What is the best thing that I love about my work? I love my work as a whole. It’s quite hard for me to highlight the best aspect of it. Being a dancer is human, is real, is different every time and it gives me the possibility to involve all myself in it. I believe nothing can be comparable to having this opportunity at the beginning of each single day of my life.

What is my idea of perfect happiness? There is no perfect happiness. It’s all about the process of getting there. And then perfect happiness can become anything. A laugh with friends, a coffee at a corner café, a storm, a deep conversation with my people. Those fractions of second where everything comes together and I feel light, free, grounded and shining.

What is my greatest fear? My mum always reminds me that as a child I was afraid of everything, even of my own shadow, as she used to tell me. Growing up I had to confront this side of me and understand its root, its origin in order to be able to move on. Finally I think I found the good answer. I am not afraid of everything, I am just scared to be afraid of anything. To miss out in something just because I am scared of it, to not fully go into things.

What is the trait that I most deplore in myself? As years go by, I am learning more and more to not deplore any trait in myself, but to embrace my better and worst qualities. Something I would like to work on and improve, though, is for sure my self-confidence and my patience. And with them I am not just talking about the ability to wait. With patience I also mean the trust in time and in life, this deep confidence and strong belief that I am worth and that what has to come, will happen.

Which living persons in my profession do I most admire? Amazing dancers are not so hard to find, I have seen many great movers, each one with something unique and special. They are beautiful to watch and inspiring to work with. But I have a fragile body and I know what it means to be injured and not being able to do what I love and what gives me energy and happiness. Therefore I would say that my deepest admiration goes to all the ones that have had the strength, focus and power to come back after a big injury. The healing of the body takes time, but it is something natural, if we want to see it this way. The determination and the will-power to get back in the studio, though, is something you need to nurture and enhance every single day, and I have deep admiration for all the people who made it till the end.

What is my greatest extravagance? My natural attitude of looking at life with a smile and my constant attempt to watch things from different perspectives. This results directly in my beloved ironic approach to whatever happens in my day.

On what occasion would I lie? I really don’t like lying and I get very sad when someone lies to me. I rather prefer to not enter in a situation or conversation that will force me to. Sometimes though, there is no way out, and then I try with half-truth or a vague and not-detailed statement.

What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work? As I said before, I love my work because it allows me to be authentic, real. Therefore I really have troubles when I need to fake something, being it on stage or back stage. I hate faking an emotion, a sensation, I love to feel it. And I totally dislike when I can’t be myself with my colleagues, just for the sake of being diplomatic or somehow accepted.

When and where was I the happiest, in my work? I don’t recall a specific moment in time and space. I have memories of many of them. I find myself the happiest in a movement, a motion, a sensation that happens and surprises me. The unexpected realization that something in my body or in my mind clicked is what gives me these peaks of happiness.

If I could, what would I change about myself? I have a natural tendency to open myself to people really quickly and without limits. I would love to learn to be able to trace some borders at times and understand how much to give of Martina before getting deeply hurt so easily.

What is my greatest achievement in work? The fact that my passion became my work is already the greatest achievement I can imagine. This is real luck. And then the rest is a plus, getting a role, improving my skills, expanding my experiences are achievements that just complete a base that is by itself close to a real and live dream.

Where would I most like to live? Anywhere life brings me. I have no plan of finding “the” place in the future that I am able to imagine until now.

What is my most treasured possession? My quick and polyhedral brain. And my Moka. Together they work amazingly!

What is my most marked characteristic? Sensitivity. I get constant inputs, from myself and the world around. I don’t think, I get people, emotions, ideas. “I feel” is one of my typical beginnings.

What is my most inspirational location, in my city? My room, the ballet studio, anywhere and everywhere. Inspiration is for me definitely more of a mood than a place.

What is my favorite place to eat and drink, in my city? “Da Capo”, the Theater Café. I feel at home there and there are always great and inspiring people passing by. And “Barfuss”, a hidden pub in a very German and cute Hof, right in the city center but with a Narnia feeling.

What books influenced my life and how? I read a lot. I eat books. And each one of them brings me to a different moment in my life. I was 5 and my mum was reading “Little Women” at the edge of my bed, as a teenager ” Harry Potter” made me dream, “Le Petit Prince” has been a book which changed role and meaning at any time of my life, “Se questo è un uomo” brought me the hard reality of human cruelty and the beauty of pain and survival.

Who are my favorite writers? Agatha Christie, Ken Follett, Giacomo Leopardi, Alessandro D’Avenia and really many many others.

You Only Die Once. What music would I listen on my last day? It will depend on my mood! I can listen to anything. Jovanotti is probably the one that has been, is and will always be there. Tom Waits would fit better to my last day probably. Lately I have a Passenger mode on.

Who is my hero or heroine in fiction? Disney’s heroines. They are all pretty and delicate, but they also know how to fight for their love, rights and dreams. And deep inside of me I have always known I am a princess!

Who are my heroes and heroines in real life? People who put passion and love in the world and in what they do. My parents are the first ones who show me the power of pure love and sincere commitment, I will never be thankful enough for that.

Which movie would I recommend to see once in a lifetime? “Collateral Beauty”. It is indeed a beautiful one. “Cool Running” is also a movie that has a place close to my heart. It brings me back to my childhood and it reminds me to my brother, feels good and feels home.

What role plays art in my life and work? Art is my life and my work. And life is a work of art. I don’t think I can separate them, they just melt into each other.

Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime? My friend Joan, no doubt about that. I met him the first day at my dance academy and I have the feeling I kept on meeting him many other times during the years of our friendship. It has always been a trip into each other, to discover ourselves and the world. I know he is there, in the good and in the bad, and I am there for him. There is no better support, inspiration and strength than having such a connection. I feel deeply blessed.

Whom would I like to work with in 2018? It’s a crazy project. But I miss my school colleagues lots. We were a bunch of great dancers and amazing souls. I would love that in 2018 or in 18 years we could come together again, with our new experiences and work on a project. I get goose bumps only with the idea of it.

Which people in my profession would I love to meet in 2018? Whoever will add a little piece to the person and the dancer I will become in this new year. Any encounter, any connection, any collaboration can potentially become a surprising treasure and bring a new layer.

What project, in 2018, am I looking forward to work on? With some colleagues, musicians and friends we are creating a piece to present in other theaters and benefit events. I enjoy my daily work at the theater, but I am always glad to find side projects to nurture my creative and have different tastes of what being an artist means.

Where can you see me or my work in 2018? In Germany, Theater Nordhausen. Or in my Vimeo account if you are too far! https://vimeo.com/user37635812

What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me? I love my job and love has no ending. To dance is a way of living and perceiving the world. It never stops, I will do my best to still be as passionate as I am today when I will be 90.

Which creative heroines should Peter invite to tell their story? I strongly believe that heroines are everywhere. We all probably meet three or four every day. We are surrounded by ideas, we just need to open our eyes and start noticing them. I can just invite him to keep on going with this project, we need to give a voice to the beauty of art and creativity in any form of their expression.

How can you contact me? Facebook is the best way, I guess.