Principal dancer Carlo di Lanno on joining Semperoper Ballett during the pandemic and preparing to perform to a socially distanced audience

Ballet & Dance Podcast

Principal dancer Carlo di Lanno moved from San Francisco Ballet to Semperoper Ballett in Germany just as the coronavirus pandemic started to hit Europe.

After arriving in the company’s home in the city of Dresden, Carlo immediately quarantined for two weeks before going into the studio to take company class and start rehearsals for the season that has already seen cancellations.

Listen to Carlo talk about his lockdown dance experience and what it’s like joining a new ballet company when required to socially distance from your colleagues, while taking class metres apart from another, on rotating schedules.

Semperoper Ballett is stepping back on stage with a series of gala events called »Semper Essenz: We Will Dance!«, being performed at the wonderful opera house accompanied by their world-famous orchestra.

With so many dance companies around the world cancelling their entire seasons, furloughing dancers and making staff redundant, it is uplifting to see ballet dancers set to perform to live audiences with a live orchestra – it’s almost semi-normal!

Carlo also shares his journey from growing up in south Italy to dancing with La Scala in Milan, Staatsballett Berlin and moving to San Francisco Ballet and working with world renowned choreographers William Forsythe, David Dawson, Benjamin B. Millepied, Christopher Wheeldon and more.

»Semper Essenz: We Will Dance!« is on 25 September and 1, 4, 16, 18 & 25 October 2020 – get your tickets.

Photo: Sofiane Sylve and Carlo Di Lanno in On the Nature of Daylight by Ian Whalen

PRESS PLAY!

https://djwpodcasts.s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/1wwwod/Carlo.mp3

Podcast also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and other podcast providers!