In the bookstores 'Teaching and Methodology of Classical-Academic Dance'

The volume "Didattica della danza classico-accademica - Linea metodologiche e testo programmatico per il I, II e III Corso," co-authored by Lia Calizza and Gerardo Porcelluzzi, is now available from Dino Audino Editore. The result of an eight-year development, the work fills a gap in the publishing landscape, offering a comprehensive and methodical text on the curriculum and the path to follow in the training of future dancers during the first three years of study, a crucial phase that marks the first fundamental step in a student's development.

The book is aimed at preparing new generations of teachers, serving as a valuable reference guide for already trained teachers who wish to delve deeper into or review technical and methodological aspects. With a rigorous scientific approach, clear methodology, and precise language, Lia Calizza and Gerardo Porcelluzzi guide teachers in developing a teaching method based on graduality and functionality, essential principles for the proper development of students' physical and expressive abilities.

At the same time, the text is intended as a guide for both students aspiring to a professional career and those who simply wish to pursue dance as a passion and cultural enrichment. What makes it unique among previous publications on classical dance methodology (including the most iconic texts) is that it offers a conceptual approach that stimulates the imagination and fosters a profound understanding of movement, promoting an independent and conscious perception of each element.

Every posture, movement, step, attitude, and transition is analyzed in minute detail, ensuring structured and comprehensive learning. There are no images. This is a thoughtful choice, born of the desire not to constrain the reader to a fixed posture or aesthetic, but rather to stimulate an inner vision (the "idea"), before merely copying a physical performance. Dance, therefore, is an imagined and intimately felt act. As Francesca Falcone emphasizes in her preface, the authors have chosen "to rely on the power of the word, on the value of the concept, so that the 'design' is in the reader's mind, and the movement can arise from profound understanding and transform into dance, while always remaining faithful to the aesthetics that classical dance demands."

The authors' goal is not to offer a model to imitate, but rather to encourage both teacher and student to explore movements or steps through their own sensitivity and body structure. The student—as imagined by Calizza and Porcelluzzi—is someone deeply motivated by the artistic vocation of dance; the teacher is a conscious master who places the integral growth of the individual at the center of his or her commitment, his or her "mission." The book thus invites a perceptive experience. What is written becomes the very idea of a movement that each person can visualize, internalize, and translate into the body according to their own feelings. A practice that trains the inner gaze, develops body awareness, and opens a personal space where thought becomes dance, and dance takes shape from the imagination.

With a preface by Francesca Falcone, who also edited the texts, Calizza and Porcelluzzi's volume combines tradition and modernity. Thanks to an extremely broad perspective, the authors combine the study elements and terminology of the Vaganova method with movements, steps, and terms from the Italian and French teaching traditions, helping to integrate and enrich the wealth of knowledge that constitutes an indispensable historical legacy for the training of future teachers and dancers.

Lia Calizza, who trained at the National Academy of Dance in Rome under the direction of Jia Ruskaja, furthered her studies with teachers such as Harald Lander and Anton Dolin. She earned advanced diplomas, now equivalent to master's degrees, and has performed as a principal dancer in classical and modern productions, receiving awards such as the "Maschera d'Argento" and the Positano "Léonide Massine" prizes. In 2005, she received the silver medal from the President of the Italian Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. As a choreographer, she has created works for the Spoleto Festival and for RAI. She has been actively involved in teaching. From 1961 to 1998, she taught at the National Academy of Dance in Rome, subsequently becoming its director from 1989 to 1996. A ballet master and instructor at various international workshops, festivals, and seminars, Lia Calizza served as commission chair for national competitions and a juror for dance competitions. From 2017 to 2024, she taught at the Ballet School of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma. Her career has been marked by numerous awards, including the "Le Muse" prize, and by her commitment to cultural promotion with projects supported by the Ministry of Entertainment. She also served on the Dance Commission at the then Mibac from 2001 to 2007.

Gerardo Porcelluzzi graduated from the Rome Opera Ballet School under the direction of Elisabetta Terabust. A winner of several competitions, he studied with a scholarship at the Princess Grace Academy in Monte Carlo and the Ballet School of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan. He furthered his studies with renowned masters including Floris Alexander, Daniel Franck, Zarko Prebil, and Niels Kehlet. From 2000 to 2012, he was part of the Rome Opera Ballet, performing as principal dancer and soloist. He partnered with Carla Fracci in several productions and participated in all of the Rome Opera Ballet's tours, performing in Italy and abroad on prestigious stages, including the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. Choreographers such as Micha van Hoecke and Millicent Hodson created leading roles for him in original productions. He has been a guest at national and international dance galas, including the XI International Ballet Festival (Miami, USA). He received the Premio Positano Léonide Massine. Since 2013, he has been a teacher and ballet master at the Scuola di Danza dell'Opera di Roma and, since 2023, also at the Accademia Teatro alla Scala in Milan. He has received numerous awards for his work with young students. He also conducts an intense teaching activity—conducting workshops, masterclasses, and serving as a panelist—throughout Italy, making him one of the most sought-after and appreciated teachers in the country.