Italian-born choreographer and artistic director Francesco Ventriglia has made an exciting entré into the Sydney dance scene with the world premiere of GRIMM, the first of his works to be performed in Australia.

A former dancer with Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Ventriglia has created classical and contemporary ballets for companies around the world including La Scala, the Bolshoi and the Mariinsky, among others. He was Artistic Director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet from 2014 to 2017, and in 2018 was appointed adjunct Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Uruguay. Between 2010 and 2013 he was Artistic Director and principal choreographer of MaggioDanza at the Florence Opera House.

Ariella Casu and Victor Zarallo. Photograph © Daniel Asher Smith

Ventriglia settled in Sydney this year and has established the Sydney Choreographic Centre with Neil Christopher as Managing Director. Dedicated to nurturing the next generation of choreographers, the Centre opened in March. The Sydney Choreographic Ensemble is the Centre’s resident performing group and GRIMM, which is being presented in association with Riverside Theatres in Parramatta, marks the company’s debut.

GRIMM is a contemporary ballet that references characters and themes from four fairytales: Snow White, The...