Name
Dorian Mallia
Age
26
Occupation
Professional dancer/choreographer and director of MOVEO Dance Company
My best holiday ever…
A trip to Venice in the first week of a cold December. We took advantage of a special low season package of €180 for two people for two nights.
Venice was covered in low mist all morning and you could barely see the rows of buildings on either side of the Grand Canal; as if the city was on clouds, not water.
At a hazy distance we could make out the cupola of Santa Maria della Salute with its angels-topped pinnacles – that’s certainly how God’s abode in heaven will look like.
I would never return to…
Moscow. The city’s architecture is quite remarkable and grand, but its austerity imposes on the individual to the point of choking oneself. Staying for a day or two is just enough not to feel threatened.
The most dangerous place I’ve visited…
Not exactly dangerous, but you are continuously spied on by the police and made to feel uncomfortable in Moscow, particularly in Red Square.
My favourite city…
Florence. Not even Rome can compare to its charm and magic. The laidback attitude of the locals is infectious.
The city bubbles with art and when you are there for a moment you feel transported back to the Renaissance.
A particular street was turned into an artist studio, with art students reproducing the most famous paintings in the Uffizi with coloured chalk on the pavement.
We were staying at Franca with a very dear friend/fairy godmother who pinpointed the best ice-cream parlour in Florence.
She treated us to this indescribably good ice-cream and we affectionately ‘paid her back’ by singing Gianni Schicchi’s aria for her on the Ponte Vecchio.
We laughed so much we had to hold on to each other to stand up!
My most memorable experience on an aircraft…
My return to Zaragoza after touring in Malaga resulted in an emergency landing in full turbulence. The plane shook and rattled, and I really felt my time had come.
My most treasured holiday souvenir…
I always get a souvenir for my mum (ranging from cheap and tacky to handcrafted jewellery) but I never get one for myself. One enjoys the moment and that becomes a part of you.
My biggest gaffe abroad…
Missing the last train to Verona and paying €150 for a mere few hours in a hotel I couldn’t afford.
The friendliest people…
The Italians. They are exactly like us – very emotive and welcoming.
Their culture is so similar to ours – one can’t go wrong when choosing Italy for a holiday.
Ciao fratello!
I never travel without...
My Visa card and toothbrush.
The taxi ride I will never forget…
Upon telling a taxi driver in London my nationality, he immediately mentioned Dom Mintoff and his daughter.
Apparently, he was her driver each time she visited London. Certainly this taxi driver was knowledgable about Maltese politics; he knew much more than I’ll ever be bothered to know!
My all-time favourite holiday photo...
It wasn’t a holiday because I usually travel for work.
But my favourite photo is backstage before going on stage at the amazing Arena di Verona, performing at l’Oscar della Lirica.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to perform with the best opera singers of the moment in front of 11,000 people.
This picture just captures my life, my soul, my everything!
An unforgettable hotel...
A five-star hotel in Milan where I had everything paid for and could enjoy the luxurious life for five nights. Knowing that after a performance you’re going to sleep, wake up and be pampered again all day was so good.
I return most often to...
London to visit friends and my teachers from the Central School of Ballet. Once there, I take the opportunity to do company classes.
It doesn’t even feel like staying overseas, more of a ‘home sweet home’ feeling.
My ideal travel companion...
My iPod, Boofle (a teddy bear of sentimental value) and my better half.
Admitting that we never agree on the itinerary is such an understatement.
Country with the best cuisine...
Italy, especially Napoli’s pizza margherita.
Its simplicity and goodness is bliss, be it from a corner takeaway or from a silver service restaurant.
Close seconds are platters of regional produce, fresh cheeses oozing with creamy milk and cured meats so sweet and tasteful.
My next holiday plans…
The Aeolian Archipelago on some friends’ sailing boat in August.
So far I have only done plane and land, so this promises to be new and exciting.
On the other hand I know that the long hours of sailing will test my nerves.
Hopefully I won’t find myself feeding the fish quite often – or sleeping with them!
My dream trip…
Africa – exploring the savage beauty of the wild, with my mind at rest that in an hour I could be back in a lovely resort in, say, South Africa.
Next in line would be Asia, submitting myself totally to those notorious massages which make you feel reborn.
Only fellow dancers know how it feels to have your body wrecked after a performance or long hours of rehearsing.
I partied hardest in…
I am not a party fan at all but I would say London student house parties. When I was a student in London, I had to live on a very strict budget to be able to pay my tuition.
Saturday afternoon was the time to let loose and drown our bodies’ aches and pains in cheap (maybe I need to rephrase – the cheapest) alcohol.
One would wake the following morning finding the full company of students sleeping everywhere: sofa, floor, kitchen chair, corridor…
My travel tip…
Travel very light – just take your most comfortable trousers and walking shoes. And your Visa card – it’s all about the money; no matter if you’re on the tightest of budgets, you can’t afford to run out. That is when the ‘dear mummy’ SMS or a quick call home comes in handy!