Letizia Dradi
Historical dance - renaissance (16th century)


Ballet dancer, choreographer, and tutor Letizia Dradi took her first steps in early dance in 1992 in Urbino under the guidance of Barbara Sparti, Veronique Daniels, and Deda Cristina Colonna. She studied Palaeography and Musical Philology at the University of Cremona (Italy) and also explored folk dances. In 2002, she earned a degree in Laban Modern Educational Dance (Danzaeducatore © Mousiké, Bologna).

She has performed across Europe, Asia, and the Americas with renowned ensembles, including La Petite Bande directed by Sigiswald Kuijken, Le Concert des Nations led by Jordi Savall, Doulce Mémoire, Dowland Consort with Jakob Lindberg, Elyma directed by Gabriel Garrido, La Follia led by Giovanna Fabiano, Micrologus, Musica Fiorita under Daniela Dolci, La Risonanza with Fabio Bonizzoni, Les Jardins de Courtoisie, Risonanze directed by Carlo Chiarappa, Norsk Barokkorkester with Gottfried von der Götz and Rolf Lislevand, and the Orchestra Barocca of the Civica Scuola di Musica Claudio Abbado under Roberto Balconi, I Solisti Veneti, and others.

She has performed extensively with Il Ballarino in various productions, most notably L’Harmonie du Monde, a performance inspired by the life of Leonardo da Vinci.

She created choreography for Claudio Monteverdi’s works Il Ballo delle Ingrate, L’Orfeo, and Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda, which were staged multiple times in Milan, Genoa, Mantua, Brescia, and Trento.

For director Susanna Nicchiarelli, she created the choreography for the film Chiara, dedicated to the life of Saint Clare of Assisi (Vivo Film-Rai Cinema and Tarantula, 2023), and danced in Romeo and Juliet by Carlo Carlei (Indiana Production, 2013).

She dedicated herself to the study of dance iconography, conducting research on previously unpublished 15th-century frescoes in the province of Sondrio, Italy. She presented her findings at The Historical Dance Society Summer School in Bromsgrove, England (2023), and published an article in the book Tracce minime (2021).

Her research includes the Manuscript 9085 Les Basses Danses de Marguerite d’Autriche, which she has presented in lecture-demonstrations in Bourg-en-Bresse, Pesaro (2012), and at the Dolmetsch School Congress in London (2013).

She has appeared on stage with the New York Baroque Dance Company, directed by Catherine Turocy, in The Pleasure of the Dance and The Temple of Glory at the Jarvis Theater in Napa, California.

She has presented her studies at international institutions, including the Society of Dance History Scholars (USA), the Vaganova Academy (St. Petersburg, Russia), Université de Paris-Sorbonne (France), the International Historical Dance Symposium at Burg Rothenfels am Main (Germany), Bologna University (Italy), Teatro San Carlo-Conservatorio di Napoli (Italy).

She regularly conducts theoretical and practical lectures and workshops on 15th- to 18th-century dance for both children and adults in Italy (Conservatorio di Adria, Rovigo, Pesaro, Como, Brescia, Parma, FIMA Urbino) and abroad (CSI Lugano – Switzerland; Rigve International Summer Course – Norway; Valtice and Opočno – Czech Republic; Leuven – Belgium, Ljubljana – Slovenia, Asunción – Paraguay, Jakarta – Indonesia).

About The Class

Laura, Vittoria, Olimpia, and the others. Ladies in dance during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Bound by rigid social rules or creative and independent? This workshop explores the role of women in Renaissance and early Baroque dance, examining their interaction with the male element through the choreographies of Fabritio Caroso da Sermoneta and Cesare Negri. ( For advanced dancers)

Level Of Skills Required

advanced & professionals

Maximum number of students

24

Teaching Languages

English, Italian, French