Claudia Zaccari

Claudia Zaccari was trained in the Cecchetti technique at the school of the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, directed by Attilia Radice, and continued her studies with teachers of the Russian and Cuban schools. As Principal dancer at Teatro dell’Opera di Roma she performed in prestigious international theatres in European cities such as Verona, Palermo, Toulouse, Avignon, and London.

She has performed the works of international choreographers such as George Balanchine, Zarko Prebil, Aurell Milloss, and Roland Petit and with stars such as Maya Plisetskaya, Carla Fracci, and Vladimir Vassiliev where she received high critical acclaim for her interpretation of contemporary roles as well. She has made guest appearances with numerous companies such as Balletto di Roma, Balletto ’90, MDA Produzioni Danza and has danced the leading roles in Carla Fracci’s company, “Compagnia Italiana del Balletto di Carla Fracci” (Filumena Marturano, Francesca da Rimini, Il lutto si addice a Elettra). She has also performed with actors and singers such as Paola Pitagora, Maria Monti, Bianca Toccafondi, and Giorgio Albertazzi. In 1995 and 2002 she performed as a guest artist in the international performances dedicated to Astor Piazzolla in Buenos Aires and performed in the international tour of Franco Zeffirelli’s Aida with Carla Fracci.

She was awarded the “Positano” and “Fontane di Roma” prizes and has also received the title of “Cavaliere della Repubblica” (Knight of the Rerpublic, Order of Merit of the Italian Republic) for promoting international artistic exchanges.

As a choreographer and dancer she has worked in films such as Dario Argento’s Sospiria and Le Nuove Comiche with Paolo Villaggio and Renato Pozzetto as well as with the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia.

Claudia Zaccari has organised professional training courses for teachers with ENAIP (funded by the European Union). In addition to her activities as a dancer, she has also organised fashion shows for designer Franco Ciambella on prestigious occasions such as Donne sotto le stelle. She is an artistic director, teacher, choreographer, and consultant for numerous schools and events in both Italy and abroad such as the “Festival Cecilia Kerche”in Belem (Brazil) and the Centro Teatrale in Mazatlan (Mexico), and is a jury member for various international dance competitions including the prestigious Joinville and Festival Bento em Dança in Brazil.

As artistic consultant for Prisma Spettacoli, which promotes international dance and music events, she presented companies such as Delfos Contemporary Dance Company (Mexico), Raça Cia. de Dança (Brazil), Ballet Folklorico (Mexico), Companhia de Bailado Contemporaneo (directed by Vasco Wellenkamp), Scottish Dance Theatre (directed by Janet Smith), Quasar of Brazil, Scapino Ballet Rotterdam and Cloud Gate Dance Theatre (Taiwan).

In addition to extensive teaching throughout Italy and abroad, she has worked with So Danca, the Brazilian dancewear company and is currently their International Public Relations representative. By sponsoring prestigious Italian dance competitions and events, through Claudia Zaccari’s efforts, So Danca has successfully furthered cultural exchanges in Asia, America, and Europe. Some of the international competitions that have been sponsored by So Danca are the Hong Kong Asian Grand Prix International Dance Competition, Varna International Ballet Competition, Prix de Lausanne, Seoul International Ballet Competition, and World Ballet Competition in Orlando. Claudia Zaccari is the director of the classical ballet department of Opus Ballet (Florence Italy) and is currently involved in new collaborations in mainland China, giving Masterclasses for teachers and instructing children in Classical Ballet.