Roland Petit's Enduring Legacy at Teatro San Carlo

The Teatro San Carlo in Naples hosted a four-night retrospective, Soirée Roland Petit, dedicated to the French choreographer Roland Petit, despite an unfortunate late-July scheduling. The program included Gymnopédies (from Ma Pavlova, 1986), the pas de deux Morel et Saint Loup ou Le combat des anges (from Proust, ou Les intermittences du coeur), and La Rose Malade, performed by rising talents Claudia D'Antonio and Alessandro Staiano, with the first cast featuring étoile Giuseppe Picone and Maria Eichwald. The second act featured Pink Floyd Ballet, blending rock music with classical dance in a psychedelic 1970s light design. The production was choreographically reconstructed by Luigi Bonino. Petit's career spanned 66 years, from Saut du tremplin (1942) to Last Paradise (2008), and his work defies simple categorization as classical or innovative. The article notes that dancers like Salvatore Manzo, Carlo De Martino, Anna Chiara Amirante, Claudia D'Antonio, and Alessandro Staiano remain classified as "tersicorei di fila" or temporary contracts, calling for promotions. The company lacks a Prima Ballerina since Alessandra Veronetti's retirement, and hopes are placed on superintendent Rosanna Purchia to make appointments.