What is the best thing that I love about my work?
What I love most is being a custodian of sensitive passions, fragile dreams, and human stories. I do not look for dancers — I look for human beings, each with their own truth, vulnerability, and potential. My work is about creating a healthy and constructive environment where dialogue is real and mutual. I believe in a direction that is horizontal in listening and relationships, yet capable of vertical clarity when decisions are needed — a continuous balance between horizontality and verticality. I work strongly on my intuitions and visions, trying to make them clearer and learning to trust them more over time. I also value collaborating with choreographers who bring different perspectives and poetic worlds, because diversity helps interpreters grow and move freely between styles. For me, creation is always a shared human journey.
What is my idea of happiness?
For me, happiness is being able to live what I love, and to let that love shape my path. It is opening space where others can breathe and feel welcomed in their own truth. Happiness is presence — knowing how to stay, and also how to go, how to let go when the time comes. It is the courage to admit mistakes, to ask forgiveness, and to remain human. Above all, it is being able to look into someone’s eyes and feel aligned with my values. Happiness is this quiet clarity of heart.
What is my greatest fear?
My greatest fear is not being understood, and not being able to make myself understood. For me, communication is about more than words — it is about sharing meaning and truly connecting with others. When understanding doesn’t reach the other person, something fragile can be lost and distance can grow. This fear doesn’t stop me; it encourages me to listen more carefully, speak more clearly, and keep trying to build bridges between people.
What is the trait that I most deplore in myself?
Sometimes I take on too much responsibility and struggle to let things unfold naturally. I care deeply, and this can turn into worry. I am learning to trust the process more and accept uncertainty as part of every real artistic path.
Which living persons in my profession do I most admire?
Among living artists, one person I deeply admire both humanly and artistically is Louise Lecavalier. For me, she embodies an artistic identity that is extremely clear, powerful, and at the same time fragile. I have always been struck by the honesty and intensity of her presence, and by the way her work feels deeply personal yet universally resonant. She represents for me the beauty of an artist who remains truthful to her own voice. More broadly, I admire artists who keep evolving while staying fully human.
What is the thing that I dislike the most in my work?
I dislike the pressure to produce continuously, as if art were only about results. I strongly believe in the value of creative processes — time spent searching, listening, failing, and growing. Often the invisible journey is more important than the final outcome.
When and where was I the happiest, in my work?
One of my happiest memories in my work was dancing in New York at the Joyce Theater. Performing there was not only an artistic milestone, but also a deeply emotional moment of recognition and gratitude. My happiness was also connected to the feeling of being in New York, a city where I have always felt as if I were in the heart of the world. It was one of those rare moments when effort, trust, and experience came together with clarity.
If I could, what would I change about myself?
I would learn to carry responsibility with more lightness and less inner tension. At the same time, that responsibility is also what drives me. So perhaps I would not change it, only learn to live it with more trust.
What is my greatest achievement in work?
My greatest achievement is building artistic paths where people feel seen first as human beings. I am proud of creating an environment that welcomes different choreographic voices and encourages versatility and openness. Trusting my intuitions while remaining open to dialogue has shaped the artistic identity I work for. For me, success is continuity, growth, and shared awareness.
Where would I most like to live?
I feel deeply connected to Turin, the city where I was born. Its clear, straight lines and almost square structure give me grounding and security, and paradoxically this rigor makes me feel free. It reminds me that discipline creates freedom — just like in artistic work, where shared rules allow real play. At the same time, I feel that home is wherever I can go and feel free, so I imagine a home that travels with me. Home is not only a place, but a condition of openness and belonging.
What is my most treasured possession?
My most treasured possession is the network of relationships built through years of shared artistic journeys. Memories of trust, risks, discoveries, and growth are more valuable than any object. They are the true archive of my life.
What is my most marked characteristic?
Listening and weaving connections. I believe in stitching relationships, creating alliances, and building spaces where people feel safe to be themselves. Together is always stronger, and always better.
What is my most inspirational location, in my city?
In Turin, the area around the Mole Antonelliana inspires me the most. Every time I pass there, I feel a rarefied atmosphere, as if I’m entering another dimension. I cannot fully explain it, but that place always lifts me to a deeper emotional and imaginative level. For me, it is a quietly magical space, suspended between history and possibility.
What is my favorite place to eat and drink, in my city?
One of the places I feel most at home in Turin is Scannabue, in the San Salvario district. It’s a place where I’m reminded that quality truly makes a difference — the quality of the food, the care in how you are welcomed and served, and the quality of the time you share with people over a lunch or dinner. I love the warmth and authenticity that allow conversations to slow down and become real. And for a small, personal ritual, I also love the croccante gelato from Alberto Marchetti — a simple pleasure that always reconnects me to the city. Together, these moments speak to me about attention, relationships, and the beauty of taking time.
What books influenced my life and how?
One of the books that deeply influenced me is Il silenzio è cosa viva by Livia Chandra Candiani. It marked and illuminated me, awakening a strong inner impulse and a deeper sense of listening. This book helped me understand how important the choice of words is, and how the way we express ourselves can truly make a difference. It made me feel that words have a movement, that words are magical, and that words can create space within us and within others.
You Only Die Once. What music would I listen to on my last day?
On my last day, I wouldn’t choose just one piece of music, but a playlist — joyful and messy. I often move from one genre to another, so it would flow from pop to Italian singer-songwriters, from a film soundtrack to electronic music, and beyond. It might sound like chaos, but for me it wouldn’t be. There isn’t a single kind of music that can represent me, so it would be a wide, vibrant mix — a playlist holding many moods, many memories, and many parts of who I am.
Who is my hero or heroine in fiction?
Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City has definitely been one of my fictional icons. I love her chaos and the way she keeps questioning life, love, and herself without pretending to be perfect. She reminds me that being searching, contradictory, and fully human is not a weakness — it’s a way of being alive.
Who are my heroes and heroines in real life?
In real life, my heroes and heroines are people who have the courage to truly live and face life as it is. I admire those who are not afraid to admit their fears, yet keep moving forward anyway. I am inspired by people who stay aware of the world around them, who understand the context they live in and remain present within it. To me, real strength lies in this mix of vulnerability, awareness, and the willingness to keep going.
Which movie would I recommend to see once in a lifetime?
I would say Pretty Woman. Even though I’ve seen it many times, if it’s on TV I still watch it again. Maybe it’s because deep down I’m an incurable romantic, and I love comedies and love stories that begin in the most unlikely way and somehow find their happy ending. There’s something comforting and timeless in that.
What role play stories in my life and work?
Stories are central to everything I do. Dance is a way of sharing human experiences and building connections between people. Stories help us understand who we are and who we can become.
What do the words “You are the storyteller of your own life” mean to me?
They remind me that life requires both responsibility and courage. We cannot control everything, but we can choose openness, relationships, and risk. Our story is written through the choices we dare to make.
Who is my greatest fan, sponsor, partner in crime?
Of course, the people I work with every day — collaborators, interpreters, teams, and supporters — are an essential part of my journey, together with the family we create along the way. But more broadly, I feel supported by life itself: love, the presence of friends, a stranger’s glance on the subway, a child’s smile, a sunset, or a sudden flock of birds crossing the sky. Even the simple act of breathing the air around us can feel like a quiet form of support. All these moments keep me connected to what matters and remind me who I am. In this sense, my greatest partner in crime is life itself.
Which people or companies would I like to work with?
I want to collaborate with choreographers, artists, and institutions who believe in humanity, dialogue, and artistic diversity. I am especially interested in working with creators who bring different perspectives and poetic worlds, because interpreters grow through encountering multiple visions. The most meaningful collaborations are those where we build alliances, share risks, and grow together.
What project am I looking forward to work on?
The next major project I am working on is the 50th anniversary of our company, Balletto Teatro di Torino, which will celebrate fifty years of activity in 2027. I am currently imagining and shaping this journey, thinking about how to honor its history while opening new artistic directions for the future. It is a project that asks for vision, care, and time, and I feel deeply involved in building it step by step. In a way, we are an archive of the past, but also a living archive — an archive for the future.
Where can you see me or my work?
Through the productions and projects of Balletto Teatro di Torino in Italy and internationally, in theatres, festivals, and collaborative contexts. Our work lives not only on stage but also in the relationships we build with people and communities.
What do the words “Passion Never Retires” mean to me?
They mean that passion evolves but never disappears. Creativity changes form and deepens with experience. As long as we remain curious and brave enough to do what scares us, passion stays alive.
Which creative heroines should Peter invite to tell their story?
I would definitely suggest inviting Livia Chandra Candiani, whose poetic voice and deep human sensitivity are truly inspiring, and Louise Lecavalier, an artist with a powerful and unmistakable identity who continues to influence the world of dance with her unique presence. More generally, I believe it would be meaningful to invite women artists who combine artistic vision with humanity, depth, and openness to the world — creators who build bridges and keep art alive through their authenticity.
How can you contact me?
You can contact me through Balletto Teatro di Torino’s official channels, via LinkedIn for professional collaborations and artistic dialogue, or by email at viola@ballettoteatroditorino.org.
You are the storyteller of your own life and you can create your own legend – or not!