Bayadère is a show steeped in idealized exoticism, both in its melodramatic plot and the aesthetic of the whole.
Historically, La Bayadère’s most famous scene The Kingdom of Shades presents itself on the borderline between this world and the other world. Here, the shades appear as if frozen in their tragic condition and perform ritual movements.This act expresses a vision that goes beyond its context and opens onto a passage of pure movement, abstract and lucid in its formal simplicity.

I focused on the compositional potential that this scene holds; not with the intention of duplicating it, but to unleash all its dynamic force and to restore to Solor’s hallucinations their true psychedelic nature.
Designed for a group of young dancers – the Nuovo Balletto di Toscana – this new Kingdom of Darkness – so mysterious and evocative – belongs to the exceptional times in which we live. It refers to something lost yet feasible, something about the presence of bodies and the intertwining of their trajectories. All within a space which is no longer just an afterlife, but it’s also a present which wishes to be reinvented, with delicacy and passion.
– Michele Di Stefano –

The Nuovo Balletto di Toscana is a rigorously professional production company based in Florence, with a staff of 12/14 dancers. The current artistic program, thanks to a team of famous collaborators and authors, alongside Cristina Bozzolini, recalls a constant and coherent cultural line with the affirmation of the primacy of contemporary choreography and a plurality of expressive languages. From 2017 to today the partnership with Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino has been established thanks to evening ballets performances, such as The Sleeping beauty by Diego Tortelli and the Cinderella by Jiri Bubenicek, and the participation in other shows. The collaborations of the NBDT also extend to other prestigious Italian theatres including La Fenice in Venice, Teatro Regio in Parma and many others.

Michele Di Stefano is choreographer and founder of the contemporary dance group mk. The group operates through different formats and collaborations and is considered one of the most lively research ensemble of the Italian scene, with performances and constant presence in many countries.
His creations include Robinson, Il giro del mondo in 80 giorni, Parete Nord, Quattro danze coloniali viste da vicino, Grand Tour, Maqam and Bermudas. In 2000 and 2018 he received the “Danza&Danza” Award for contemporary dance and in 2019 the UBU Prize for the performance Bermudas in 2019. He has been awarded the Silver Lion for innovation in dance at the IX BiennaleDanza 2014 in Venice. The touring of his works is accompanied by an intense activity of conferences, workshops and experimental proposals.

choreography: Michele Di Stefano
music: Ludwing Minkus
original music: Lorenzo Bianchi Hoesch
costume Design: Santi Rinciari
lighting design: Giulia Broggi
dancers: Matteo Capetola, Francesca Capurso, Carmine Catalano, Alice Catapano, Beatrice Ciattini, Matilde Di Ciolo, Veronica Galdo, Mattia Luparelli, Aisha Narciso, Aldo Nolli, Niccolò Poggini, Paolo Rizzo
artistic director: Cristina Bozzolini
maître de ballet: Sabrina Vitangeli
production manager: Cristiano Colangelo
stage manager: Saverio Cona
dressmaker: Chiara Fontanella
lighting: Luca Cittadoni
with the support of Centro Nazionale di Produzione della Danza Virgilio Sieni

[photo: Roberto Di Biasio, detail]