Martina Arduino, Principal Dancer at Teatro alla Scala in Milano.
Born in Moncalieri, Italy, she began her dance training in Turin and, in 2007, was admitted to the first-year class of the Ballet School of the Accademia Teatro alla Scala. During her years at the Academy, she performed in numerous school productions and also appeared in productions of the Teatro alla Scala Ballet Company. After graduating in May 2015, she joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet.
She has since performed in a wide range of productions and creations for the Company, both in Milan and on international tours. Her repertoire includes major roles in works by Alexei Ratmansky (The Sleeping Beauty as the Lilac Fairy and Diamond Fairy; Swan Lake, in the Pas de Trois and later as Odette/Odile), Mauro BigonzettiCinderella as the Fairy Godmother; Progetto Händel), Nacho Duato ((The Nutcracker Colombina), Rudolf Nureyev (Lescaut’s Mistress as the Street Dancer and Fandango Soloist), Massimiliano Volpini(The Lovers’ Gardenas a principal interpreter), Kenneth MacMillan(Romeo and Juliet in the title role), George Balanchine (Symphony in C – Symphony in C and A Midsummer Night’s Dream),), John Cranko (Onegin, as Olga), John Neumeier (La Dame aux camélias Lady of the Camellias as Prudence), Heinz Spoerli (Goldberg-Variationen), Jiří Kylián (Petite Mort), Maurice Béjart (Boléro).
Since April 2018, she has been a Principal Dancer with Teatro alla Scala; her repertoire has expanded to include Le Corsaire by Anna-Marie Holmes (Gulnare and Medora), Apollo by George Balanchine (Polyhymnia); The Sleeping Beauty by Rudolf Nureyev (the Pas de Cinq, later Aurora and one of the Seven Fairies); the title role of Kitri in Don Quixote by Rudolf Nureyev; L’Histoire de Manon by Kenneth MacMillan (Lescaut’s Mistress); The Nutcracker by George Balanchine (Dewdrop and Sugarplum Fairy); Woolf Works by Wayne McGregor (Rezia in I now, I then and Becomings).
She performed the title role in Sylvia by Manuel Legris, which opened La Scala Ballet’s 2019–2020 Season; she danced in Adagio Hammerklavier and Sarcasmen by Hans van Manen and Le Jeune Homme et la Mort by Roland Petit. For the gala evening “A riveder le stelle”, she was among the performers in Verdi Suite, a creation by Manuel Legris. She made her debut in the title role of Act I of Giselle; for the gala “Great Moments of Dance”, she performed “Civilisation” in the pas de deux from Excelsior, and in Homage to Nureyev she reprised the role of Aurora in the Rose Adagio from The Sleeping Beauty.
In “Evening of Great Choreographers”, she danced the pas de deux from Debussy pour sept danseurs by Roland Petit and the divertissement from Paquita. She again appeared in Verdi Suite for the “Evening of Four Choreographers”. In the “Contemporary Evening”, she performed in The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude by William Forsythe. During “La Scala in città”, she danced the Act III pas de deux from Sylvia and the Grand Pas de Deux from Don Quixote.
She created the role of Olga in the world premiere of Madina, choreographed by Mauro Bigonzetti to an original score by Fabio Vacchi. In La Bayadère by Rudolf Nureyev, which opened the 2021–2022 Season, she performed the role of Nikiya. In Jewels by George Balanchine, she danced one of the two leading couples in Emeralds and the principal couple in Diamonds. At Gala Fracci, she performed the pas de deux from La Péri. For Wayne McGregor’s production AfteRite+LORE, she was part of the opening cast of AfteRite.
In the July 2022 revival of Giselle, she danced the title role. In the September 2022 revival of Onegin by John Cranko, she reprised the role of Olga and made her debut as Tatiana. She debuted as Clara in The Nutcracker by Rudolf Nureyev, which opened the 2022–2023 Ballet Season. In the Dawson/Duato/Kratz/Kylián programme, she was among the leading performers in Anima Animus (David Dawson). In Le Corsaire by Manuel Legris, she performed the role of Medora. For “William Forsythe Evening – Blake Works V”, she was among the leading performers in Blake Works I.
At the 2023 edition of Gala Fracci, she performed the pas de deux from Le Loup by Roland Petit and the Pas classique hongrois from Raymonda. In the June–July 2023 revival of Romeo and Juliet by Kenneth MacMillan, she returned to the title role of Juliet. In September 2023, she made her debut as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, choreographed by Rudolf Nureyev, and in November reprised both Tatiana and Olga in Onegin by John Cranko. She appeared in Coppélia, Alexei Ratmansky’s new production that opened the 2023–2024 Ballet Season, making her debut as Swanilda. In the triple bill Smith/León and Lightfoot/Valastro, she was among the leading performers in Reveal by Garrett Smith.
For L’Histoire de Manon in July 2024, she reprised the role of Lescaut’s Mistress; in Lady of the Camellias by John Neumeier, she performed the role of Manon before subsequently making her debut in the title role of Marguerite Gautier. In the Balanchine/Robbins Triple Bill, she danced the roles of “Mauve” and “Green” in Dances at a Gathering. In the Kratz/Preljocaj/De Bana programme, she performed Solitude Sometimes by Philippe Kratz for the first time. For La Scala’s premiere of Peer Gynt by Edward Clug, she performed the role of Solveig, and in Paquita by Pierre Lacotte she danced the title role. In the Lander/Kylián/Béjart triple bill, she was a principal performer in Études by Harald Lander and reprised Boléro and Petite Mort.
Among her distinctions, she received the Danza & Danza Award for Emerging Performer for the 2016 season, the Positano Premia la Danza Léonide Massine Award as Dancer of the Year on the International Scene in 2020, and the Premio Nazionale Sfera d’Oro per la Danza in 2021.