Roberto Bolle
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Roberto Bolle (born March 26, 1975) is an Italian ballet dancer.
Bolle was born in Casale Monferrato, Piedmont. He began ballet studies at age seven at a local school, and, because of his obvious talent, he was accepted at the La Scala theater ballet school in Milan when he was eleven.
In 1996, following an appearance in Romeo and Juliet, twenty year old Bolle was promoted to Principal Dancer at La Scala. Surprisingly, he opted to leave when he was 21 to pursue a freelance career. Since then he has starred in many ballets including Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Giselle, Notre-Dame de Paris, and In the middle somewhat elevated.
Bolle has danced for the Royal Ballet, the Tokyo Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, the Stuttgart Ballet, the Finnish National Ballet, the Staatsoper in Berlin, the Vienna Opera House, the Staatsoper in Dresden, the Munich Opera House, the Wiesbaden festival, The 8th and 9th International Ballet Festivals in Tokyo, the Rome Opera Theatre, the San Carlo Theatre in Naples, and the City Theatre in Florence. In June 2007 he made his debut with the American Ballet Theater in New York, dancing in Romeo and Juliet with Alessandra Ferri (her farewell performance). He danced too, with: Carla Fracci, Ambra Vallo, Eleonora Abbagnato...
The New York Times review by Roslyn Sulkas described Bolle as “a dancer of Greek-god proportions and virile intensity who also has a plush, feline grace and a beautiful line.”
He danced for Queen Elizabeth II on her Golden Jubilee in June 2002, and for Pope John Paul II in Saint Peter's Square to celebrate Young People's Day. He was featured in the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.
Bolle has appeared in numerous fashion and style magazines, has been featured in advertising campaigns, and has an agreement with Giorgio Armani, who supplies him with clothes.
Since 1999 he has been Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. In 2006 he visited Sudan, spending time at schools and hospitals. As of June 2007, he has raised over $655,000 for education and health projects in Sudan.
