Raffaella Renzi

Born in Florence, she began her dance training at the Centro Studi Danza. At just 16, she joined the corps de ballet of the Teatro Comunale di Firenze’s MaggioDanza, under the direction of Eugène Polyakov. Her talent was quickly recognised, and she was entrusted with roles in both classical and contemporary works. During this time, she performed in pieces by Marius Petipa, Bronislava Nijinska, Nicholas Beriozoff, Eugène Polyakov, Joseph Russillo, Maurice Béjart, Paolo Bortoluzzi, Michel Fokine, Micha van Hoecke, and others.

In 1983, she was awarded first prize at the inaugural Nati per la Danza competition in Rome. That same year, she joined the ballet of the Deutsche Oper Berlin as a soloist for the 1983/1984 season. She was soon promoted to principal dancer and later named prima ballerina by ballet director Gert Reinholm. From 1991 to 1995, she served as principal dancer with the Aalto Ballett Essen under Heidrun Schwaarz, before returning to the Deutsche Oper Berlin in the 1994/1995 season to perform under directors Ray Barra, Richard Cragun, and Sylviane Bayard. In 1995, the Berlin Senate for Culture awarded her the title of Berliner Kammertänzerin—the first woman ever to receive this honour.

Throughout her career, she performed a wide-ranging repertoire spanning classical, neoclassical, and contemporary works. Her time with the Deutsche Oper Berlin ballet company was marked by critically acclaimed performances, but she also made numerous guest appearances. She frequently returned to Florence, danced with Carla Fracci’s company, and performed in Toulouse. Her repertoire included works by Roland Petit, Maurice Béjart, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Hans van Manen, and John Neumeier, all of whom worked with her directly. She also performed extensively in pieces by George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Lucinda Childs, Tom Schilling, and John Cranko, showcasing an impressive breadth of artistry.

In 1996, she opened her own ballet school. From 2001/2002, she worked as a guest teacher with the ballet of the Deutsche Oper Berlin and, in 2002, choreographed the chorus sections for the opera Les Contes d’Hoffmann. Her portrayal of Juliet in László Seregi’s Romeo and Juliet earned her three European critics' awards in 1986 and 1987. In 1997, she received the Zonta International Women and Art award in Florence, celebrating her international artistic career.

She has been invited as a ballet master and trainer to prestigious institutions, including the Teatro Comunale Firenze’s MaggioDanza (under Giorgio Mancini and Vladimir Derevianko), the popular Italian television show Amici (artistic director Luciano Cannito), Teatro Massimo Palermo (under Luciano Cannito), the ballet of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma (under Micha van Hoecke and D. Canio), the ballet of the Oper Zürich (under Christian Spuck), Ballet Nice Méditerranée (under Eric Vu An), and the ballet of the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples (under Giuseppe Picone).

Since 2014, she has worked as an assistant to choreographer Patrice Bart, overseeing the staging of his works. In 2020, she returned to the Staatsballett Berlin to re-stage Bart’s Giselle for its revival at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden.