Maître de Ballet and Dance Professor, holding a Diploma issued by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication.
After a background as a gymnast, Michele Politi embraced his great passion, beginning his dance studies first at the Mariani Evans school in Livorno and later at the Daria Collin Dance School in Florence.
In 1984, he entered the seventh-year course at the John Cranko Schule in Stuttgart, directed by Heinz Klaus. During his time at the Academy, he studied classical ballet, pas de deux, modern dance, character dance, and fencing, while also performing in opera and ballet productions with the Stuttgart Ballet.
In 1985, he joined the Académie Princesse Grace in Monte Carlo, directed by Madame Marika Besobrasova, where he graduated as a dancer in 1987. He performed in the Academy’s productions, taking on roles in Serenade of George Balanchine, Suite en Blanc of Serge Lifar, La bayadère of Marius Petipa, Le Bal des Cadets of David Lichine,, Badinage – Folks Songs of Dieter Amman, Mascarde of Ben de Rochemond, as well as various pas de deux from the classical repertoire.
In September 1987, he joined the School of American Ballet (New York), where he studied until April 1988 under Stanley Williams and attended classes led by Wilhelm Burmann and Danys Wayne.
In 1988, representing the Académie Princesse Grace, he participated in the Varna International Ballet Competition partnered by Tamako Akiyama. They reached the finals, performing three pas de deux from the classical repertoire and two modern creations by Swiss choreographer Dieter Ammann.
In 1988, he joined Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, then directed by Jean-Yves Esquerre, taking part in all of the company’s productions. His repertoire included: Theme e Variation of George Balanchine, Violin Concerto of George Balanchine, Napoli of Bournonville, Gaîté Parisienne of Léonide Massine, The Silfide of Pierre Lacotte, X° Sinfonia di Mahler of John Neumeier.
In August 1990, he joined the Hamburg Ballet, directed by John Neumeier, where he remained for four years. He performed in all the company's productions, taking on both corps de ballet and soloist roles within the complete repertoire and new creations of Artistic Director John Neumeier, as well as in ballets by George Balanchine, Lar Lubovitch, Hans van Manen, and John Cranko. The John Neumeier choreographies performed by Michele Politi include A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, Illusions like Swan Lake, Mozart 338, Bach Suite 3, Saint Matthew Passion, Des Knaben Wunderhorn, Mahler's 4th Symphony, Mahler's 5th Symphony, Magnificat, Bach Suite 2, Peer Gynt, and The Rite of Spring.Furthermore, he took part in the original creations of the following ballets by John Neumeier: Requiem (Mozart), the musical On the Town, Fenster zu Mozart, Spring and Fall, A Cinderella Story, Ravel Rhapsody, and Bernstein Serenade..
In 1994, he was invited to audition for the Nice Opera Ballet by Madame Hélène Trailine, Dance Consultant for the Paris Opera, and Jean-Albert Cartier, Director of the Paris Opera, who were taking over the direction of the Nice Opera House. He joined the company in September 1994, remaining there for ten years, serving first as a Soloist and Principal Dancer, and later as Maître de Ballet. As a Soloist and Principal Dancer, he performed in Onegin of John Cranko, Le Beau Danube bleu of Leonid Massine, Les deux Pigeons and Scenes de ballet of Frederick Ashton, Concerto of Kenneth MacMillan, Chansons sans paroles of Hans Van Manen, La chansons de Melisande of Luca Veggetti, Romeo e Giulietta and Swan Lake, of Youri Vamos, Pulcinella, Sync e Porcell Piecess of Nils Christie.
In his capacity as Maître de Ballet at the Nice Opera, he staged ballets by Cranko, Van Manen, Christe, Wherlock, and Vámos, as well as the entire classical and neoclassical repertoire of Marc Ribaud, including The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, La Fille mal gardée, Coppélia, and Swan Lake.
His passion for teaching led him to further his studies under the guidance of Bernadette Le Guil, Head of Teacher Training at the National Conservatory of Lyon. Following the French curriculum, he earned his State Diploma as a Dance Professor (Diplôme d’État) in 2000, awarded by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication.
In September 2005, at the invitation of Mauro Bigonzetti, he became the resident Maître de Ballet for the Aterballetto company, where he remained for two years.
From 2007 to 2023, he served as Maître de Ballet for the following companies and dance schools: Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Royal Swedish Ballet, Compañía Nacional de Danza de España (and CND2), Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT 1 and NDT 2), the New Zealand School of Dance, West Australian Ballet, École Supérieure de Danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower (and PSND), the Royal Conservatory of The Hague (Koninklijk Conservatorium), and the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.
Parallelly, he dedicates himself to teaching young students, serving as a guest master for numerous workshops and competitions, and overseeing the organization of various events.
Drawing on his training at the Académie Princesse Grace, he became a founding member of the Marika Besobrasova Foundation in 2010, collaborating on the organization of exams and trials related to her curriculum.
In the 2012-2013 season, he served as Artistic Consultant for Dance at the Fondazione Teatro Goldoni in Livorno, managing the organization of several productions.
From 2013 to 2019, in collaboration with Francesca Bernabini and in agreement with Élisabeth Platel, Director of the Paris Opera Ballet School, he organized the workshop The French Style in Dance.Also with Francesca Bernabini, he organized study tours for dance teachers at the Vienna State Opera Ballet School, the PSND Rosella Hightower, the National Ballet Academy in Amsterdam, and the Hamburg Ballet School.
A frequent guest teacher and examiner at the École Supérieure de Danse Rosella Hightower in Cannes, since 2013 he has collaborated on the organization of the school's only Italian auditions.
Since the 2021-2022 academic year, he has collaborated with the Rome Opera House Dance School. Starting from the 2023-2024 academic year, the Fondazione del Teatro dell’Opera di Roma has entrusted him with the roles of talent scout and coordinator for school projects, workshops, and the Introductory Course of the Rome Opera House Dance School.
During the lessons, Michele Politi will be scouting participants across all levels for direct admission to the 2026-27 Introductory Course of the Rome Opera House.
Courses and lessons with Michele Politi