Maltese dancers and choreographers Felix Busuttil and Daron Galea, from The Yada Dance Company, were recently invited to teach Italian dancers at Le Capannine, Italy.

They were assisted by dancer Rachel Pool.

The workshop and dance competition was attended by some 1,000 dancers from the numerous southern Italy dance schools.

The course consisted of classes in classical ballet led by Italian star Alessandra Celentano (of Amici fame) and Francesco Ventriglia, a choreographer who has worked for the Balletto di Verona, the Bolshoi Theatre and the American Ballet Theatre.

Other top choreographers included Andrea Boccelli’s concert choreographer Christian Cellini; Diana Florindi and Roberta Fontana from the Opificio Danza Contemporanea in Rome; and Alex Atwezi of Modena’s Atzewi Dance Company, who headed the Modern Dance and Contemporary Classes. Busuttil and Galea headed the Lyrical Jazz classes. Supervising the whole event was dance legend Maestro Giuseppe Carbone, ex-director of La Scala di Milano and Il Fenice of Venice.

Vincenzo Macario and Marianna Trippi, of Nonsolodanza, and Amici stars Marina Marchione and Suzi, co-ordinated the event, which reached its peak in a gala dance performance by those who had initially won top placement in the previous competition, judged by the same tutorial panel.

Busuttil is looking forward to organise a similar international dance competition workshop, which would see international and national dance schools offer local dancers the same opportunity to witness these high-calibre events.

He is also discussing the possibility of a joint Italo-Maltese dance performance to take place in Malta in November next year.

The performance will be choreographed by Diana Florindi.

In the meantime, work has started on Yada’s next major dance production in March, with seven Italian dancers who took part in the Italian masterclasses having already been chosen as part of the cast.