Cristiana Sciabordi is from Italy. She went to school at Erna Bonk Schule Viareggio. She danced professionally all over Europe, including Teatro del Opera di Roma, Aterballetto, Zürcher Ballett, Luzerner Ballett, and the BerlinBallett / Komische Oper. Currently Cristiana is one of the Ballet Masters at Ballet Theater Basel. She is very passionate about dance and her position, which is the type of attitude I always find myself gravitating toward.  She takes a moment from her busy schedule to speak with me…

 

When you were little…

That’s all I ever wanted to be: a dancer… Nothing mattered more to me, since the day I set foot in a ballet studio, aged 9. Never thought I would become a Ballet Master or choreographic assistant, but I’m so happy I did!

Favorite Things to eat…

No doubts: pizza and Nutella

Favorite Books..

Tough question.. One of many… “The shadow of the wind” from Carlos Luis Zafon

Favorite Movies..

“La vita è bella” by Roberto Benigni

Favorite dance piece, show, musical…

„West side story“   A masterpiece

Petr Schnetz: Folk Song (Chor. Whelock )

I like dancers who…

Can use their brain and not just their feet… Sometimes that is more important than your physical talent…

I am afraid of..

Skiing!!!! Terrified!!!

A dance piece should…

Leave you with something inside.. I believe that that is what art in general should do to the spectator: leave a trace inside of you, an emotion, something , whether is dance, music, sculpture, painting, or any form of „art“..

Something you like to do…

Scuba-diving is my great passion after dance.. and reading of course.

Taming of the Shrew – Original Title “Kate’s comeback” ( Chor. Wherlock)

One the happiest…

The day I got the contract with Aterballetto, my „dream company“ when I was 23 years old… For days I felt like I was walking a meter off the ground from happiness.

One of the most unusual or..

Two moments I will never forget.. Performing in front of thousands of people at the “Terme di Caracalla” in Rome (unfortunately today they’ve changed the set-up of the stage and it’s not quite as magical as it used to be) and the amazing glass and metal stage built on the Bregenz lake for a fantastic production of “West Side Story” – just for the records the average audience of that show every single night was 7000 people!

One of the most embarrassing…

I don’t even have to think… My very first fall on stage which of course happened after few months I’d joined the afore mentioned “dream company”… Where else? They always say it has to happen sooner or later and certainly you don’t forget THAT “first time”..

Afterwards you get used to it.. Not really, but you feel just a touch less like an idiot

Ismael Lorenzo:Rossini Cards ( Chor. MauroBigonzetti )

Who has been the most influential…

With the risk of sounding just like those people on their thank you speech at the Academy Awards, my answer is… my mother! Both in my life and in my career, she’s been the driving force behind all of it.I lost my beloved father at the age of 15, and ever since then she was the person that always supported me through thick and thin. She gave me total freedom and encouragement to follow my dream, sometimes going against everybody. I really owe her everything I’ve achieved. Grazie mamma!

One of the hardest…

To have to accept failure and still believe in what you’re doing. Keep trusting yourself and your abilities, even when everything and everybody around you seems determined to make you feel unworthy.

 

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Do you have any goals…

Become a Scuba-diver Instructor or at least a Dive-Master. It requires mainly time and quite obviously water to dive in.. I don’t have much of the first one at the moment and for the second I would have to change country: Switzerland has a lot of beautiful lakes and rivers, but fresh – (and COLD!) water diving it’s not exactly my ideal place to be.. I guess it’ll have to wait..

A question you want…

Simple question: Why do I have the feeling that life is not fair???

A piece of advice for…

Keep that passion you feel inside of you burning at all times.. Even when you feel it’s not worth it, keep it up: it’s what is going to make you get wherever it is you want to arrive!

 

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