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CURRICULUM VITAE
Maria Grazia Nicosia
Maria Grazia Nicosia was born in Florence and began studying dance with Traut Faggioni Streiff, continuing her studies in classical ballet with Dutch teacher Daria Collin
, famous both in Florence and all of Italy.
Subsequently she perfected her studies with some of the most prestigious European teachers and choreographers such as: Victor Gsovsky, Gaskel, Pereslaveck, Besobrasova, Pakasky, Cebron e Yuriko
.
A professional dancer already at the early age of 15 at the Teatro Comunale of Florence, she became Prima
Ballerina of the Corps de Ballet of the same Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, today known as “Maggio Danza”,
interpreting with great technical - stylistic rigour and intense expression principal roles of both classical and modern repertoires, performing with world renowned dancers such as
Carla Fracci, Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn, Vladimir Vassilev, Peter Schuafuss, Elisabetta Terabust, Mikhail Baryshnikov….
She has collaborated with some of the most important Italian and foreign choreographers, among which, Micha
Van Hoecke, Oscar Araiz, Aurel Millos, Geoffrey Cauley, Joseph Russillo, Ivan Marko, Fabrizio Monteverde, Charles Vodoz and Maurizio Dolcini.
She has also had the privilege of working with well known maestros and choreographers such as: Clotilde ed
Alessandro Sakharoff, Leonide Massine, Nicholas Beriozoff, Nijnska Bronislava, Maurice Béjart, Eugenio Polyakov.
Together with Cristina Bozzolini, she helped found the “Collettivo Danza Contemporanea” of which she was part
of for nine years and later contributed to its transformation into the “Balletto di Toscana”, where she worked for the
entire first year. This experience was crucial for diffusing knowledge of Contemporary Dance, which, unfortunately,
at that time was not often present in the programmes of traditional theatres.
Through the “Collettivo” she was able to broaden her knowledge of American Modern Dance and German Theatre Dance by working with choreographers such as
Ector Barriles, Susanna Zimmerman, Robbie Nadas and to develop for the Balletto di Toscana an artistic collaboration with the famous dancer-choreographer Nil Christe of
the Nederlands Dans Theater.
As of 1975 Maria Grazia Nicosia founds and directs the “Centro Studi Danza” in Grassina, renowned for its
selection of qualified teachers and the high number of subscriptions, placing it among the most prestigious dance schools of the Tuscan region.
The Association also offers music courses under the artistic direction of Franco Cipolla, founding member of the Association and Soloist of the Orchestra Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.
In 1985 Danza Primavera
has its first spin-off with the inauguration of “Panorami di Scuole di Danza” and the first professional performances held in combination with video conferences.
In 1988 Nicosia performed in the “La Valse” by Ravel with the choreography of the famous Hungarian choreographerIvan Marko
(étoile of the Maurice Béjart Company) during the Ballet Evening at the “Maggio Musicale Fiorentino”, obtaining both critical and public acclaim. This enormous success led Marko to invite
Nicosia as a guest in his Ballet Company, the “Il Gyori Ballett”.
In 1989 Ivan Marko created especially for Nicosia the ballet “La Madre” based on music by G. Verdi, to be
performed for the first time during the fifth edition of “Danza Primavera”, a Festival founded by Nicosia.
Nicosia’s performance highlighted the intensity, versatility and dramatic character of the piece and was acclaimed
by Marko himself and the critics with such enthusiasm as to reconfirm her notoriety as the “Anna Magnani of
Dance” in this choreography gender (La Nazione, La Repubblica, Corriere di Firenze, La Città ecc.). This great
success was repeated during a European tour that followed featuring Marko’s Ballet Company with Nicosia as guest star.
This prolific period saw the creation of another great ballet - “Chiusi uno nell’altro” in which the choreographer
performs together with Nicosia. The event was first held during the “Danza Primavera” Festival in 1990 and later the ballet was performed in various European theatres.
In April 1992 Nicosia is invited by the Hungarian Television as principal star of the movie “Predicazioni”, based on the religious theories of the Theologian Maestro Eckart and directed by
Orsola Szekely.
It is also during this year that Fabrizio Monteverde
inaugurates the eighth edition of Danza Primavera in the “La Voce”, creating and performing together with Nicosia the choreography inspired by J. Cocteau with music by F. Poulenc.
In 1993 Nicosia is awarded the “Città di Cascina” Prize together with Luciana Savignano.
In 1999 she receives the award “Una vita per la danza” (A life for Dance) by the A.I.C.S., the Florence Provincial Committee.
In 1999 she also founds the
Concorso Internazionale di Danza “Eugenio Polyakov”, which has reached its seventh edition in 2005 and is held with the patronage of the Premiership, The Ministry for the Cultural and
Environmental Heritage, the Province of Florence and the Town of Bagno a Ripoli, with prizes in representation of
the Presidency of the Republic, the Presidency of the Senate and the Presidency of the Chamber of Deputies.
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