Emanuel, 12, from Gothenburg, invited to ABT Summer Intensive

GOTHENBURG/NEW YORK: Last summer, Emanuel Ippolito, now 7th class pupil at the Swedish Ballet School in Gothenburg, attended American Ballet Theatre's Alabama Intensive. Recently he got a letter from ABT offering him a full tuition scholarship for the 2016 New York Summer Intensive, one month long - "based on your performance this summer".

Congratulations, Emanuel! Tell us about the Alabama Intensive!

"Thank you, gladly! There were about 150 girls and 12 boys who attended the course. The first day, we were divided into groups with proper levels.

Then, during three weeks, we had four lessons every day: ballet, character dance, modern dance and pas de deux.

I learnt so much: An experience of a young life."

How did you find out about the course?

"I was recommended to send a dvd, so I did."

Apparently you have very good teachers in Gothenburg. Who are the most important ones?

"Hector Almarales Gomez has been my main ballet teacher for the past three years. He set the tone for my ballet training. Roman Rumyantsev is my current main ballet teacher, his dance classes are challenging and I love that. Janos Misurak has taught me pas de deux and pushed me with his dance technique. 

All of my ballet teachers are a great inspiration to me, I feel I wouldn’t be given the same training and inspiration elsewhere."

You danced in last season's Raymonda, by Pontus Lidberg, at the Royal Swedish Opera in Stockholm. Was that your first performance in a full-evening classical ballet?

"Yes it was - so exciting. During a couple of months of rehearsals I was living in Stockholm and attended classes at the Royal Swedish Ballet School in Stockholm.

Some stage rehearsals were very long: the longest one lasted from ten to ten. We youngsters were very well looked after at the theatre. We never had to be lonely.

Then came the rewards: I was delighted to take part in all ten performances of the ballet."

Thank you, Emanuel. How nice to hear! Best of luck, then, for the coming year!

Peter Bohlin
16 Oct 2015

A younger Emanuel was interviewed by Dansportalen in December 2014, when he was one of the six boys in Raymonda at The Royal Opera in Stockholm.

(Interview in Swedish).

http://dansportalen.se/111/-fler-artiklar/nyhetsarkiv/2014-12-22-raymonda-skapar-unikt-samarbete-mellan-skolor.html Länk till annan webbplats.