Norway where I have been teaching full time ballet and contemporary dance for the classical ballet talent program in Bergen Culture School, and I have been commissioned to direct and choreograph the traditional Christmas Ballet Repertoire performance "The Nutcracker" every year in collaboration with Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra in Grieghallen in Bergen, a great and unique youth project for the young ballet talents in Bergen Kommune.

My goals as pedagogue are to develop a higher and more professional ballet education for Norwegians young talents in Bergen and not only, by giving the skills, culture and understanding to the next generations of dancers about technique and style for to achieve their dreams towards professionalism in their career.

Alongside my teaching, I actively participate in dance events and festivals in Bergen and created more than 20 classical, neo-classical and contemporary dance choreographies. In June 2016, I had the honour to present my new choreography "Duo" for Their Majesties the King and Queen of Norway in Bryggen (Bergen).

I speak fluently Spanish, Portuguese and English, and able to communicate in Russian and French. My mother tongue is Italian.